Help! Before my child gets kicked out of school!

[Jessie]

Here's a quick rundown:

Jason has had a few outbursts at school over the past 4 or 5 months where he has lashed out at an aide/parapro when they were trying to redirect or discipline him. Today his teacher called and said we need to have a meeting because he hit someone so hard they are probably going to have a black eye.

So . . . not wanting to be one of those parents that defends the school bully, we do have some concerns of our own. I'm going to list what we are going to say/ask, but I was hoping any of you could throw in your 2 cents as to what the heck we are missing here.

1. Jason does not EVER lash out at ANY adult outside of school. He can play rough with kids, but he does not hit and I have NEVER seen him hit an adult. I checked with both my sister and Brian's sister today who have babysat Jason and they also have kids that Jason plays with. They both agreed they have never seen him do anything like that.

2. Our first question is, is this the same person all the time that he is having a problem with. If so, then I think the answer is pretty obvious that they just need to stay away from Jason!

3. This morning (and usually every morning) he was in a great, goofy, happy mood. No issues whatsoever. His bus driver can attest to that. So . . . what happens when he gets to school?

4. He came home this afternoon with a red mark on his forehead . . . now, that could be just from playing rough at recess . . . or just how out of hand did this situation get today? I'm almost afraid to show Brian that when he gets home, he is already furious with the school. Jason's bus driver told me that she asked the parapro what happened to him and she completely ignored her!

I think our biggest problem is that they always want to say JASON'S PROBLEM, well . . . maybe there's a problem at school that Jason is having, but it's not because he's a mean kid and likes to hit people!

Also, his teacher always wants to revert back to an old diagnosis of ADHD and hint that we need to put him back on medication. I grew up with a brother with severe ADD and have read everything on ADD/ADHD and Jason does not have it. The child CANNOT TALK, that to us is the root of his problems.

So, with all that being said and it seems so obvious to me and Brian . . . we feel like we must be missing something about what's going on here. Why do these people that are trained to handle special ed kids point the finger at Jason and want to put him on medication? What the heck are we missing? I honestly don't feel like I have my blinders on when it comes to him. When he is acting up, being whiney, whatever, I'm the first one to get annoyed, so I don't believe it's a case of overlooking his behavior just because he has special needs.

There have been some small red flags regarding one of the aides in his classroom that me and Brian have discussed and we are kicking ourselves about not addressing them with the teacher, especially if it turns out to be this same person that Jason is lashing out at.

Oh what to do, what to do . . .

Thanks for listening and if you have ANY thoughts, please share!

Jessie

[Connie]

Jessie,

Collin is only 5 and I can feel your pain. We are having many of the same issues.

They tell me Collin will try and spit, hit, knock things down etc...when he gets mad.

Its a funny thing because I don't have these problems at home because he knows I won't stand for it and will bust his bottom. But at school they keep pushing for Collin to make the right "choice/decession" on his own.
I try to explain to them that unless it is something concrete/tangible that children with DS just don't understand when told to make a choice....BUT THEY JUST DON'T GET IT.

I have went so far at to tell them if he acts up to smack his bottom or if he throws something or clears a table smack his hand and they FREAK out on me...."Oh NO we cant do that". I try and explain to them that this may be the corporation policy on disipline but by LAW they have to give my son an education and unless they get control of him they cannot do this.....

It is DRIVING me CRAZY!!!!

Connie

[Jodi]

Hey Jessie -

I would advise them to "knock-off" the med. idea because ADD/ADHD is 24/7 - not 3/4 times in 4/5 months! I've been dealing with ADHD for 7 years now, and I'm by all means no expert, but I'm hear to answer any questions you might have ;D.

I think you are on the right track with your questioning so far. What happened that led up to this incident? What happened during, and after? I'm been racking my brain (or what's left of it) trying to remember a behavior chart I once saw. It was great because it tracked behavior in detail, and patterns would show up. For instance, there was a girl, we'll call her Sally, that had a fit every time it was time to do math. It wasn't "doing math" though, it was that at that time, another girl came into the class to work on math too and she made Sally uncomfortable. I will see if I can find it.

Like it or not, kids that are non-verbal use their behavior to communicate - good or bad. If the behavior is inappropriate, then appropriate replacement behaviors must be offered.

And I'm not buying the "stubborn" lable either. Let me give you an example... Ryan was having a horrific time at the end of the school year last year. He would yell, fold-up on the floor, refuse to cooperate with anything. He was just plain frustrated with everything/everyone. One thing his behavior specialist noted was, Ryan was repeated asked if he was "ready". "Ryan, are you ready to color?" "Ryan, are you ready for circle time?" Ryan answered "NO". 10 seconds go by and he is asked again. He said "NO". Then he would be "forced" to the activity because he is being "stubborn" - HATE THAT! The behaviorist said, "either honor his answer, or don't ask". If he said no, then don't force him. Or, TELL him it's time, or give him some transition time... KWIM?

Anyway, back to Jason, it sounds like something is really getting to him for him to react like that. Does he have a behavior plan? You say the aide was redirecting him or disciplining him. What was he being redirected from? And was the new activity he was being directed to appropriate? I guess I would want to rule out any chance that he was communicating, no matter how inappropriately it was, because that's all he can do to be heard.

[kristin]

Jessie ~ I don't have any answers, but I am a school teacher and seeing things from the teacher perspective, I am wondering if, because the teachers are so "into" their own environment, routine, atmosphere, etc. maybe they are missing something obvious that you would be able to trouble shoot yourself, if you were there.

Have you offered to come into Jason's school "world" for a day? Or some period of time? Is it possible for you to do this? Would the school be accepting of this? Maybe you already HAVE done this!?

I am just thinking that the staff need some help understanding what is setting Jason off. If your boy is non-verbal, could there be there be something that is bothering him once he gets to school that you might pick up on? I would think it would be possible that Jason simply has a bad feeling about one of the aides, and if you could observe the interaction between she and Jason, maybe you could find the key...

I feel terrible that Jason is being singled out. That is totally unacceptable. I also know, as a teacher, I can be pretty oblivious to obvious things, and with a fresh pair of eyes (parents or outside observer) sometimes we can address issues that we weren't aware of , or weren't aware were affecting a child.

There are a lot of unknowns for me as to your situation, so I don't think I can be too helpful, but it sounds like if you gathered some first hand knowledge of what's going on at school, maybe you could shed some light on it.

Good luck -- and if I am totally off base, I apologize in advance.

[christie]

Hmmmm JESSIE girl, tuff one. Have you or Brian observed the class room to see how things are run there? What kind if any behavioral plan do they have in place?? If they don't have one, maybe you could request an observation by a behavioral specialist of Jason in class and then he or she could wirte up a plan for the teacher and aides to follow, just a thought...

Did this teach in anyway explain what happened or just say Jason hit someone? Meaning did she know what was going on at the time?? Did someone provoke him first?? Did they say what they did as punishment at the time this happened? Sorry for all the ?'s BUT my gosh to just tell you this with noooo or little facts, hmmmm

I AGREE a meeting is most in order with you all to find out exactly what is going on here.

Believe me I know very much how hard it is to know when the child can't share. OMG I kid you not, this is a true story. When Chris was younger and in our public school, I was there observing one day. There was lots going on and when I looked over I saw a little boy STOMP (sp) on Christopher's foot, absolutly no reason for it the boy just walked over to him and did it. So I stood there to see what would happen and Chris at that time was not really communicating at all So Chris reached for the boys hand and pinched him. K, next the little boy SCREAMS, CHRIS just hurt me. Hmmm interesting to me that the little boy left the part out that he just stomped (sp) on Christopher's foot Anywho the point of me sharing all this is no one happen to catch that whole thing but me that day and there was nooooooo way Chris could stand up for himself and explain what happened KWIM??

Luckily I was there and saw the whole thing happened and eplained to the Teach who can't have eyes every where at every second. BUT it made them aware to watch and by golly they themselves caught this little guy trying to provoke my Chris and then SCREAM if Chris did something back. Kids are smart and this boy I do believe for whatever his reasons took advantage that Chris could not speak up

I would have that meeting as soon as possible and highly consider requesting a Behavior assessment in the school, since is the area where the trouble seems to be.

BEST of LUCK girl

CC ~

[steffipoo]

What would I do?

Well I would let them know I wuld be there the next day to observe. ALL DAY!!!! THEN you could see what is triggering the behavior. Why on Earth would the para ignore the bus driver? Thats weird. Get a home to school to home notebook. Also when you observe watch for triggers to this behavior. If he doesn't do it I'd be going back and back and back. If this behavior never manifests itself I would be concerned. CAUSE it obviously would mean to me that they are putting on a show for me and teachers HATE to be observed for too long. Write down situations that are difficult for your son. transitions? If he is having trouble with transitions then you could make a transition plan. I'd be planting my bootie there till we figured it out.

[Debi]

My thoughts are based on some of the things Gabe has been through and also similar experiences with the kids in the school where I work~~
First of all after I read your post I wondered if maybe someone at Jason's school is negative.. kinda always finding the "bad" if you know what I mean. I know schools have to push for good behaviors all the time and that is good but my rule is always 3 /4 positives for every negative. I DO think some aides (and teachers too for that matter) forget to catch a kid who's doing something 'good" and maybe they themselves get worn down and often focus on the negatives . I will say Gabe has always been hyper alert to people at school who are negative and acts accordingly. He can not talk either but man he certainly knows when someone is accepting him, tolertatng him or just plain fed up with him.
Also I think the school day is really "high demad" for kids like Gabe and Jason and sometimes sheesh!! Just give them a BREAK. I wrote in Gabe's IEP that he have access to his icon and using sign to let him know it's okay to take a break. I would much rather a kid take a break~~ cool down~~ reorganize themselves before it gets physical.
A word on the charts~~we use them at the school we work at and I think they are WONDERFUL . It may take a kid a while to "buy into " the chart system but almost 99% of the time when they do, those behaviors come under control. And that is SUCH an important life skill and one that is harder for a child w/ DS to master.. the idea they HAVE to wait on thier impluses and earn their reward at the end of the day. Hey, we all do it in one way or another so why not spell it out for someone who has a harder time with all these concepts and make it concrete for them? We usually use a simple chart format but there is room on that for notation. For example if a kid is having a bad day but I know there is some reason like: they are unusally tired.. staff change.. a way to help put it into context for the parent then that can be written on there also.
I really have to wonder about the aide.. for school purposes we explain to the parent in as much detail as possible without naming another student's name if an incident happens. It would seem to me that the school would also share this info with you. I also get these reports.. when Gabe acts up but his school IS good about explaining if something is going on such as a sub that day and usually will be open to brainstorming some strategies. I know Gabe and this is another for example:
but he now goes grocery shopping with me rather well and does not act up but when he goes to with his class it is more of a struggle. I think it's again, 1. a high demand situation
2.kinda funny to watch everyone get all riled up about his behaviors
However it would be right up his alley to get OUT of the school shopping trips so. .. I asked them to take him and if he does act up make him sit quietly in the school van.
Sorry this is a ramble but these are just some things that have worked for Gabe and other kids.
I do think going to school and observing (which should just be your right) is a very good idea.. whether this is Jason's fault or not you still expect him to follow certan social norms and it's hard to think of some good solutions if you do not see him in school as it happens.

[Jessie]

Update . . .

Brian spoke with Jason's teacher last night and all three of us are still wondering what the heck is going on. Me and Brian think it's the aide.

The story is that yesterday they were all in line to go outside and the aide told them to wait. Supposedly Jason hauled off and hit her in the eye. That was it. I don't believe for a second that that is the entire story. His teacher said that she was in the bathroom when it happened and so she didn't see the incident (how convenient for the aide). By the time she came out of the bathroom, Jason was sitting back down in his seat banging his head on his desk (thus the red mark on his forehead she's guessing). He does bang/hit his head when he gets REALLY upset.

His teacher said she's been teaching for 30 years and she's seen it all and Jason is not acting so extreme that he's going to get kicked out or anything, she just wants to understand what's going on. Well, we do too!

I like the idea of observing during his class, but when I have been in there in the past for holidays, etc., he just clings to me and won't participate, so I don't know how effective it would be for me to be there.

Also, in case I haven't made it clear, we absolutely do not condone this behavior in Jason, hitting is not acceptable. It's just out of his normal character to do this that has us scratching our heads right now.

Thanks for all of your input, I appreciate it!

Jessie

[Emilysmom]

Jessie~
I'm afraid I don't have any answers, but you are definitely going in the right direction!! You and Brian have done exactly the right thing by getting on top of this FAST, and I believe only GOOD can come from that.

Last October, I spent an entire day at Emily's school.....followed her every footstep! I was very afraid, like you said, that she would just cling to me and not give me a true picture of what her typical day was usually like. But, for the most part, I was able to see so many things that gave me insight to what she needed, and some changes were made. It was an eye opening experience for me..........some very good ways, as well as seeing some negatives too.

I'm thinking that even if Jason did cling to you, you'd still be able to watch the aide interact with him and with the other kids and might be able to figure out the problem. Sure does seem like something to do with her is what set him off. I'm so glad the teacher is not ready to talk about suspension.

Wish there was more we could do!!
Susan

[YoshsMom]

I agree with what some of the others have said. If jJason only exhibits this behavior in school, then something is triggering it. A good behavior plan starts with observation and documentation. I find it interesting that the outbursts happen during redirectio or discipline. These are both tricky with nonverbal kids. Maybe Jason is really into what he is doing and is not ready to stop. Or maybe he needs warnings before transition, like saying 5 more minutes until ... or setting a timer to let him know when things are going to change. Find out if anyone at the school is trained in behavior modification. As for ADHD, periodic outbursts are not a symptom on their own. I only have recommended meds for kids who are unable to sit long enough to learn.

[momofrussell]

Well, first I have to LOL at MB for NOT writing anything in her post! LMAO.. was that intentional? heehee

I don't have much to add... seems you have some good points going on here and have a place to start. I would like to add though that even if it's the aide/para, I wouldn't blame it all on the para OR Jason. Something is off chemistry wise with the pair and BOTH need to learn how to deal with each other! Is this para JUST for Jason or is this a class aide that helps all the kids? Also, if it IS just one person, para or child or whomever, don't just think it would be ok to have that person just stay away, because I don't think that is really solving the issue either.

I think being non-verbal has ALOT to do with it. And after reading Jodi's post and how they were addressing her son and his responses, it maybe something as simple as choosing words differently. Or making sure transitions and tasks ARE said and forwarned before done.

As far as the ADHD, it may not be that. BUT, if you want another outside source and perspective, have your thought about a behavioral psych to see? Someone outside the school field to have a fresh prospective?

To observe the school, I would try to find a way to "hide" so you could watch. I'd talk to the teacher and possibly the principal to set up a way for you to observe without bringing attention to yourself so Jason won't know you are there.

HUGS to you!!! It is a process and Jason is very lucky to have you and his daddy working SO hard to make sure he is ok! Good luck with everything!!!!

A.

[laurasnowbird]

What is an FBA?

The idea behind an FBA is that behaviors do not occur in a vacuum, but is a result of a number of factors which follow the A-B-C formula:

A Antecedent The environment or context in which the behavior occurs

B Behavior The behavior itself, operationally defined

C Consequence What happens following the behavior

Student variables, including student skills, thinking, feelings and health, also influence behavior and the A-B-C formula.

What an FBA does essentially is look at the A-B-C chain in the following manner:

Identify the target (trouble) behavior
Operationally define the target behavior
Identify the environments in which the behavior occurs
Collect data to determine the relationship between the environment and the occurrence of the behavior
Analyze the data to determine what goal (or function) the behavior is serving for the student

There are numerous approaches to the actual data collection and analysis of an FBA. See the section on Resources on FBAs for more specific information and tools for conducting FBAs.

What is a Functional Assessment?



HOME

WHO WE ARE

LINKS

PUBLICATIONS

CONTACT US

TRANSLATED MATERIAL

NATIONAL INFORMATION






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IDEA 1997
GUEST BOOK
QUESTION:
My son Tom receives special education services at our junior high school, but is in a regular classroom for most of his school day. He receives detention or in-school suspension several times a week for being disruptive in the regular classroom, and has even been sent home for a cooling-off period several times over the past few months. His teachers have tried to be helpful, and are willing to do what they can, but they say that he refuses to do his work, gets angry for no apparent reason, and sometimes just leaves the classroom. They want to send him to another school where he can get more services. I've had many meetings with the school staff to change his program, but I still do not understand why he is having such problems in the first place. Tom's problems are not so severe at home or in the neighborhood. My friend told me to ask the school to do a functional assessment of his behavior. Is that different from the assessment schools typically do?

ANSWER:

A functional behavioral assessment, or analysis, is a process which seeks to identify the problem behavior a child or adolescent may exhibit, particularly in school, to determine the function or purpose of the behavior, and to develop interventions to teach acceptable alternatives to the behavior. The process is as follows:
1. Identify the behavior that needs to change,
2. Collect data on the behavior,
3. Develop a "hypothesis" (best guess) about the reason for the behavior,
4. Develop an intervention to help change the behavior,
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention,
6. Have patience.

The first step in conducting a functional behavioral assessment is for the school team to identify and agree upon the behavior that most needs to be changed. Children and youth can exhibit a spectrum of difficult behaviors; it will be important to develop a prioritized list, so that the most severe behaviors can be addressed first. There will be times when the most appropriate response to irritating but non-dangerous behaviors is planned ignoring, particularly when the student is working on correcting more severe behaviors.

The second step is to collect data on the occurrence of the targeted behavior, identifying not only its frequency and intensity, but examining the context (the when, where and how) of the behavior. Consider:
A. In what settings does the behavior occur most often?
B. Where did it occur most recently?
C. Who else was there?
D. What is unique about the environment where the behavior occurred? (size of classroom, number of students, teaching style, seating, distractions, academic/behavioral expectations, structure)
E. What other behavior occurred just before the targeted behavior? (interaction with another student, change in tasks, teacher direction, etc.)
F. What were the immediate consequences of the behavior? (teacher attention, student laughter, etc.)
G. Could the consequences be seen as positive for the student?

The third step is to develop, from the data collected, an hypothesis about the function or purpose of the student's behavior and to develop an intervention.
A. What does the team believe is the reason for the behavior? (attention-getting, avoidance, peer acceptance, etc.)
B. What is the agreed upon strategy to correct the behavior?
C. How much time will be given to implementing the intervention? (patience is key to behavioral change)

After the intervention has been tried over a period of time, it will be important to test the hypothesis. Does the intervention need to be paired with other modifications or rewards to increase its effectiveness? Did the intervention reduce the problem behavior? If not, what other strategies can be considered? Is it necessary to reevaluate the hypothesis, or to develop another best guess about the reason for the behavior, or to collect more information? While conducting a functional assessment of a child's behavior may take a bit more time initially to complete, for those students for whom typical interventions have not been successful, developing an understanding of the cause of behavior may be key to helping them learn new behavioral skills.

Functional assessments have been used for many years with students who have severe disabilities, to help parents and teachers to understand the function of inappropriate behavior, and to plan effective interventions. Functional assessments are also a useful approach to evaluating the reason for inappropriate behaviors for students who have milder disabilities, when their behaviors do not improve with the use of typical school interventions. It sounds as though you and the school staff are both frustrated by your son's lack of behavioral improvement, and, in this instance, a functional behavioral assessment may be a very good idea.

[nica1]

Jessie, This same kind of situation was happening with my friends son. They had a strange feeling that a certain aide was alot of the problem. But it was just a gut feeling and they did not want to go pointing fingers when they had nothing really to back it up. They also felt if they went to observe their son would not act typical. So they got a behavior specialist to come observe for a couple of weeks. They got her name from their family Dr. didn't tell her how they kinda thought this aide might be part of problem. They just asked for her to observe and then if she could give advise so they could get to the root of the problem because they had never in his 12 yr. had such emotional outbursts. Anyway make long story longer:) This behaivor specialist gave the school alot of great advise and what she felt was the biggest problem was the aide, seems there was alot of control issues between them and they recommended that she get addtional training which i believe she did but she switched classrooms. His behaivor completely turned around:) Now I hate blaming school staff we have always been very lucky and had great teachers and aides, but just because you work with kids does not mean maybe you should not be............... Hope this can help...........Monica

[steffipoo]

Hi I have observed in Olivias class and hid behind a VERY BIG DISPLAY board that we put on a table and moved the table so the kids couldn't see me. It was a board with a hole in it. Took me 2 hours to get noticed.LOL..... The kids thought it was so funny I hid back there and Livs teacher said for a couple days afterwards she looked for me as well as all the kids BEHIND the display board. lol...

[christie]

LOLOL STEFF ;D How cute is that, Hmmmm what a spy you make For us the first few times we observed Chris would see me and go get his coat and backpack and say YEA, Jeep, HOME, LOLOL and I would just say NOOOO go sit and do your work. After a few times he just got use to me being there on and off and now just will wave to me and smile BIG ;D

Hmmmm, me thinks these classes need two way mirrors, Hmmmm I think I just may suggest that LOL

CC ~