I work with a 5 year old kid who has many behavior problems. What to do?

Question

I work with a 5 year old kid who is can be very bad, but fairly good. It just depends. For example: Today was bad. The teacher has a system where she puts up clothespins with their name on them by a paper stoplight. If it gets to yellow, the miss 5 minutes of recess. If it gets to red they are removed to a time out. Worse, they are sent to skills. Well, he got that far. I took him up to skills. He seemed to have fun with every punishment he got. He's never been that bad before. He also got annoyed with me when I complimented him and something he actually did well on. He is not classified as special ed, his parents won't sign for it, but he is a very very smart kid. He can read well, and he knows tons, but he is just bad! What can I do?

Answer 1

He is crying out for help  maybe your,s   Be his hero , his friend , and help him each day to become a better person , in return , you will find  something about yourself

Answer 2

I agree with the previous answer,the child is not BAD but may display bad behaviors.

The parents won't sign for him to be in special ed.,or to be evaluated?

It is hard to know how to help a child if you don't have an evaluation,to know exactly what you are dealing with.

That being said,you say," he seemed to have fun with each punishment" It seems to me, he doing exactly what he knows gets him what he wants!

Answer 3

First of all no child is "bad" he may have issues or bad behabior but you need to change your thinking also. If you have a positive attidude he cannot get to you as easily. If these are new behaviors see what is diffrent in his life. Kids act out normally because somthing has changed and they can not communicate it into words, they may not see those connections. Is he learning it from another student, is he tryin to impress someone, is there somthing diffrent at home good or bad. My mother is a spec ed teacher and she has a little girl who recently is acting out to get sent home. The little girl thinks she needs to stay home because she is afraid that it will be "closed" as she put it (forclosed). This is not a child just being mean but a possible cry for help. Ask parents if anything has changed. Ask  child if anything changed and see if anything at school changed. As for how to handle the behavior. The close pin may not be effective enough. You must use negitive reienforcement not positive. If he is in time out and he does not stay quiet start the time again until it is no longer fun. You have disarmed him and he is not in control even if he appears to like it, If you give a warning and dont follow through he has won. STAY calm at all cost. This shows that you are in control and it is an example of how to control emotion. In time out do not speak to him every word he says just calmy reply another 5 or "start over". Now after the ordeal is over return to a positive state of mind kids that age will not comprehend action consequence if there is to much time between them. If you think the does have special needs alway give him the oppertunity to leave the situation it is hard to face peers if they see him act out and so they dont mimic him. I hope these tips help.

Answer 4

This is NOT a child that would probably benefit from special education and related services.  He may however, benefit from some form of behavioral intervention.  

First of all, make some preliminary decisions:  when did the behavior start; anything unusual happenning at home (moving; baby; parent lost job; new/modified medication)?; it is developmentally inappropriate?  when does the behavior occur most (free time; transitions; bathroom)?

Then, observe the student (from beginning of day to end of day) and make specific notes.  There are several ways to collect data to determine the purpose for the behavior.  

Google the Behavior Dr.  -  this site has numerous resources regarding ABC models, Frequency counts, Duration Charts, FBA, Child Background.

I have had experience with the Stop Light management plan, however, NOT A GREAT IDEA for young children - they do no grasp such an abstract concept.  Determine logical consequences for inappropriate behavior.  

BUT please, whatever you do, don't 'think' that a child should be placed in a special education setting based solely on initial behavior disruptions; And actually, a child WILL NOT be placed without official diagnosis of another disability that meets 3 specific criteria: identification of a primary disability; there must be an education deficit (observed over time);  student demonstrates the need and would benefit from services.

Look for pre-referral interventions: (strategies to try prior to refering a child for special education): class/morning meetings/ behavior stories/ picture schedule/ First-Then Schedules, etc,

Answer 5

I'm sorry, but you don't have the training to be working with this kid. You're supposed to be completely non-reactive to his behavior. It sounds like he's just trying to push you away. Overlook it and stay on task. AND GET SOME TRAINING!

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Answer 6

It's important to provide structure. A behavior plan would accomplish this . Talk with the school counselor about setting up a meeting to conduct a functional behavior easement so that a behavior support plan can be set up.

The system the teacher is using may be triggering the behaviors! He may have oppositional tendencies and his behavior may serve the purpose of "sticking it to the teacher." in his mind, at least!