*cross posted on ask a teacher*

so i am assisiting in a class of about 23 kids and they are in primary so they're all about 7 years old. one girl in my class has downs, and i have been placed in charge of her. (i'm 17 and this is my 4th year assisting). lots of the time she doesnt listen, donest pay attention, touches the other girls.. and i understand that she does need a little more attention. sometimes she wont know where her place in line is, and thats ok. if she doesnt know what group shes supposed to be in thats ok. but its when she doesnt listen. when she runs out of the room and fights me, and physically hurts me because she wants to do something. i dont know how to handle her. i dont want to be mean, or rude, but theres only so much i can do. if anyone has any ideas, or experience, or anything please please please let me know. thanks

liz

I actually taught a girl who had downs quite a few years ago. She was 17 but had the mentality of a 9 year old, and she was in class with them. I did not have an assistant in that class, so it was just me.

It is all about praising their good work. I know it's so frustrating because they, themselves, get frustrated. If you are to get frustrated, and it shows, then she will continue to be frustrated. Does that make sense?

When she does something right, or you see that she is trying so hard, you must praise her. Does the teacher pay attention to her as well? Does she pay attention to the student as much as all of the others? Maybe the student is also taking out her frustration on you because she is treated differently than the other students.

she is definetly praised, it is something that i try really hard to do. even if she can just getto her place properly, and when she does the exercises with me. she is treated like an equal. she is given attention just like all the other girls, but she is not given so much attention that the other girls feel like they arent getting enough. she does recieve a little more than the others, but not a huge difference. but i definetly understand the whole frustration circle that you're getting at. i'll try to remain not frustrated (unfrustrated.. less frustrated.. you know what i mean)

I would ask the teacher if you can talk to her mom and/or caregiver to find out what they do in that situation. Kids with special needs need consistancy more than anything so the more consistant you can be with her expectations at home, and the more they know at home what you are trying to teach in ballet, the better. Good luck!

Yes, I was just going to say that talking to the parents might be the best way to go. They deal with her everyday and may have some method to handle her.

A lot of it is patience, I know that sounds really basic, and it is not always easy to do, but it is so important. It you appear stressed to her, she may well respond to you in a stressed way, or she may not know how to channel it, and this could be what leads to the violent outbursts.

It's hard to give effective advice without knowing her, but maybe you could ask her how she wants to do things, if she gets angry and runs out of the room, it may well be better to give her some space. Of course go after her if you need to, but don't always feel the need to directly approach her, or talk to her immediatly, like anyone, she will also need time to calm down.

Like I mentioned before, maybe try to give her options, if she forgets where she is meant to stand in line, why not ask her where she wants to stand, it might help her to remember, and even if she still forgets, you can use it as a gentle reminder:
'Remember, you wanted to stand next to Abigail' for example.

As for the touching the other children, this is a common problem with Down's children, and I think just persisting with the idea of 'personal space', gently and firmly reminding the child that not everyone likes it, or maybe introducing the idea of shaking fellow students hands at the beginning of class might help instead.

Find out from the parents if you can, if she uses any symbols at home or anything, where I worked, a set of symbols from a computer program were useful for a more understandable communication system for some of the students, especially in situations requiring a more instant reaction, cards such as 'STOP', 'NO' or 'QUIET' can come in very handy!!

But please remember! It is not acceptable that you are being hurt, in any way. You need to rectify this, and if it is too much for you, you need to say to the teacher or organisation which you work for, you are only 17, and it's not always easy!

I'm sorry if this didn't make much sense, or rambled on a bit much... I hope you can find something useful in there!

Good Luck!

Sarah

I too have a child with downs in my 5 year old class (she is 8!). And I love her to pieces. I feel that dance is soooo important for her so I do my best to work with her and have patience. I have an assistant who works equally with her (I would never pawn her off on someone else).

I think the actual teacher should talk to the parents to find out what methods they use when she is being difficult. (The mother of my student is fabulous and works with us all the time to help her daughter!)

I also make sure that she has a place in line that will not mess up the other children if she is having a bad day! Somewhere on the end so that if she decides she is overwhelmed she will not be in the way!

What a wonderful experience it was last year to see her on stage (she did every step, a little bit off the music but did EVERYTHING). It brought tears to my eyes and her mom's too!

It sounds like you really care about all of your students and will make an excellent teacher! Good luck to you!

I also have a down syndrome child in my 5-6 year class that is
9. she tries so hard and does really well. Sometime she seems like she is not listening or is just not hearing. and ussually when I say her name and show her she responds. If i have questions I ask her mom for suggestions. I highly suggest that.
When we were playing freeze dance for stickers. It overwhelmed her and she just stood there. So i asked her to comeover with me and help me hand out stickers. And she still got one too. You just have to work with them and keep things mellow and unpressured. Talk to the parents. Very sweet loving children ussually unless they are overwhelmed. Good luck.

I have recently taken many classes and been certified to teach kids of all abilities, and one of the things my teacher taught me is something I have used a lot and it really works. If you have a student who is acting up,(with the teacher's permission) tell them you need them to be your "helper." Then, continue with the class with the student right by your side, and let them help you demonstrate steps. The kids love feeling like they are helping you, and because of this, they tend to focus better. Also, it gives you a reason to have them by your side so that they don't space out. (Hold her hand if you need to.)If you do have trouble keeping her in one place or if she continues to act up, do everything you can not to scold her-this only makes her more frustrated and close-minded. In an encouraging and excited voice, say to her "Remember, you are my special helper, so I need you to dance with me now!" Just a method that never seems to fail with me. Hope it helps. Wish you well!