Behavior Issues

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Behavior Issues
By Michelle

The first thing that comes to mind is -- How long has this been going on? If it has been going on a while, you need to pull records as a support for your referral and also to check for anything that may have been successful
in the past.
Is the child new to your school? If so, insist on records from the previous school. You'd be surprised how many parents fail to inform you that the child has been in special ed before. Ask the father -- get a complete case history. If the child has been in special ed before, you can request an emergency interim placement and probably get it within a few days, so

it's worth checking out.

If the behavior is new, start talking to your guidance counselor or social worker and ask the dad to take the child to the doctor. I'm not saying the child needs medication, but severe behavior changes can indicate serious medical problems including seizure activity, onset of bipolar disorder, or even a brain tumor. Don't state any specific concerns, just suggest that the dad get a medical workup to rule out any physical causes. Have there been any major changes in the child's life? Divorce, death of a parent, etc.? If so, see if special ed can do some short term counseling starting immediately or if they can refer dad to some appropriate resources.

I would try to get permission and assistance to video the outburst and then personally take it in to the special ed department and request assistance. Don't just video a few minutes, get a good couple of hours. You want to make your point about severity and duration. If they realize the seriousness, they may try to speed up the process. They actually have the option to do the interim placement even without the previous history.

Other than that, sit down with your principal and discuss options. Do you want to let him sleep and just wake him when sped comes in to observe? Do you want to keep him awake every day, follow your discipline plan, and suspend him for outrageous behavior? If dad is not supportive, you may have to resort to something like this to get him involved. Another option is to call dad and have him come to school each time an episode occurs.

You may also want to try to spend a few minutes each morning one-on-one getting to know this child. Sometimes establishing a relationship at least helps a little. Find out what is rewarding and set up a reward program. You may need to provide a secluded spot in your room with some relaxation aides for this student to settle down before starting his day. I like to use soft music (with head phones), oil timers, perpetual motions sculptures, moving sand sculptures, things to manipulate such as paper to tear or stress balls to squeeze, etc.

Good luck dealing with this and keep reaching out for help. Principals and sped personnel get busy and the person yelling the loudest gets the fastest/best help. Make sure that person is you.