student who self-mutilates

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Home : 2007 : March : 4

student who self-mutilates
By Primrose

I have a very troubled student, fifth grade, who self-mutilates by scratching himself repeatedly with little pieces of wire. I do my best to be very supportive and caring and to watch him carefully, plus he sits close to
my desk. He is receiving a lot of counseling and may soon be placed in a treatment center, but I feel responsible for him in my room. He is very secretive ,and I have to constantly watch him to make sure he doesn't have any sort of sharp object. He will destroy pencils and use the metal part that holds the eraser to scratch himself. I have a good relationship with him, and he doesn't have

other behavior problems in the classroom. He has a horrible homelife and the other students do not want to have anything to do with him- Have any of you had a student do this? Any suggestions on how I can best help him? It is very hard to watch him constantly when I have a classroom of other students to teach.