Improvements for Aaron's Situation - Case Study Example

 Aaron is a nine year student with behavior problems that are causing him to fall behind in school. Aaron has been prone to violent behaviors and outbursts in the classroom, and is considered a danger to himself and other students. This essay presents a study of Aaron’s situation including his strengths and the negative behaviors that are affecting his performance. The essay also explores possible causes of Aaron’s situation and offers suggestions for improvement of Aaron‘s education.

Some of Aaron’s strengths are that he is easily able to communicate his wants and his personality and communication skills allow him to make friends easily, which makes social interaction easier. This ability will allow him to integrate more and more with other children as he progresses. In addition, Aaron has high awareness of his surroundings and is able to adapt quickly and manipulate the environment around him. Finally, Aaron’s IQ level is above average, which shows that his ability to learn and comprehend is strong.

Used in conjunction with his communication skills and ability to adapt to the environment around him, Aaron could step to the forefront of his class as a leader both academically and socially if he were able to overcome his personal auctions. Some of the challenging behaviors that present obstacles for Aaron’s progress are the fact that he vandalizes property, runs away from home and school, and exhibits violence at school. Aaron’s tendency to vandalize property may be an attempt to control his surroundings, responding to negativity by breaking something to alleviate rage and make a point.

His unannounced attempts to leave home and school show that these places cause stress for him and running away is one of his coping mechanisms. Finally, Aaron’s tendency to demonstrate violence at school shows his lack of respect for personal boundaries and his attempts to defend himself against his insecurities by resorting to violence. All of these behaviors are challenging for authority figures because they present obstacles for Aaron’s education and the education of those around him. These behaviors also compromise the safety of Aaron and those he comes in contact with.

Some of the causes that may have contributed to Aaron’s negative behavior is the instability he has experienced at home and school. The imprisonment of his father has left him without a father figure to look up to and provide guidance. This also left a sense of structure and discipline out of Aaron’s life. A second cause is his mother’s substance abuse problem, which has left him without a strong parental figure at home to provide structure and monitor his behavior. In addition, homes with histories of criminal behavior and substance abuse often also have histories of violence, so it is possible that Aaron has seen violent interactions between his parents, or been subject to domestic violence himself.

In addition, separating Aaron from other children creates the side effect that Aaron is further alienated from others and is exposed to less examples of proper behavior. Some of the suggestions for Aaron’s improvement would be to assign him a paraprofessional to work with him as a personal tutor. This would allow Aaron the chance to continue his lessons and stay at the same grade level as his peers. Aaron would remain isolated with the tutor until noticeable changes are made in his behavior and then a plan could be made to slowly integrate Aaron into the classroom with other students.

In addition, Aaron should have scheduled visits with a child psychology counselor weekly to examine the root causes of his violent behavior. Finally, substance abuse counseling should be offered and encouraged for Aaron’s mother, along with a school requirement that she also attend family counseling courses with or without Aaron.