Home Diary
Sunday 22nd
Mum sank into the chair at half past midnight after another exhausting night trying to get Harry to settle. It began around mid afternoon again after the outing to the park with Harry after Granny said that it was getting late and it was time to go back home to get things ready for School the next morning. After that it all went downhill with Harry getting increasingly agitated. Mum tried the usual routine of reading a favourite Thomas the Tank story to settle Harry down, which seemed to have some calming effect, before picking up the school reading scheme book to pick out the pictures and CVC words. Harry grabbed the book and began ripping the pages. It was several hours before Harry had been worn out enough to fall asleep.
Teacher’s Diary
Monday 23rd
At 09.30 Harry came into his year 1 class late again. This seems to happen nearly every Monday. Reluctant to come in and mum reports more stress and anxiety with Harry than most other days of the week, I wonder what the reason could be? During this time Harry continually refers to his favourite character using single word. “T’muh” (for Thomas the Tank). We borrowed a Thomas the Tank story from foundation stage and this seemed to help him settle, after which Harry was more willing to join in at an appropriate point in an activity.
Comment
Transitioning from one environment to another such as from home to school can be one cause for anxious behaviour. The school routine may not always ‘stick’ in the memory over the weekend, while school is a busy place with lots of other children, adults, sights and noises. A combination of information overload and uncertainty about how others will react and what may happen next could also contribute to Harry’s behaviour. Harry’s delayed expressive language makes it much more difficult to determine what may be going on. Using the Thomas the Tank story book as a way to help transition and settle Harry into the morning routine is strategy that can work well not only for younger children, but for older children with an activity appropriate to their age and interest.
Alastair Fielden is our Education Consultant with over 20 years experience in SEND Education and assistive technologies.
Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
