Hi,
I work as a TA in a year 3/4 class. One of the kids we have this year is off the scale with his calling out and fidgeting.
He truly seems unable to help himself as no matter what negative attention he gets from T, he still get's out of his seat, calls out, always has something to say on every subject.
When you try to talk opne on one with him, he doesn't meet your eye and I don;t think he takes in what you are saying as he will then come out with something not related at all.

I could go on and on.
He is a sweetheart really but drives everybody, adults and peers to distraction and as a result, isn't a very popular little boy.
To make matters worse, Mum has just walkewd out and J and his little sister are with dad, who seems a good man and dad.

Whilst not an expert, I suspect he has some sort of ADHD. I have researched it a bit and he seems to fit the bill.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how best to deal with a the child/b the situation?

thanks

I think you need to talk to your SENco, some of his traits also fit the ASD spectrum and if this is the case negative feedback from the teacher would not be working! Until he gets a proper assessment then it is going to be hard to provide the correct support for him.

sounds more like asd to me too, if thats the case he wouldn't truly understand the rules and socially as true says he wouldnt respond to negativity in the same way as a 'normal' child

OK, thanks for your replies.
I did talk to class teacher about my concerns, trying to follow the correct chain of command etc but she wasn't really interested. Seemed to think it was just behavioural but I strongly disagree, anyhoo, she is signed off indef now, so good chance to go to senco.
bless him!

I agree with summer and trueblue with ASD being a possible cause. ADHD could also still be an option as their attention span is sooooo short that negative feedback is quickly forgotten, you may think 'he must remember that I have told him not to do it a 100 times' but he won't remember

Needs looking into and also some positive feedback could help, I always remember and constantly use the catch them being good idea, even if it is just saying "good sitting" when they have literally just put their bottom on the chair

Good luck and let us know what happens.

Flip! It never occurred to me that he might not remember being told not to fidget/call out etc!

Wow, what an eye opener. Sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees, can you!

I do use tons of positive with him. I really do, the T was less kind.
I am going to try and see SENCO tomorrow, she is fab and I bet she will really help me to fathom out what's best for him. I feel like the only consistent in his life at the mo, Mum's left, dad goes away (both parents are soldiers) Teacher off indefinitely but I'm there every day

Thanks very much everyone
ceb x

could you try giving him some symbols and talk to him about what they mean, you could have one for not shouting, one for putting his hand up etc. once he knows what they mean you could put them in front of him on his desk then next time he shouts out you could point to them and he should remember what to do, give him loads of praise when he does it

if you need a hand with any symbols let us know and I'm sure we can find some for you. I have loads but not on this laptop unfortunately

Sorry cebby I didn't want to imply that you weren't giving positive vibes

Symbols is a great idea and they do work very very well if used consistently (i.e teacher uses them too)

Glad you have a supportive senco.

No, you didn't Veggie, I know how easy it is to sound totally different than you meant online!

I do use symbols, sort of! I touch my ear for him to listen and point to the T for him to look at her. He really is an enigma! I have quite a bit of experience working with SEN and have also done the SENAT course which was really valuable but I seem to have made no head way with him at all since September!

He crys sometimes, so I know he feels hurt and sad, he loves to be giggling with the others in class, doesn't happen too often as, like I said, he's not popular because of his behaviour. Have tried giving him a responsibility, which he loves, but he then is straight back to calling out and driving the class mad! So much time was wasted with T speaking to him and it really made not a jot of difference.
I feel angry that she didn't do more to try and help him, but that's another story.

I am doing the NVQ at the mo too, so will 'use' him as part of my unit work, he will cover lots I suspect!

Will print this all off to take to SENCO tomorrow. With sats and an ofsted coming up, it's a tad hectic at school at the mo, but I really feel this must be sorted NOW.

Cheers all,

Ceb xx

Glad you feel more positive, a great site for resources

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Great site trueblue, I will be using that myself - thank you

Great site.

JUst read everyones comments and wondered how you got on with the SENCO.

I am reminded of a child in a class I worked in, temporarily, a couple of years ago. His behaviour was not as extreme as you describe but he
was mostly found crawling under the tables, fighting, fussing - on one occasion he took apart a book rack and peered out from it all whilst the teacher was talking seemingly oblivious to how he might be in the wrong.

He was constantly in trouble and his parents were regularly called in to discuss his inappropriate behaviour.

I was convinced he had special needs and was surprised to find he had no diagnosis or even identified on the School Action register.

The following year I worked in his class again. He was an, almost, different child. He followed the rules, earned praise, raised his hand, volunteered answers. He wasn't perfect but now he was just a bit silly sometimes and lost the occasional play.

The difference was the teachers style. His new teacher was very methodical, an autisic childs dream, evrything was clearly labelled, every rule was reminded. Expectation of behaviour was discussed and always rewarded. He was still a challenge but now he experienced success every day and his parents were never called in.

I have now worked with this teacher for the last 3 years and continue to wonder at the amazing nurture she offers her class. It seems so simple you should be able to bottle it. I have adopted her practices when supervising hers, and others, classes.

To encourage behaviour several children, one with ADHD, one emotional/behavioural identified needs, and one with Cerebal palsy and a huge attitude all have a simple Smiley face card. Earn 10 smiles (potentially 15 chances) they get a reward - 10 minutes on a nintendo or 10 minutes on a lap top or take home a trophy.
The reward was their choice.

Look foward to hearing what the Senco said?

Hello LQ

Sadly we ran out of time.I told her my concerns but it never really got any further than that.
She is an absolutely lovely woman but tends to ramble on enthusiastically so a 1 minute talk ends up as a 20 minute and you come away reeling!!

I will try and get her again, the inclusion person is in sometime this week so hopefully get a chance to speak to her too.

Your T sounds like a dream. Mine wasn't. Without wanting to sound unprofessional, I think mine was the opposite to yours and destroyed the confidence of several of our already fragile kids.

On a positive note, J was amazing yesterday! The guy covering while T is off is getting much better results from the kids. I got a chance to help J yesterday with the front cover of a book they have all made and he respnded to me incredibly well. I was able to give him umpteen house points and smiley faces (we use them too, get 10 and you can pick a treat from the treat box) I felt so emotional!! One of those, THIS IS WHY I DO THIS JOB moments!!!

Will return, hopefully with news from senco!

Thanks all, much appreciated

ceb xxxxx

Well done. I know just what you mean. When you make a break through, however small, or for how short a period it really makes it worth while.

Yes teacher I work with really is a dream but leaving next week to have a baby!!!!!!

Class is very lucky though, the replacement has been working as a regular supply and has observed the class teacher in situ and agreed to keep all of her procedures in place until the children leave in July.

My advice would be keep on building on that replacement. One child I worked with a few years ago had a reward of spending up to 20 minutes quality time with me. (He had to earn the number of minutes). On a Friday we would go off and just have a chat, then we decided to make a joke book or anything really he chose. The child needed attention and
we had built a strong relationship. Its funny because at the time, my first year as an LSA, it seemed a bizarre reward. I'm not that interesting!!!!
Since then I have worked with lots of children who really value a bit
of one on one time.