Group+5

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//**John and Joe Harris are twins who were both diagnosed with ADHD, Hyperactivity-Impulsive Type. They are currently kept together in the same 7th grade classroom and their constant antics have driven their teacher to dread their daily interactions. On top of this, there is suspicion regarding Mrs. Harris', their mother, ability to appropriately care for the children.**//

Part 1
Preparing for homeroom was always a challenge. Not always because of the daily plans, but because of two of the boys in the class: John and Joe Harris. Every day was a twenty minute fight for order. John and Joe are twins who live with their mother in North Memphis. Both John and Joe were diagnosed in 2007 with ADHD, Hyperactivity-Impulsive Type, and were given IEPs under IDEA’s Other Health Impairment category. When the boys were tested, their cognitive and achievement scores were in the average range, thus not meeting the criterion for Learning Disabilities. The boys were both retained the year before and, due to their overage status, were promoted mid-year from the 6th to the 7th grade.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” the yell came from outside the classroom, some distance away, but I already knew who it was. I took a deep breath and went to the door in an effort to restore order, often a futile attempt, but I always tried. John was running towards the room with Cara right on his heels. He was always provoking her into these spats and then causing even more of a ruckus when he attempted to run away.  The boys’ home-life complicates the issues within the classroom substantially. The mother does not work (the story, as I understood it, was that she was hurt at work) and the father only rarely made appearances at the school. He seemed very uninvolved in the boys’ lives. Mrs. Harris always smelled of cigarette smoke when she came to the school and occasionally smelled of alcohol as well. Usually when she was contacted to deal with her sons, she would explain to me or to the guidance counselor that she would deal with the problem at home. Only once did we witness her display of parenting; one day she showed up, after a call home, and verbally reprimanded the boys while in class, yelling at them in front of their class mates.

Medicine was another issue for the family. The boys had been prescribed medication for their ADHD but they rarely, if ever, took the medication. Due to the boys’ home life, it was difficult to ascertain whether or not Mrs. Harris even bothered to administer this medication on a daily basis.


 * ~ Questions ||
 * # Should the teacher approach Mrs. Harris about her public punishment of her children? If so, how? If not, should she do something else?
 * 1) Should the school seek permission from Mrs. Harris for the school nurse to administer the ADHD medication?
 * 2) Knowing so little about these children, it is difficult to develop any type of individual behavior plan. What would be the first step towards controlling their behavior with such a plan?
 * 3) Should these twins be placed in the same classrooms? ||
 * ~ External Resources ||
 * * [|ADHD Fact Sheet]
 * [|ADHD in the Classroom]
 * [|ADHD in the Classroom]


 * More resources provided at end. ||
 * ~ Facilitator Notes ||
 * Candidates will have to interact with parents of students often times as much as they will interact with the student.
 * Candidates will have to interact with parents of students often times as much as they will interact with the student.

ADHD, Hyperactivity and Impulsivity Type may present with the following: 
 * Fidget & Squirm;
 * get out of their chairs when they’re not supposed to;
 * run around or climb constantly;
 * have trouble playing quietly;
 * talk too much;
 * blurt out answers before questions have been completed;
 * have trouble waiting their turn;
 * interrupt others when they’re talking; and
 * butt in on the games others are playing. (APA, 1994, p. 84)

Another note of interest is the change in terminology. ADD was officially changed in the DSM-III-R in 1987 to ADHD. To compensate for those persons who do not present with hyperactivity, there are multiple types: ADHD Hyperactivity-Impulsivity Type, ADHD-Inattentive Type, and ADHD-Combined Type. ||

Part 2
The class is lined up in the hall waiting to come into the room. However, John feels the need to sing at the top of his lungs when he knows the expectations and there is no talking in the halls. John had been running and jumping around in the hallway and finally gets back in line after running away from Cara. Yet, I catch him kicking Cara, knowing that Cara will fight back and cause a scene. It has been a good five minutes and I know I am loosing valuable teaching time.

“John.” I said in as calm a voice as I could muster, “go inside and sit down right now. Start on your Do Now project.”

Then it hit me, where was the other one? I looked around and saw Joe at the water fountain. I gave him an adequate amount of time as the other students began to work their way into the room. Finally, the class is ready to enter the classroom. Most, of the students get right to their desks and work on their Do Now but Joe decides he wants to turn on the radio and begin dancing while I am helping a student with the assignment. While I start redirecting Joe on his Do Now project, John begins to run around the classroom with a yardstick, riding it like a horse, and galloping his way toward Cara. Now, Joe and John are causing yet another scene and its only 8:42.

There are specific guidelines for my classroom and I try to follow the disciplinary rules as closely as I possibly can for all of my students. First of course is the verbal warning, next John and Joe received a $5 deduction from their paycheck and the incident was documented. Paychecks go home every Monday for parents to see how their child's behavior was. This is a large deduction; most often deductions are only one or two dollars. This was enough redirection to get them back in line at zone 0 (which means silent) and to enter the classroom initially. But five minutes later they started back turning on the radio and playing with the yardstick. I feel like I am constantly deducting “money from their paycheck.” Don’t these kids know they “can’t afford” to act up in class anymore than they already have? After deductions students are given detention which could add up to multiple days and then lastly there is a write up which goes to the principal.


 * ~ Questions ||
 * # Should the teacher implement a behavior plans for the children? If so, could she do it just for John and Joe or would it need to be class wide?
 * 1) Assuming that a behavior plan is developed, could the radio be used as a reward of some sort? Why? Why not? What difficulties exist regarding this.
 * 2) Considering the "token economy" in place, is the amount of money she took away from the children's "check" appropriate? Why or why not? ||
 * ~ External Resources ||
 * * [|Token Economy]
 * [|ADHD Teaching Tips]
 * [|ADHD Teaching Tips]

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 * More resources provided at end. ||
 * ~ Facilitator Notes ||
 * These children seem to interact, exacerbating their problem behaviors.
 * These children seem to interact, exacerbating their problem behaviors.

Classroom Management consists of a general reward/punishment system that applies to all students in a classroom. This is distinctly different from a Behavior Intervention Plan (also called a Functional Behavior Plan).

A Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) takes the observations made in a Functional Behavioral Assessment and turns them into a concrete plan of action for managing a student's behavior. A BIP may include ways to change the environment to keep behavior from starting in the first place, provide positive reinforcement to promote good behavior, employ planned ignoring to avoid reinforcing bad behavior, and provide supports needed so that the student will not be driven to act out due to frustration or fatigue. ||

Part 3
After the proceeding day, I had to try and talk to Mrs. Harris again. We really needed to extend the behavior plan to the home, and thought that doing so would provide them with that multi-source support they needed. Also, questions regarding their medication were really bearing on me. The first thing I did was contact Mrs. Harris by phone in an effort to start off this process as amicably as possible. “Mrs. Harris, how are you tod-“, I began, trying my best to maintain a good tone in the conversation.

Mrs. Harris would have none of it, however, and responded immediately, “What the hell did they do today?”

I was floored by her question but immediately skipped the pleasantries and explained what had happened with Cara, the radio and the would-be horse (the yardstick). Her responses were quick and curt, mostly centering around her opinion that I should be using the yardstick for punishment. I asked that she come in the following afternoon for a parent/teacher conference. She agreed on the phone, but I was weary of whether or not Mrs. Harris would actually show up.

To my surprise, Mrs. Harris came into my classroom after the bell rang the following afternoon. What wasn’t a shocker was the cheap vodka stench that was on her breath. She stormed in the classroom in a nonchalant manner, proclaiming from the get go that there was nothing she could say or do to help her boys and that she frankly didn’t care what they did or what was done to them.

“I’m done with them. They’re too obnoxious and they’re just raining on my parade.” She slurred some more and I told her that I thought it would be best if she made sure they took their medicine and if we could come up with a behavior plan that could work both in the home and in the classroom. Mrs. Harris didn’t take to that suggestion as kindly as planned. She was hesitant to want any part in her children’s education. I soon saw that I was only going to get so far with Mrs. Harris. She left the room in an uproar and called after Joe and John, who were waiting in the hallway, to follow her to the car.

I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know what to do. Joe and John’s home environment was definitely taking a toll on their school environment and their home environment was detrimental to their well-being. I was scared for their car ride home! I could have sworn she had been drinking and wasn’t in any position to be behind the wheel.


 * ~ Questions ||
 * # Should the teacher in this situation seek child social services? Further, should she contact the administration before Mrs. Harris and her sons can leave the school grounds due to her suspicions of alcohol influence?
 * 1) What would be an appropriate way to deal with Mrs. Harris in this condition, barring involving social services?
 * 2) Should the teacher have requested that another person (e.g., social worker or guidance counselor) join her for this meeting? ||
 * ~ External Resources ||
 * * [|Mandatory Reporting]
 * [|Preventchildabuse.org]
 * [|Preventchildabuse.org]


 * More resources provided at end. ||
 * ~ Facilitator Notes ||
 * It is the candidate's obligation to make sure their students are in a safe environment.
 * It is the candidate's obligation to make sure their students are in a safe environment.

All 50 states have passed some form of a mandatory child abuse and neglect reporting law in order to qualify for funding under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)(Jan. 1996 version), For more information, look below at Child Abuse Information/Mandatory Reporting. ||


 * Additional Resources**

//ADHD Fact Sheet (featuring a brief case study and information)// []

//CDC - ADHD, Data and Statistics// []

//Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale// [] *not to be evaluated without permission/request of Support Team, for exposure purposes only.

//Teaching & Parenting Tips Tips: ADHD// [] [] []

//Child Abuse Information// [] [] [] [] [] [] []
 * Mandatory Reporting

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