Mike had really started to make progress academically and then we started a new unit and it was right back to how he was before. His social skills have also seemed to be going downhill as well. He has REALLY been zoning out these days – completely detached from any academic instruction and kind of standing back at recess. He still talks to the other students in the class but he will randomly start talking about another subject that the students were not talking about. When asked a question, he answers the question as though he knows the answer even though he is no where even close to the right answer. Usually his answer is on the same topic but it might be about something completely different from what we are talking about at that exact moment. The strategies that we have been using are still working somewhat but his inability to retain any information that was previously learned is becoming more of a problem.
We have been timing him in class and like I said earlier… sometimes he can accomplish the task and he is very happy and so are we but there are times that he cannot complete the task in the allotted time and he becomes very frustrated and defeated. The instances where he is completing the task in the allotted time have decreased and his frustration level has gone up a lot. He has also been lashing out against students recently. If someone says something to him that he does not like, his reactions escalate at an unnecessary rate and can sometimes end up yelling.
I really think that his behavior issues are the cause of his academic issues and something seems to be going on recently that has really changed his emotional state. His parents insist that nothing at home has changed and he rarely talks about his feelings. However, even when you can get him to talk about his feelings, he talks about a lot of nonsense and he rambles on. We are currently trying to get him to see the guidance counselor about his emotional issues and he has been recently tested for SST to qualify him for a learning disability so I guess we’ll see what that turns up but any ideas about what might be contributing to his recent behavior??
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Seems like there is a lot going on for this student. I think it is a good idea for you to get the guidance counselor involved to see if he will open up and talk about his feelings and emotions or what is going on in his life at home and at school. Students are good at trying to cover up their feelings, in particular boys, but when things keep building up it really makes it hard for students to function effectively in the classroom. I think just continuing to give the student praise for what he is able to accomplish and encouraging him that you are here for him if it needs it, maybe pulling him aside at some point as well just to check in with him would be good.
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