On an initial visit to the school of a referred grade-two student, a Transition Team member observed the child running in and out of the classroom and hiding in the school hallways. When the students in the child’s class were instructed to be seated, the child would roam around. If the work became too challenging, the child would quickly regress, throwing papers and all his school supplies.
The Transition Team staff member did not have time to build a relationship with the child, but was able to learn about the child’s patterns and his existing supports, which included several weekly visits to the school’s resource staff.
Reading was a classroom activity that often caused trouble for the child. He preferred to colour. Resource allowed the child to colour as a reward for reading. With the support of resource, Transition Team staff suggested the child make a story to accompany each of his pictures. Eventually the child was encouraged to make his story into a “book” which he was invited to read to kindergarten and first grade.
The child went on to write and illustrate several more books, all of which were shared with the younger grades. Instead of saving up all the stickers he earned to give his little brother, the child was now able take his stories home to read to his younger sibling. In this case, the Transition Team worker did not have time to develop a relationship with the child but intervention was needed immediately as the child’s behaviour in class was falling apart.
Transition Team staff worked initially with the teachers and support staff to stop the child’s non- compliant classroom behaviour. Once the behaviour was under control, Transition Team staff profited from the relationship the child had with resource, using it as an “in” or entry point to help foster the child’s esteem with self-published books.
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Rose and David Bloomfield Family Transitional Care Program 