Names have been changed to protect the student’s identity.
Rey is a sweet and incredibly smart three-year old boy in my K1 classroom in China. When he started with us in Pre-K, he showed signs of extreme separation anxiety. His mother or maternal grandmother would walk him to the front door of our classroom and like many students his age, he would hold on as if for dear life. However, even after 15 minutes of pleading from his caretakers and teachers, Rey could not be convinced to come play with his peers in class. Even an hour after his guardian left the kindergarten, Rey would oscillate between crying out in deep despair or sulking quietly with his head down. This behaviour lasted several months through to K1.
He is presenting with other concerning habits and characteristics. Rey has not made any close friends. Peers who started school around the same time as Rey have developed treasured friendships, but Rey is content to spend the entire day of everyday alone. Other children might feel sad if they were excluded from others, but Rey would barely notice he was standing alone. He rarely made eye contact with others. When adults spoke to him, they would often need to guide his face and eyesight towards themselves by gently holding his face. Rey also has more difficulty performing simple tasks such as: folding his jacket; taking off and putting on his clothes after nap time; eating; and brushing his teeth. Rey can become very upset if he cannot put on his sweater or pull up his pants and might panic or begin to cry. However, if I tell him to pull on his sweater and push his head through the “big zero” with his arms “as strong as 100.” Rey will calm down and complete the task. Similarly, if I tell him to “pull on your pants as hard as 100 until you can see and count all 10 toes”, he can put on his pants without frustration. Rey has difficulty following multi-step processes during arts and crafts time. Rey rarely communicates his thoughts, feelings and desires to teachers or students. However, he speaks in a near-constant stream of numbers throughout the day. If he uses his voice to speak, it is to count aloud from 0 to 1000. If teachers ask him a question ranging from, “What is this?”, “Where is the pig?”, “Did you wash your hands?” to “Are you happy?”, he will respond in numbers. Rey shows an above-average affinity for memorization, patterns and mathematics. He could do simple addition and subtraction when other students were just learning to count. If letter flashcards are laid on the floor randomly, he can organize the entire alphabet from A to Z.
After observing Rey’s behaviour for several months at school, teachers asked his mother about their home life with the intention to develop and coordinate an intervention plan collaboratively. Rey’s mother then explained to us that she has severe, diagnosed clinical depression and is taking medicine and receiving therapy from a professional. This is exceptional in China because people rarely diagnose mental health issues due to societal stigma. Rey’s mother also disclosed that Rey’s father is not compassionate and has anger issues. He apparently only treats Rey’s infant baby brother with affection. Emotional, she admitted that Rey’s father has said to her, “You are a terrible mother for being incapable of raising a normal son.” and “That is no son of mine.” It should be highlighted that Rey’s mother is a very loving mother and Rey adores her.
Based on the description, what do you think about Rey and his behaviour? What steps should teachers follow to seek help at this time? What is the teachers’ role after hearing about Rey’s complicated home life? How can teachers differentiate learning to create a student-centered solution for Rey?
Rey’s behaviour can be analyzed through different standards in early childhood education and psychology—in this case the EYFS and DSM-5. Clearly teachers already noticed that Rey is not meeting certain Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) standards. He shows reduced physical development in both gross and fine motor skills. His lack of eye contact, peer and adult relationships, and expressive language shows less personal social and emotional development. His difficulty with crafts time shows an issue with expressive arts and design. These signs of a struggling student are enough for the teachers to reach out to admin and seek further analysis and possibly diagnosis. The special education professional at our kindergarten also happens to be the principal. She conducted observations as a passive and active observer in the classroom over several days, using The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) as reference and made a preliminary conclusion that Rey has Autism Spectrum Disorder. Teachers need to collaborate with parents and administration to deliver the best care and education for Rey. The kindergarten recommended that Rey get a professional diagnosis, but Rey’s parents refused. Without an official diagnosis, students in China are unable to receive special education funding from the government, so we made our own plan.
We used an Applied Behaviour Analysis approach to create a differentiated learning plan for Rey. We are teaching Rey relaxation techniques. Whenever he starts to panic, I will take him aside and practice simple breathing exercises. We are working to increase positive behaviours. Rey selects a preferred activity (usually some form of math with physical objects) as reinforcement after working on a new, target activity such as pre-writing or new vocabulary. Teaching new skills requires step-by-step instruction using modelling and lots of patience. For instance, every day after nap time a teacher will sit with him and repeat the instructions (speaking with numbers as a language) for putting on his clothes. During writing practice time, we will give him similar worksheets. Letters A to E were very messy but letters F to O are almost excellent!
The most difficult aspect here is his family situation. Adverse childhood experiences can cause years of negative outcomes for children. However, working at a private kindergarten in China means that teachers need to follow certain societal standards. Teachers need to create a safe environment for Rey at school while fostering opportunities for him to learn how to make and maintain meaningful, lasting relationships with others without causing undue tension with his parents. We make a concerted effort to pair him with the friendliest, chattiest, and kindest students in the class. We need to prioritize relationships and teach him how to bond with good people, listen to him, and create opportunities to succeed. The skills Rey develops in kindergarten will become the foundation for his future. Teachers who suspect their students are dealing with traumatic homes must be an essential source of stability and support.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, August 27). Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnostic Criteria. Retrieved April 18, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html
Practice Guidance for the The Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the Standards for Learning, Development and Care for children from birth to five. (2008, May). Department for Children, Schools and Families. Retrieved from https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2011/10/EYFS_Practice_Guide1.pdf
Jenn Leah Ko 