Digging Deeper

I learned so much about my focus student, Peyton, today. After Peyton had a major, uncontrollable meltdown last week, Mrs. Cecco spoke with her mom to inform her of the incident. The conversation revealed a great deak about her past and potential reasons for her emotional and behavioral ups and downs. Peyton, is actually adopted from her [adoptive] mother's sister. For the first 2-3 years of her life, she sat in front of a tv which delayed her development tremendously. Peyton has been going to speech therapy, which has helped substantially. Although many details were revealed, many details details were not, and this left so many unanswered questions. Like, does Peyton still see her biological mother? What were some of the things she's been through prior to adoption?

Uncovering the details of Peyton's past will help up better understand her actions and the issues she is having. Today, she had a mini-meltdown because she was not called on for a math game. Unable to teach over her crying, Mrs. Cecco sent her to her desk. I went over to Peyton and did my best to calm her down. I realized that, because she is so delayed, you almost have to speak to her like she is 3 years old and give her constant encouragement. I asked her, "Peyton, why are you crying? Are any of your friends crying? They are getting chosen to play because they are sitting quietly. If you sit quietly, Mrs. Cecco will call on you too." Peyton stopped crying, rejoined the group, sat quietly, and was chosen to participate. Another thing I noticed is that she is taking in so much more information that it seems. She needs to explicit instruction, and guidance to be able to stay on task. When she does stay on task, she actually shows that she has learned the material, despite the tantrums.

I definitely look forward to uncovering more about Peyton, and working with Mrs. Cecco to find ways to help her that will grasp her attention and keep her focus