name-calling

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Home : 2001 : February : 9

name-calling
By Cathy-Dee

I'm not sure if this will work or not as I haven't taught a student with down syndrome before. I do teach grade 1 however and name calling is quite typical.

With any of my "behaviour" students who liked to do things like
the name calling or we have had students in kindergarten with the urinating, etc., we usually do some sort of time-out. For my kids just 5 minutes is torture.
With older students perhaps a time-out room rather than corner.
Most students do not enjoy simply sitting with their head down or in a chair and missing out on something. And when it is in a room all by themselves with no

audience then the pleasure of the name calling, etc., wears out.
So perhaps everytime your student uses an inappropriate word, just simply remove him/her to the time-out room or corner and leave them there for at least 5 minutes. If they don't like the punishment, they may decide to change their behaviour. If 5 minutes doesn't work, then make it 10 minutes. Once my class was so unruly that I had them sit for 30 minutes with their heads down while we missed our gym class. I had angels for a month after that. I've only done this once in 8 years, but they just wouldn't behave and the behaviour was so negative to one another that I finally decided to make the punishment one they wouldn't want repeated anytime soon.

Other things, perhaps a chart system. For every class period they do not use an inappropriate word, put a sticker on their chart. Another teacher I know used rubber bands on her wrist. Something visual. Then when so many are collected, the student earns a special treat, time in the gym, extra computer time, sitting with a friend, etc.,