interrogations

i don't actually watch 24 regularly, but i've seen enough to know that their are some unfortunate similarities with my job. somedays i feel a little bit like jack bauers. the elementary school i work at created a "calming down room" for students when they are acting aggressive and violent. it is a place for them to calm down in. it is really a conference room

one particular student spends more time in the calming down room than others. his poor mom chose to marry someone with high functioning autism. what i've learned is that autism is hereditary from the father. so ALL 3 children have some form of autism. needless to say my student sees a lot of aggression at home. he is in 5th grade reading on a kindergarten level. Cognitively, this student is one of the highest in my class. he is slowly learning to use his words when upset. old habits can be hard to break.

once said student is in the calming down room, i like to give him 5 minutes alone. then i ask him if he is ready to talk. i know he needs more time alone if i get a shoe thrown at the door or fists come flying. thank goodness for motivators. one time i found his i touch hidden in his pocket. as soon as it was confiscated he was ready to talk. students will usually calm down in time for lunch. they will also most likely calm down in time to go home.

the last step is getting the student to complete work (which is probably why they acted out in the first place-- escape non-preferred task). heaven forbid anyone do work at school. i have to start with something independent and modify it down to only a few simple problems. with the promise that afterwards they can take a short break with our free time toys. this process gets repeated until the entire page is complete.

autism was once described to me as "sucking the life out of you". exhausting. days when the calming down room is used may require an afternoon nap. and have me walking around like a zombie because i can no longer think.