GARY CROW PRESENTS

   

35. They often disrupt the class or the activities of others.

Adults usually see this as a discipline problem and sometimes it is. It is usually a sign of learning problems. Think about the child's behavior. Now ask yourself this question. Have you ever seen a child who is doing well in school act like this on any regular basis?

Here is the typical argument. If he would just settle down and behave, he would do better in school. Here is the more important point. If he did better in school, he would behave better. Almost always, the learning problem came first and the behavior problem last.

Why does he misbehave? He may have a behavior disorder that needs special treatment. This is so likely, it always needs checked out. Even if he does not have a behavior disorder, it is nearly certain he has a serious learning problem.

Listen patiently to the people at school as they tell you about his behavior. Make the point with him that he should behave better. Giving him little rewards for good days may help. Still, find out what his learning problem is. Thinking about the signs and suggestions in this workbook is a place to start. Also, a psychological evaluation and an assessment by a learning disabilities specialist are important. Doing any more about the behavior problems before the evaluations are done is not a good idea. Just getting on him and pushing him to do better can cause the child more problems than he already has. This is a good rule-of-thumb. Until you understand his problems, do not try to fix them.