Group+3+Michael


 * Child's Name: Michael

Instructions: The Pathways Inventory provides a list of cognitive skills frequently found lagging in children with social, emotional and behavioral challenges. The skills are organized according to five categories or “Pathways”. Use the Pathways Inventory as your discussion guide to try to arrive at a consensus about which lagging skills are contributing to the child’s challenging behavior. Your goal is to identify specific skills deficits within the categories – not to simply identify the categories themselves. D=Dad x = Principlal x (M) = Mother (st) = Student Teacher T=teacher

__Executive Functioning Skills__ _ Difficulty handling transitions, shifting from one mindset or task to another (shifting cognitive set) _ Difficulty doing things in a logic sequence or prescribed order x (M) Poor sense of time x (M) Difficulty reflecting on multiple thoughts or ideas simultaneously _ Difficulty maintaining focus for goal-directed problem-solving x x D (M) T ****(st) ****Difficulty considering the likely outcomes or consequences of actions (impulsive) (Michael will tell stories to or tease/bother the other children yet seem confused when they respond in the same manner or get upset) D(He sucks his thumb at school and then doesn't expect children to make fun of him) x (M) T Difficulty considering a range of solutions to a problem (Michael requires guidance with appropriate response including how to respond when a peer bumps into him) x (ST) Michael has to be reminded repeatedly to curtail inappropriate classroom behavior. He persists or increases the behavior even after he is told to stop. x (ST) The transition from the classroom to the hallway seems to set him off. Others teachers comment that his thumb-sucking, baby-talk and "teasing" of older (5th graders) appear to increase in a less-structured and perhaps over-stimulating settings like the hallway and playground. x (ST) __Language Processing Skills__ x T Difficulty expressing concerns, needs, or thoughts in words (When he gets upset - bumped in to- he yells and overreacts) _ Difficulty understanding what is being said x (ST) Michael has difficulty relating children his own age and yet is more comfortable with adults.

__Emotion Regulation Skills__ x (M) ****(st) T **** Difficulty managing emotional response to frustration so as to think rationally (separation of affect) x (M) ****(st) **** T Chronic irritability and/or anxiety significantly impede capacity for problem-solving x (ST) Cannot separate fantasy from reality. He creates a story with high emotional affect, begins to believe the story, and responds by crying or showing fear. Later the story is disproved by his family or teachers. x (ST) His actions (writing explicit sexual or violent stories or acting it out through dramatic play) create fear or dislike in other children. He cannot empathize with other children or recognize how his actions impact others.

__Cognitive Flexibility Skills__ _ Difficulty seeing the “grays”/concrete, literal, black-and-white, thinking _ Difficulty deviating from rules, routine, original plan _ Difficulty handling unpredictability, ambiguity, uncertainty, novelty _ Difficulty shifting from original idea or solution/difficulty adapting to changes in plan or new rules/possibly perseverative or obsessive x (M) ****<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">(st) ****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Difficulty taking into account situational factors that would suggest the need to adjust a plan of action <span style="color: rgb(214, 10, 10);">x ****<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">(st) T ****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Inflexible, inaccurate interpretations/cognitive distortions or biases (e.g., “Everyone’s out to get me,” “Nobody likes me,” “You always blame me, “It’s not fair,” “I’m stupid,” “Things will never work out for me”) (He makes up excuses when confronted regarding inappropriate behavior- such as saying its ok to be gay when confronted with touching a girl's chest) x (ST) When Michael creates a story he starts believing that it is true, even after receiving reassurance from his teachers. x (ST) He claims to have only one friend (Sheila). Everyone else (students or teachers) he sees as being oppositional. x (ST) His behavior at home seems completely opposite of his classroom behavior. The child his teachers describe is unrecognizable to his parents who claim he does not act that way at home. There is almost a rigid set of rules he lives by at home (well-behaved, appropriate) compared to the rules he has created for the classroom. __Social Skills__ <span style="color: rgb(214, 10, 10);">x <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">x (M)D  ****<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"> (st) ****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> T Difficulty attending to and/or accurately interpreting social cues/poor perception of social nuances D( Michael doesn't understand that if you act 'werid' children will make fun of you. He doesn't seem to understand the need to be part of the group) <span style="color: rgb(214, 10, 10);">x x (M) D ****<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">(st) ****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> T Difficulty starting conversations, entering groups, connecting with people/lacking other basic social skills (able to communicate with adults but when connecting with same-age peers he acts babyish) D(whenever he is around kids he everts to thumb sucking and baby talk) <span style="color: rgb(214, 10, 10);">x <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">x D (M  ****<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">(st) ****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">)T Difficulty seeking attention in appropriate ways D(He thinks that by thumb sucking and baby talking that he is getting attention from his peers.) <span style="color: rgb(214, 10, 10);">x ****<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">(st) T ****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Difficulty appreciating how his/her behavior is affecting other people; often surprised by others’ responses to his/her behavior <span style="color: rgb(214, 10, 10);">x ****<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">(st) T ****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Difficulty empathizing with others, appreciating another person’s perspective or point-of-view <span style="color: rgb(214, 10, 10);">x <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">x (M)  ****<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">(st) T ****<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Difficulty appreciating how s/he is coming across or being perceived by others x (ST) Michael has a "me against the world" or "them against me" relationship to with classmates. The extremes of both these perspectives leave little space for developing trust, a feeling of safety for himself and others or meaningful friendships.

<span style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64);">Instructions: Now that you’ve identified the skills the child lacks, it’s time to conduct a situational analysis by listing the specific situations in which the child tends to have difficulty. Think of when, where, with whom, and over what issues the difficulties arise. What triggers the child? What are the antecedents or precipitants? What are the chronic problems causing frustration for the child or the adults around the child? Be as specific as possible! 1. **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Michael struggles in situations where he feels as though he is being watched or evaluated, either by adults or his peers. He reacts by being "annoying," as some have described it, or by sucking his thumb or insulting other children. Also, when he feels that he has an "audience," he acts out. **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

2. **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Michael struggles especially with his peers during a high stimulus situation in large groups, such as a trip to the Natural History Museum, the cafeteria, or a class about a dramatic subject like tornadoes. While he can be very eloquent around parents and teachers, justifying his behavior ("There's nothing wrong with being gay") or cracking adult jokes ("That's so punk rock!"), he has trouble gauging how to approach his peers and choosing an appropriate topic to discuss. He also 3. **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Michael struggles during writer's workshop when his vulnerability is most exposed. **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

4. **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">It seems that some of Michael's difficult behaviors occur when he is unsure of how to act in a particular situation. He has always struggled socially, and he may recognize he is expected to say or do something but not able to quickly think of an appropriate response. This might result in inappropriate behaviors.
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">5. Michael appears to struggle the most socially when around other children- especially when he seems uncertain on how to act. When faced with an uncertain situation he seems to revert to acting childish or inappropriately. He seems more comfortable and therefore more socially appropriate when around adults.

6. Michael wants his parents to see that he is a good well-mannered child. Perhaps, he does not have the same need to gain his teachers' or classmates' respect and tolerance. It's possible, that his classroom environment does not have the same rigid or more structured construct of his home, which allows him to act more "grown up." Whereas, when he is in the classroom, it's easier to revert by to baby-talk (which may be comforting) or thumb-sucking (which may reduce his anxiety or fear) when he is in a group setting or less structured (loud, very stimulating) setting like the hallway or playground.

Finally try to prioritize which problems you’d like to solve first using the following questions as your guide: • Which problems or triggers are causing challenging behavior most often? • Which problems or triggers are causing the most severe behavior? • Which problems or triggers are most conducive to resolution?

1. The challenging behavior that occurs most often is his sexual and baby actions around the other children. This seems to occur most often when he is with other children in a social setting (recess, field trip, when no teacher is present).

2. **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The most severe behavior occurs in his own classroom environment when his teacher has his back turned. It seems academic requirements in the classroom are the most challenging for him to manage. **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> a. Another challenging environment is the playground and hallway when he reverts to baby talk, thumb-sucking and making inappropriate comments to other children. A lack of structure or an overly stimulating environment can be anxiety producing, resulting in inappropriate behavior, where he tries to distance himself or antagonize other children.

3. **<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The problems most conducive to resolution occur when Michael is required to modify his response to a standard social occurrence, such as another child bumping into him. When it is possible to isolate a specific issue and give him tools to modify his behavior, then the request is manageable enough for him to take in. It seems that Michael's good relationship with adults should be used to his advantage by generating opportunities for one on one discussions. Michael also seems to respond well to his parents.

<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> MICHAEL'S MOM: __<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> Strengths:__** -perceptive -sense of humor -extememly bright -theatrical -purposely annoys/ needles people -sensitive -retaliates towards peers and adults
 * __Michael's strengths and weaknesses, as well as recommendations for further inquiry, interventions, and accommodations at school:__
 * __Weaknesses:__**

As Michael's mother, I believe that the relationship between me, his father, and the school needs to improve so that we can rectify the problem. I really feel as though I am in the dark about what is really going on with Michael. At home, I find him to be a fine child, who at times, does things on purpose to annoy me and my husband; but what kid doesn't do that? I would like the school to try to track and tell me what triggers Michael to suck his thumb since I never see him doing that at home. Maybe then they will realize that he does it to bother those around him. That will show them to just ignore him, like we do, and they may see that it goes away on its own. I also wish that the teachers and administrators would pay more attention to the children around Michael, and see if their actions set him off to act the way he does. They always blame him, but don't know the start of the problem. While I want the individuals at school to pay attention to Michael and research the things that I mentioned, I feel it should be done in the least invasive way because I feel that they more attention and singling out he receives, the more he acts out in the ways that he is being reprimanded for. I jsut wish Michael could be treated just the same as the other children. In addition, I know I may need to watch Michael more closely at home. Am I in denial about how Michael behaves at home? I don't think so, but my husband does, so maybe I should try to be more open-minded about Michael's actions. It may be possible that Michael is demonstrating the same qualities at home that he is in school, but with the absence of other children to trigger him, and since I have been with him since his birth, maybe things are not as recognizable to me. I think it is important for me and my husband to discuss these issues with Michael on a level that he will understand, and maybe he can help us clarify some of the problems. Maybe outside help will need to be brought in, but I really hope that the school, me, my husband, and Michael's dad can find a solution and help Michael gain a better school career.
 * __Recommendations for further inquiry, interventions and accommodations at school:__**

-Michael is smart -Michael is funny -Michael is charismatic and creative -Michael is able to function at home with me ("He never sucks his thumb to me, and he doesn't do that baby voice in the house when I'm around")
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">MICHAEL'S DAD: **
 * __Strengths:__**

-He is unable to make friends -He engages in baby talk and thumb sucking at school -He does not take responsiblity for his actions. He is always blaming someone else.
 * __Weaknesses:__**

-I, his Dad, think that the school needs to come down hard on his thumb sucking and baby talk behavior. It should not be allowed. The teachers need to face the reality that he does not have 'sensory issue' and use consequences for his werid behavior. He should be told to stop sucking his thumb and ignored when he uses baby talk. It should not be allowed in the classroom. As far as the child are concerned, it is my opinion that the teachers should stay out of it. I feel that Michael should develop the skills he needs to handle the situation and stop the behavior that creates the situation. <span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Michael’s mother and I also need to get on the same page. I understand that it’s difficult for her to accept his erratic behavior at school since it’s not something that we see at home, but it’s time to face the facts and stop being in denial. That being said, I don’t think there’s much we can do at home since when he’s with us he is witty and charismatic. I suppose that in the future when the school notifies us about incidents we could try harder to discuss the incident and try to get at the root of the problem, but since he denies everything and blames it on others I doubt such an approach will be successful. Ideally, since school is where Michael has been acting out, the school should be the ones to dole out the consequences. I appreciate the teacher’s efforts to provide my son with coping mechanisms to avoid outburst, but I strongly believe that when he veers off course and acts inappropriately he should suffer the consequences of his behavior. He needs to somehow learn that there are some behaviors that are simply socially unacceptable, otherwise he will never fit in later in life. Regarding the thumb sucking and baby talk, those are behaviors that Michael would never get away with at home, his teachers need to figure out a way to teach him the difference between positive and negative attention. They need to step up the discipline as well. Since we don’t allow Michael to watch violent television shows or movies and we have banned violent video games from our house, I don’t know where he is picking up all the foul and sexual language. I wonder if maybe he has some social emotional issues that we are unaware of and perhaps we could use a referral for some counseling to see what all this is about. I’m just afraid that if my son doesn’t make some friends soon he is going to be a social outcast for the duration of his childhood.
 * __Recommendations for further inquiry, interventions and accommodations at school:__**

-Michael is charming and verbal with adults -Michael has an excellent vocabulary and loves reading fiction -Michael is creative and has a creative imagination -Michael has begun to respond to modeling of appropriate social responses (using excuse me when another student bumps into him)
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">MRS. NICHOLLS, TEACHER: **
 * __Strengths:__**

-Michael is struggling with picking up reading skills -He has poor sound-symbol correspondence and difficulty with sequencing -Michael has weak hand writing skills which requires him to work with an OT -Michael is significantly delayed socially- he uses baby behavior such as baby talk and sucking his thumb -Michael disrupts that class with violent and sexual talk and actions -Michael reacts impulsively when bumped or bothered by other children -Michael makes up stories that cause him emotional stress -Michael denies his inappropriate behavior
 * __Weaknesses:__**

Michael needs extra support both behaviorally and academically.I believe the schools needs to evaluate if there is a connection between his struggles with academia and his struggles socially in order to provide better recommendations for both. Socially, Michael needs to be closely watched in order to determine if his behavior is controllable or not and gain a better understanding regarding what triggers each response. Whether or not it is controllable will help determine the best intervention. It would appear that the best approach is to give as little attention as possible to his inappropriate behavior but instead model the correct response or action. Since he appears to respond well to this style of modeling it is important that we as teachers encourage these moments of success and not reward his poor behavior by negative reactions that give him extra attention. We must stress how the other children respond to the correct behavior (excuse me) vs the wrong behavior (yelling and overreacting) to show him how his actions affect others and to encourage him to think before acting. I have serious concerns in regards to his violent/sexual stories and actions, especially as it appears that he is beginning to believe them himself. If we learn that he does not believe these stories we must create a strategy to encourage his creativity but in a non-violent way. We will show him what is ok and what is not ok to write about at school and how he can use the same ideas but in an appropriate manner during writing. As he is use to telling his stories to someone else they must give him guidance in appropriate story telling in school (write about reptiles escaping in the museum but don't scare your peers while there!). I would encourage the parents to seek evaluation while he is still young in order for us to better understand how he is thinking. If he is believing what he says we need to work alongside him, his parents and a support staff in helping him distinguish between reality and his imagination. I think his reading skills will improve with continual support and continue to improve as we gain a better understanding of his behavior.
 * __Recommendations for further inquiry, interventions and accommodations at school:__**

-** Michael is incredibly creative and has a great imagination. - Michael loves fiction stories and has an unusually large vocabulary for his age. - Michael can carry on surprisingly mature conversations with adults. - Michael is very sensitive and clearly loves his family. Even in an invented story, he was clearly shaken by the death of his grandfather, which has occurred years ago.
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">MR. KORS, STUDENT TEACHER: **
 * __Strengths:__

- Michael seems to get caught up in his own imagined scenarios, and becomes unable to tell the difference between his fantasies and reality. - Michael struggles socially. His sense of humor often offends and/or alienates his classmates, and he is unable to predict how they will respond to his comments. - Michael struggles with transitions. When he enters the hallway with his class and encounters the fifth graders, he resorts to infantile behavior (thumb-sucking, baby-talk and making "weird sounds." He cannot seem to control this responses and alienates himself from other children and teachers. - Michael makes inappropriate and often offensive remarks and sometimes behaves in ways that can be shocking and upsetting. - Michael has a lot of trouble with academic work at school - his work is well below "grade level" and he has trouble producing anything when not closely watched by an adult. - Michael is unaware of where his personal space ends and where another child's begins. He inappropriately touches other students and denies it afterwards, partly I think because he did not realize he is crossing a boundary.
 * __Weaknesses:__**

<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> Although Michael was really puzzling to work with at first, I've come to believe that he's not as "weird" as everyone else seems to think he is. Really, I think that he acts out because he wants attention. Maybe it's because he is struggling so much in school, but I don't know for sure. I hate to watch the kids tease him and gang up on him -- I really think that makes his behavior much worse. Michael can get work done when he's appropriately supervised, so I would recommend that he is provided with a 1:1 aide in the classroom. Since he's good at communicating with adults, maybe he could establish a close connection with an adult and come to trust and listen to him or her. An aide could also help him with social matters. Imagine if every time Michael acted out there was someone there to sit down with him and talk through what went wrong and what he could do to change things next time? Or even to pick up on the first signs that he's stressed out and try to head off problems before they even start. Mrs. Nicholls and I are just too busy to spend all of our time supervising Michael. It wouldn't be fair to the other kids. I am continually impressed by Michael's imagination, and I think that he could really benefit from having better ways to use his creative energy rather than just telling stories to the class. It's hard, though, because of his trouble with handwriting, sequencing, and such. Maybe someone could work with him to record his stories on a tape recorder, or even a video camera. I can definitely see him getting into acting classes or something like that. As it is, he has no outlet for all of these thoughts in his head.
 * __Recommendations for further inquiry, interventions and accommodations at school:__**

I think it's also important for the school to work closely with his parents. Currently, his mother has been very vocal about Michael's innocence and her feeling that he is being unfairly singled out or overly punished when clearly other children are involved. Perhaps one appointed teacher can be the go-between between his parents and the school and they can work closely together to create rewards for good behavior. For example, the teacher can call/meet with his parents on a regular basis sharing positive feedback in addition to areas where they can team up to support Michael. The anxiety response (baby-talk and thumb-sucking) is not occurring at home, in part because he is not experiencing the same stressors there. MS. PETERSON, PRINCIPAL: ** - excellent vocabulary - love of fiction stories/strong comprehension - excellent rapport with adults - great imagination
 * <span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">
 * __Strengths:__**

- poor sound-symbol correspondence and sequencing difficulties - poor small motor skills and handwriting - social inability, according to Mel Levine, can be apparent in the fact that a child "may spend a great deal of time alone or else with people of any age group except their own. For some reason, many of them can relate to younger children, older youngsters, or adults far better than they are able to interact with their own age peers." (p.253) This is certainly the case with Michael who is described as "charming and verbal around adults" but "reverts to babyish behaviors such as sucking his thumb and speaking in “baby talk” when around other children." Ms. Peterson recalls that he seemed precocious in kindergarten, making sophisticated adult jokes that make grown ups laugh anytime. - poorly regulated humor: Michael talks baby talk and sucks his thumb around fifth graders in the hallway whom he doesn't even know, even though they do not respond to him in a positive manner. He also cracks jokes in the cafeteria about juice being blood, which no one finds funny. - Inappropriate topic choice: Michael produces violent and occasionally sexual content in his writing, dramatic play, and conversations. He also has had incidents where he has acted inappropriately towards girls.
 * __Weaknesses:__**

As Michael's principal, I think it is imperative to get to the root of Michael's inappropriate sexual remarks and behavior. Michael has a fantastic imagination, yet these kind of thoughts tend to have a source. What is more, I am concerned by the fact he can swing from talking about "bitches" and "whores" to assuming the foetal position, sucking his thumb under a table. This suggests to me that he may have been exposed to information or a situation beyond his years that has traumatized him. In order to approach this delicate subject, it is important that the school have good communication with his parents. I am also concerned that Michael's frustration with writing despite his fantastic imagination is eating away at his self-confidence, so that he finds himself in a place where it easier to use his mind to antagonize his peers than work at improving, especially if he has been made to feel aware of their noted progress while he still lags behind. It needs to be made clear to Michael that he has some remarkable qualities. He should be given opportunities to make use in class of his skills - perhaps in charge of a dramatization or something of that nature. Because Michael is now being victimized by the majority of his peers, I think it is necessary for me as principal to address the issue with the entire class without naming names.There should be a discussion about the cruelty of rejection. Social skills should be made part of Michael's class curriculum. Since Michael is so comfortable with adults, he should have the opportunity to have a frank discussion about the social skills he needs to acquire, and perhaps a progress report card which he can be in charge of filling out.
 * __Recommendations for further inquiry, interventions and accommodations at school:__**