Letter From Principal

[katiekat]

Another horrible week for Sean. 4 out of 5 bad days. Monday always starts out the worst and it seems to get a little better each day until Fri. which says "good day." This is the same with or without the Adderall. So it obviously does nothing. I will not be giving it to him anymore-why take a medication when it does nothing. I'm calling the school nurse on Monday to tell her not to give it to him anymore.

[katiekat]

Lillian, I have another question for you(or for anyone else who might know.) What type of modifications/accomodations do you think would be helpful for Sean? I'll give you a run down of the most frequent complaints/biggest problems.
Many problems occur at lunch recess. Physical aggression toward other kids and refusing to listen to the aides.
Calling out/talking during class.
Pre-occupied with objects that are not necessary for what they are working on. IE:Crayons when they're not coloring.
Refusal to stop doing what he is working on when told/transitioning.
Does not follow directions.
Does not focus.
Punches self in head.
Cannot "compose" himself.

[lillian]

KK,

This is the reason an FBA needs to be done. He needs to be observed at different times of day and in different learning environments to get a grasp about why these behaviors are occurring. I'll take each one as an example:

Physical aggression on the playground. During every activity or particular ones? My son, for example, had an issue during soccer but no other game. That's very important to know. Is he aggressive during all activities on the playground? When he is standing in line waiting to play? When he plays with certain children (this was my son's issue, come to find out, for he and another ADHD kid would wage war on the soccer field, getting aggressive, not fighting but really getting carried away competing for the ball).

Difficulties with transitions. Is that transitioning in or out of an activity? Is it transitioning from an active/social activity to a quiet/in your seat activity or vice versa? Is it all day or only at certain times during the day, with certain activities? The latter, BTW, can be a sign of a learning disability. If he's having a lot of difficulty transitioning in or out of one subject, it may be because of difficulties he's having with that subject.

Does not follow directions. Ever? Written and oral? In quiet environments and in crowded? When working in groups and when working independently? In all subjects or only in some?

Does not focus. Ever? In all subjects and environments or particular subjects and environments? When working in groups and when working independently? During all times of day or during only certain times of day?

Hits himself in the head. Wow! Poor guy. Why is he doing this? When does it occur? Is it related to being corrected by the teacher? Is it related to a certain subject? Is it related to a child's saying something to him? Does it correspond with transitioning and focusing? Does he reach slumps in the day and does this to wake himself up?

Pre-occupied with objects. What do you mean? Is he fiddling with them to help himself focus? Is he using them to avoid certain activities he doesn't understand? Does he have tactile issues and touches everything? Is he fascinated by certain colors or shapes?

Cannot compose himself. When? After what? After he's lost his temper? After he's been corrected by the teacher? When he becomes frustrated during a transition? When he is transitioning, like running wild in the classroom after coming back from lunch?

Again, this is why FBA's are done. Someone needs to take a close look at his behavior, see when it's happening, see why it's happening, then come up with more appropriate behaviors to substitute for the inappropriate ones, and write these into a BIP, which ALSO should include positive behaviors he already possesses that the school wants to see more of.

[katiekat]

Thanks so much. I see your point. I don't know any more than the examples I gave you. There are no details, just those broad statements. I see why the FBA needs to be done now. I am slowly building my case. I want to be 100% prepared when we once again submit a letter stating that we want him evaluated. Again, thanks for all your help!