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#367722 01/19/08 08:27 AM
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jaydee Offline OP
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I teach in a middle school resource room. I co-teach four hours out of the day and have two hours self-contained. I have a particular student who suffers from ADHD and has been self medicating with drugs for several years now. When he comes to school he is fine for the first hour or two but after that, he is excessively restless and fidgety and disrupts students and the learning environment. He refuses to stay in class and refuses to participate in most learning activities. I have been teaching for fifteen years and I have exhausted all my resources with this student. The administration has reduced his day to four hours but I have ethical issues with that as he isn't receiving a quality education. Although, with him present, others aren't receiving a quality education either. Do you have any suggestions? We have tried behavior plans but at the middle school they are so difficult to follow because they involve so many different people (as he sees seven different teachers in a day). Extrinsic rewards are not motiviating for him. He likes working, making money, and doing physical labor. I have racked my brain trying to find a way to work that into his school day but we are so limited in our options in our district.
Help....please!!

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jaydee #367766 01/19/08 04:25 PM
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Chipmunk
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Hi Jaydee,Im not an expert but I really feel for you (I am a teacher, special ed reading coach and have a daughter with dyspraxia)

Asyou have exhausted all options, you may be able to make a case with your superiors for some creativity leeway here,

For example - how about encouraging him to bring in a positive activity that he enjoys from home - seeing what educational mileage you can get out of it? It could be saved for the difficult later hours and used as a reward.

I have a few ideas how you could expand it (I am working on a website to include all ed inc dyspraxia) so let me know what you think.

Last edited by inspirangel one; 01/19/08 04:31 PM.




BellaShorts #368527 01/22/08 02:13 PM
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Amoeba
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Hello Jaydee, the school I've worked for the past 8 years specializes in working with children with disabilities. The entire school is made up of children who have severe learning disabilities and couldn't make it in traditional public or private schools.

Most of our students have dyslexia and about 70% of them have ADD or ADHD. A lot of the students come to us with very bad behavior records, but when we address the learning needs of each particular student, the behavior issues usually melt away. See my article Learning Disabilities - The Social and Emotional Impact.

I realize every situation is unique and you have to try and get him to be successful in a regular classroom.

Some thoughts... Is the medication he's taking specifically for ADHD and is he being monitored closely by his physician? We have seen drastic improvements with different medication or change in dosages. When students are growing rapidly, they quickly outgrow their prior dosages. Also, there are now medications that are slow release so they stay in the body for 12 hours or more. I would check this out with the parents.

Has he had a psychological evaluation? Is there perhaps something else besides the ADHD, such as a learning disability? Kids will act out and disrupt class when they don't understand or can't comprehend a particular subject or assignment. You said you're a resource room teacher, but I'm not sure if he has any other diagnosis besides ADHD.

You said after about 2 hours at school he starts getting restless. Could be meds wearing off, could be the particular class that occurs then, could be what he's eating for breakfast, lack of nutritional snacks or time for snack, could be he needs time to get up and move around for just a few minutes every hour, or any combination of things. Keeping detailed records will help you, the doctor, and the parent try to define patterns and nail down specific times and occurrences.

Steps I would take:

>Talk with parents about meds

>See about any possible other problems such as learning disabilities

>Suggest nutritional breakfast low in sugar, high in fiber and protein

>Provide fidget toys such as a stress ball he can hold in his hand and squeeze, or playdough he can roll and pat.

>Provide some time for him to get up and move around. We have a OT room students can go to for sensory diet where they can use equipment to be physically active and get some of the energy out. You can also have the whole class do some quick stretches, have him run an errand, have him pass out papers, anything to allow him to get up and move around for just a bit will help.

>Also, play to his strengths. Find out what he is good at and try to incorporate that as much as possible. I can assure you he is embarrassed about his behavior, but feels he has no control. I'm willing to bet his self-esteem is low as well. Help him understand he is not a bad person, and help him feel good about himself and what he can do well. Then let him know that you're there to help him with the difficult things as well. Do not let him become totally reliant on others and do not allow him the power he seeks to control the classroom.

I hope this helps you some. Also know that some children will not be able to succeed in the traditional learning environment. They need a very special environment that can provide much more one on one. Districts in our area are paying for placement of students that they can not provide adequate services for. Just know this might be an option as well.

Please let me know if you have any more questions, and keep me updated on your progress with him.

Good Luck!

Valerie


Moderated by  Celestine - Special Ed 

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