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Case Study

Page history last edited by Conor 6 years, 1 month ago

Case Study for Socially Struggling 5 Year Old

 

Michael is a boy who has recently turned 5 years old. He is strong academically, already reading at an advanced level for his age and demonstrating strong math skills. He’s also very creative and musically gifted. He enjoys dance and is learning to play the ukulele and the piano. 

 

Unfortunately, for all of his academic and artistic achievements, he has a difficult time socially. While he does have friends, he is often caught in the middle of arguments and fights with them. There are also other classmates who state that they do not like him because of violent outbursts and unwanted touching. He also struggles to express wants and needs without becoming upset or aggressive. 

 

Issue 1: Working with others

 

Michael has a difficult time expressing himself in a group setting. This occurs in both group schoolwork, as well as in group play. In group work, he likes to be in complete control and struggles to let others participates. For example, if a group of children are coloring or crafting something as a group, he is often unwilling to share crayons or craft materials. Similarly, he often snatches toys from others, or complains loudly that others are playing with his toys. In both of these scenarios, he is quick to start crying, shouting, or hitting, rather than attempting to express his discomfort using words.

 

Possible Solutions: 

 

Michael’s social skills might need more practice. At home, he has been an only child up until the last year. It might have been difficult for him to schedule playdates. He might also require extra attention do to complications with his one year old sister, who was born with birth defects and has spent much of her first year in the hospital, consuming a lot of his mother’s time.

Group activities could be structured with more defined roles, in order to facilitate cooperation and sharing. For example, one student could be assigned the crayons, the other scissors, the other glue, and they could switch after a set amount of time. This will allow Michael a greater degree of control while still allowing him to work with others. Similarly, group play could benefit from the addition of some structure to facilitate the free play. For example, the students (including Michael) could be taught a structured game to play on their own, or given a group task such as building a block tower as tall as they can. He might also benefit from the inclusion of activities like board games, which naturally facilitate structured group play. (Sure enough, a review of a video taped lesson plan I had made earlier which involved a board game showed Michael happily participating and cooperating with his classmates. Unfortunately, as of this writing, I haven’t cleared the video with parents or school administration to share for the purposes of this case study.)  (Kalil)

 

Issue 2: Boredom that leads to unwanted touching

 

Michael has trouble with patience during transition periods such as bathroom breaks. He has difficulty waiting before he decides to pass the time by tickling, grabbing, or otherwise touching nearby students. This includes grabbing the buttocks of both male and female classmates. This annoys his classmates, and has made him unpopular with some other classmates, particularly some girls.

 

Possible Solutions:

 

I do not accept the notion that “boys will be boys”, so it’s particularly important for Michael to learn the concept of bodily autonomy. It’s important that he learns to ask his friends “May I tickle you?” or “May I hold your hand?” before attempting to do so. Since I have a close relationship with the child which involves occasionally picking him up and also occasionally tickling him, I can be a better model for Michael by asking him for permission first. I can talk to him about asking permission, and demonstrate by asking him “May I pick you up?” and “May I tickle you?”. This way, he can get used to the concept of asking first, and also understanding why some people might want to say no. I can expand on this by also asking him to hold my hand or tickle me, and then practice stopping immediately once I tell him to stop.  (Hains, 2014)

 

 

Caring can be very caring when he wants to be, and I believe that with the right guidance he can make better decisions involving interactions with his peers.

 

References

 

 

Kalil, K. D. 5-Year-Old Milestones: Has Your Child Developed These Social Skills? Retrieved February 16, 2018, from https://www.care.com/c/stories/3359/3-month-old-baby-physical-milestones/

 

Hains, R. (2014, August 27). Unwanted Touching: Unacceptable at Any Age (Yes, Even Age 6). Retrieved February 16, 2018, from https://rebeccahains.com/2013/12/12/unwanted-touching-unacceptable-at-any-age-yes-even-age-6/

 

 

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