(One of) The New Kid(s)

As mentioned before, we have 3 new kids this year. Each one of them is TOTALLY different than any of the other kids we currently have, so it's kind of tough getting to know them and figuring them out. One of the new kids, though, I can already foresee being a problem...

This particular student is named Tara. Tara is a short, stout little gal who has Down Syndrome. In case you're not familiar with Down's, it can vary widely from person to person. Some are very high functioning, others not as much. Most (though not all) of the Down's kids I've dealt with can be VERY stubborn when it comes to getting their way. This isn't universally true, though, and seems to hinge somewhat on how well the parents discipline the kid. Sadly, that's lacking in many cases today.

As far as stubbornness, Tara is above and beyond anything I've ever seen in my life. Getting her to follow direction is proving extremely difficult. Incentives that work for all of the other kids don't work as well, so far. (I'm giving it some time though.) While I could ALREADY tell you tons of stories, I will give you two shining examples of this kid's stubbornness:

1) We're in a high school, and while our kids don't go out for any classes, we still occasionally walk in the halls (IE lunch, gym, etc.) Though we try to avoid it, sometimes we're in the halls during the passing periods. Not fun. Some of the kids would plop down or wander aimlessly unless we grab their hand during times like this, so myself and the other aide were a bit distracted with these kids. Suddenly we noticed Tara was gone. A few minutes later, we get a call. Tara wound up following someone she knew to their class and wouldn't leave. The aide went down to fetch them, but she wouldn't come. Finally we had to get the guidance counselor to come and drag Tara out.

2) Today, Tara wanted to go get a drink from the fountain in the hallway. Given that Tara is now on the "not to be trusted in the hall by herself" list (due to the previous incident and several others), she was told no by the other aide. Tara looked at the aide, clenched her fists, and said "YES!" Aide again said no. She clenched tighter, began to shake a little, and suddenly... her pants were wet. Yes, that's right: she peed herself to get back at the aide who wouldn't let her go out in the hall by herself. I couldn't believe it.

Sadly, she had a change of clothes (many of the kids do) in the dresser, so she was able to change and stay. The rest of the day, she was still angry and as stubborn as ever. It was as if the "peeing herself" incident never happened. Unbelievable.