Working with Violent Children- Avoiding Injury-Please Help..

Posted December 13, 2005 - 2:51pm by LaNostalgia
Hello Everyone :-) I am new to being a para (this is my second week). I am working with a child who is nonverbal, and as a result can become violent toward me when dealing with things like transitions into different activities. I am getting some bruises and am sore from being hit by this child. When he becomes upset, he head butts me, like today he did that to my shoulder, and now my shoulder is sore. He is only 3 years old, but is very strong. He has been making nice improvement throughout the past week. Would anyone have any suggestions for me as to effective discipline strategies or ways to keep both myself and this child safe? He hits his head against the wall, and throws himself down on the floor. It's not only me that he is hurting, he is also harming himself. The teachers and other staff see him do it, but only tell him not to hit. Are there any options you could recommend to me? Thanks in advance for all your help. I really appreciate it. :-) -LaNostalgia
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Working with Violent Children- Avoiding Injury-Please Help..

by Jeanne Mehlhop - 01/19/2006 - 10:06pm
It may be that this child becomes frustrated and violent because he is unable to verbally express to you what it is he needs or wants. And transitions are often difficult for SPED kids. It may be helpful to use pictures or photos. Pictures can even downloaded from the internet to make them small. It's easier if you can put Velcro on the backs of the photos and also on a piece of tagboard or even an open file folder. Then you can arrange the pictures in the order of the child's daily schedule. You will have to help him with this at first - say, "Now it's time for music", and hand-over-hand help him remove the picture of music and put it in a designated place (maybe an envelope that's atatached to the board. You may also have photos/pictures for him to use to give to you - such as drink, snack, bathroom, etc., so that he can use them to show you what he wants. Learn a few hand signs, such as stop, no, yes, bathroom, walk, etc., and then use them to reinforce your verbal cues. And teach the signs to the child. You will, of course, want to discuss these ideas with your supervising teacher. It helps to know just what disabilities the student has; I hope have you've had a chance to read his IEP. Best of luck! Know that you're one of many paras getting bruised and scarred daily!

Working With Violent Children

by richiehass - 01/06/2006 - 6:20pm
First off, what communication system are you using with the 3-year old child? Also, what is the child's disability? Often times, the root of a problem is communication and the child does not know how to effectively communicate their displeasure, so hitting, head banging, etc. is the easiest way to view their displeasure. And also, telling the child "no" is not an effective way to stop their behavior, but I wouldn't tell that to the teacher. :D Just to let you know, I'm a teacher and I've taught SPED for 6 years, dealing mostly with students that are severely autisitc with some violent tendencies. Almost everything I did revolved around communication and you will be amazed how dramatically the violence went down when the students were able to communicate their wants and needs. Good luck!
Marilyn's picture

Managing aggressive behavior

by Marilyn - 12/20/2005 - 9:02pm
Hello LaNostalgia, Working with students with challenging behaviors can be incredibly stressful and make "coming to work each day" a nightmare. :cry: If your teacher seems to be ignoring serious behavior, first and foremost check with your district to see if training in behavior management is being offerred. Ask your teacher to participate. Many districts have workshops or district experts that can help you and your teacher work together as a team to more successfully manage the student's acting out behaviors. Also observe the student to see if you can determine what it is that seems to be triggering his behavior. It might be something like, "the student is asked to do something he does not like or does not want to change what he is currently doing." Work with your teacher to first understand why the behavior might be happening then problem solve together to identify some management strategies that might work. Training is definitely the key so be proactive to determine where it is being offered. good luck, Marilyn

Marilyn Likins
Co-director, NRCP
6526 Old Main Hill
Utah State University
Logan, UT 84322-6526

grandchild

by Anonymous (not verified) - 12/08/2007 - 11:15am

My grandson has been diagnosed with ADHD. He was given several medicines, none of which has helped. In fact since he has taken them he has become extremely isolated and violent. He is 9 years old, and has a daily "rage" while in this rage his hits, bites, kicks, his father and tells us he wishes to die. I am so frightened. I don't know where to go, or what to do. He refuses to go to school, so is being home schooled and tutored.

the grandson with AD/HD who is also in a rage

by Ann Bennet - 08/14/2008 - 10:22pm

I would suggest a complete physical and psychiatric work up.

He could also have Bipolar illness which presents differently in children than adults.

Be sure you have a doctor (psychiatrist) who has treated lots of kids with these problems.

Also a psychologist who is very familiar with add and bipolar illness.

The schoo may pay for these services.
I realize the posting is old but I hope it helps someone.

Try to get some referals from add sites and Bipolar sites. CHADD is a good place to start.
Children and Adults with ADD spelled out.
Ann

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