Helping a Child With Developmental Challenges

Question: A student in my pre-k class of 4 and 5 year olds cries easily and often, especially when he is not allowed to do something and at naptime and whenever I leave the room. I am told that he is developmentally disabled.  Does that have anything to do with the frequent crying? I would welcome suggestions.

Adele Brodkin: I suspect that you and this child have been short-changed on the special help that he needs. All too often, a child with behavioral and developmental difficulties is sent into a regular classroom with no hints for the teacher about how to help him while managing the full load of early childhood classroom responsibilities. Sending in a note with the label “developmentally disabled” is not enough. It tells you only that he is likely to be out of synch with his peers—something you can quickly discover for yourself; but then what?

It is clear that this particular child is having separation anxiety, perhaps even panics when you leave the room and when he is asked to rest alone. I would advise you to go back to the source of the “developmentally disabled” label and ask how it was established. If he has not been seen recently by a full cadre of early childhood mental health and pediatric experts, a referral for those work-ups is essential. If he has been seen, you should be privy to the description of his difficulties and the suggestions for helping him and his family. Is he ready to be away from his parents for a school day? Should there be a trained aide in the classroom assigned just to him?  What kind of out of school intervention has been recommended, and have the recommendations been followed? You are absolutely entitled to answers to these and all your questions; and perhaps more critically, the child and his family are entitled to outside help for his suffering.

Reading Readiness in Pre-K

Question: I teach a group of pre-K kids who missed the deadline for kindergarten by two to three months. This particular group of kids is very interested in learning to read and write; more so than the developmentally-age appropriate standards describe. Since they are an older group of fives, is it okay to teach them aspects of reading and writing that are considered to be kindergarten material—offering the challenge they seem eager to have?

Adele Brodkin: Age has been shown to be an arbitrary measure of readiness, so I agree with your inclination to individualize your program. That is why we are so eager to promote “Developmentally Appropriate” offerings to all children. No two children develop at the same rate in all readiness areas.  You are to be commended for offering an individualized pre-k program.

I am not sure whether these apparently “ready” children make up your entire class or just some members. It’s a relevant issue only because it is essential that you individualize the opportunities you describe. For those youngsters who are eager to move on with reading readiness, etc., of course, it is fine to provide them with the opportunity. In other words, be sure that you take each child exactly where he or she is and open the door to the next achievable step in each one’s learning. Let the children be the guides of how much and how fast they move ahead. As long as each child can succeed at least most of the time, you are on the right track. It’s a lot more work to allow each whatever pace is comfortable; but I think, worth the effort.

How To Best Meet a Child's Special Needs

Question: I have a child in my kindergarten classroom who is being tested for autism. He is a sweetheart, but is unable to follow classroom rules and is often out of his seat and bothering other children, wanting my full attention, etc. How can I best meet his needs as well as teach the others? How do I explain to the other children that he has different rules due to his needs?

Adele Brodkin: Your question is very important. Hopefully by now the diagnostic testing and multi-discipline consideration of this child’s developmental disabilities is completed. (Ideally, he will have been seen by a child clinical or school psychologist, a child psychiatrist, speech and occupational therapists, as well as a pediatric neurologist.) Once the team has met and prepared recommendations for an individual educational plan as well as outside intervention, I would expect a recommendation for an in class aide to work with him at all times. Whether his diagnosis is autism, anything on the autistic spectrum, developmental delay from some other disorder, he does require individual attention in order to be included in a regular classroom program. Both his parents and you are entitled to bring that fact to the attention of the administration and special services team. What is more, the aide should be someone who is trained/experienced in working with special needs children within a regular classroom. You, she, and the special services representative would collectively work out curriculum adaptations that would meet the child where he is and enable him to progress, while also allowing the others to pursue the standard curriculum.  There will be times and some activities which all the children may share; but the expectations for focus and performance will be adjusted for the child with special needs. This often works out very well in the early grades and some such children will ultimately be able to perform in a regular class placement without an aid; while others may need some combination of special and regular class placement.  Each case should be evaluated and reevaluated often to be sure everyone is well served. Oh, and don't worry about what to say to the other children.  At some level, they probably already understand that he has special needs.  Ask the aide how s/he would like to be introduced. Most likely, s/he will suggest calling him/her a "special teacher" or "special helper."  And, in fact, the aide may be a special teacher or asset to the whole classroom.