I hope you all had an amazing holiday! My class has a 2 week break, and I finally have some time to sit down and update my blog.
This week, my blog post will be a little different, because something unfortunately occurred during the last class before the break that I cannot stop thinking about.
I have not discussed any behavior problem during the class. This is not because I intentionally left this out – it is simply because there have not been any, thankfully.
students are all in their teens, and although they are not considered “high functioning” in terms of language ability, they have all been involved in respite programs and group activities long enough to know the behavioral expectations. This has been a blessing for me. I have been able to conduct the class for the most part without any SNAFUs, and the students have been able to get the most out of the class as a result.
I do not shy away from behavior problems – I deal with all types of behavior for a living – but if there are too many behavior issues, it does take away from the class. I would have to stop and address the issues rather than teaching the class. These types of interruptions would be detrimental to the class.
I have tons of strategies in my arsenal to pull out, and if I encounter consistent behavior issues with a particular student, I can develop a plan or a strategy that I would implement each week to assist the student to give him or her the supports he or she needed to be successful. This is always in the back of my head.
I also have the parents there at the class. This is an important piece. I rely on them for assistance at times – especially if there are behavior issues that I am not able to handle.
Before I discuss the last week incident, I want to backtrack to the week before, since I believe it did help to prepare my class for any out of the ordinary events.
The class is held at a Dojo, and there are lots of things on the walls – framed pictures, certificates, masks, and long wooden sticks.
The coordinator brings in the stereo every week, and places it against the wall. The second to last week before the break, while I was blasting one of our favorite songs, a picture was vibrated right off the wall.
This has happened before, but this particular time, the glass on the frame shattered everywhere!!!
The coordinator and the moms sprang into action to clean up all the glass. I could not stop the class to help, so all I could do was direct the students away from the glass, and keep telling them to look at me and to not stop. It was distracting, but the music kept playing, and they are all so used to the choreography that it helped keep things consistent even with the chaos going on around them.
I was grateful that the students stayed with me, pulled it together, and got right back on track with the steps… and the moms are just awesome – some of them were there for their own workout and they interrupted it to make sure the area was clean and that I would not have to stop.
I thought how great it was that the students were able to handle the commotion, not knowing what would occur the following week.
So… the last week before the break started well. I gave the students their Christmas gifts – their very own Zumba t-shirts!
I started the class – this time the coordinator put the stereo in a new place – not near the wall so the vibrating would not make the pictures fall, and we began.
I have everything down to a science now. At the 30 minute mark, I break for water. I remind X that NOW is the time to go to the bathroom – not during the class when I need him the most.
I sometimes use the break time to chat quickly with the students, tell them they are doing a great job, and joke around with them.
I see C with his mom. During the first portion of the class, I noticed C was not as into the class as usual. C is very large – about 250 lbs, and very tall. I have known him since he was 12 - he is now 16. He is not a big fan of moving, but has been a trooper. His mom takes the class alongside him.
I see that C is face to face with his mom, looking a little agitated. I go over to say hi to him. Mom informs me that he is not having a good morning. I tell C that it is OK, and he is doing a great job. He tells me “Sorry,” and says to his mom, “I don’t UNDERSTAND!” I tell C it is ok again. Again, he tells me, “Sorry.” I tell C it is OK – he does not need to be sorry. He apologizes again. I say – “No, C – don’t say sorry!” His mom looks at me, nervously, and tells me “No – let him say sorry to you….” He says sorry again, and I say “OK.” But at this point, C is clearly escalating – working himself up. I have not seen him like this yet, and am not sure how to handle it. I tell C that we are about to start up again, and ask him if he wants to help me turn on the stereo. He says “No”.
I know when an individual with autism is agitated, the worst thing to do is bombard him or her with language. So, I stopped talking to C, stopped asking him questions, or anything else. Instead, I announce to the class – “I am going to count to 10, and then we are going to be ready to start the class again,”
My intention was for C to hear this, and perhaps pull it together to follow the routine rather than continue to escalate. This could go in any direction – my hope was – it was going to go in the direction **I** wanted it to go in.
Unfortunately, it did not.
C began screaming and pushing his mother. Then he picked up the wooden rods displayed on the wall, and began slamming them against the walls, the furniture, and attempting to hit his mom or anyone in his way.
This is when the sensei and the coordinator – both black belts – came over to him to redirect him. He could not be stopped right away. He almost took the rod to the stereo – thank God he didn’t – that would have been the end of the class for sure!
A mom suggested that I just start. I quickly agreed, but the other students were terrified. They were off to the side, watching. I came to them, and told them we are going to start. I positioned them close to me, away from C. I had to put my arm around L. He was so scared, that he clung to me and kept stopping. I promised him he would be OK.
I discovered at that moment how much my other students trusted me. It was so endearing. They just looked at me, knowing I would make this OK and bring them back to the place they should be.
The music started, and just like the week before with the broken glass, the students – despite being distracted by the tantrum going on behind them, were able to focus again on me. They needed prompting to look at ME, to not stop, and to keep going. Eventually, the music and the steps took over, and there was consistency once again within the chaos. I had them back on track. They knew what was happening behind them – but they also knew what was happening in front of them, and they were able to shift their focus back onto the class.
And that is when I saw C begin to calm down. The screaming quieted down. His flailing stopped. He did not grab at any items. His mom, with tears in her eyes, was following the choreography. C came back over next to her, and started following the choreography again. At first, he would stop, scream, and stamp, but then he saw the class was continuing. Little by little, he returned to the structure of the class. It was consistent and familiar to him, and gave him an avenue to calm himself down. I did not say anything to C at first. I was concerned that any attention directed to him – any words – even praise – would set him off again. About ten minutes in, I shot some praise his way. He was fine with it.
By the end of the class, all the students were happy and calm. C was remorseful, and kept coming up to me to say he was sorry that he hurt his mom. His mom left the class crying. I made her promise to return after the break. I did not want this to get in the way of C and his progress in the class.
The moms told her they have ALL been there, and no one is judging him or her for what happened. This is autism. This is what happens. But I worry that she and C might not come back. She was so upset by his outburst.
I love my class. I want everyone there to know they are allowed to be themselves, and this class is a safe space for all the students – and their parents.
Sometimes we have bad days.
I wish everyone a happy New Year! Only good things for all of us in 2011!!!
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