Brief story and case description of the child.

Arvind D who is in standard III is the child whom intervener identified as a child in crisis.
Arvind comes from a mixed family and his father is a labourer and his mother a
housewife. He has an elder sister and a newborn brother. He stays with his
grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.His father has an aggressive character,
consumes alcohol and does not care for the family.
Among a class of twenty five Arvind D is the only one who sucks his thumb and has
difficulty interacting with other students. One day he quietly entered the interveners
class while she was teaching the Marathi alphabets using animations from her laptop.
The latter asked him to be seated like the other students and she will teach him too the
Marathi alphabets. Hearing this he seemed to be very interested with the idea of
learning from the interveners laptop using the animations. As the intervener carried on
with her lesson, Arvindwas repeating the alphabets with the other students. After
repeating few alphabets, the intervener noticed that he was distracted with the
keyboard. He was trying to play with the touchpad. The intervener politely asked him not
to play with the touchpad else it might be damaged. He was angry suddenly. He

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murmured something showing his anger towards me and ran away from the class.

 Identifying the child in crisis

Feeling

that

the

child

might

have

problem,

the

intervener

talked

withMissElodie,Arvinds first grade teacher. She stated she had a very difficult year with
Arvind. On many mornings, Arvind screamed and cried in class and rarely completed
any class or homework.
Miss Babita, his thirdgrade teachersaid he no longer cries in class but he does not
complete class or homework. He is also more reserved and lonely following the recent
demise of his grandmother
The few instances he did complete some work it was very sloppy. Miss Babita says that
Arvind has the potential to do so much more in class because when giving oral
responses, he understands the daily lesson, but fails with the written work.
Her second concern is his interaction with other children and temper. Arvind is in a
constant bad mood usually early in the morning before school begins.
Mrs. D, Arvinds mother, said she is concerned with his behavior and that he is
struggling in mathematics. In addition, she says she rarely sees his homework and that
could be the reason why it is not turned in because he is not bringing it home. She
added that arvind is disobedient and can never concentrate.
Hoff(1978)stated that the person in crisis has generally difficulty concentrating on his
work. However, he likes playing video games and watching television.(symptom of
ADHD-Arvindenjoys when playing video games ,watching tv but having difficulty to
concentrate in his work)
Even as a preschooler, Arvind would tear through the house like a tornado, shouting,
roughhousing, and climbing the furniture. No toy or activity ever held his interest for
more than a few minutes and he would often dart off without warning, seemingly
unaware of the dangers of a busy street or a crowded mall.(symptom of ADHD-Arvind

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does not think before he acts and he is hyperactive)

Arvind is consistently being described as a student who has the potential to excel
academically, but that self-discipline is his problem. The intervener noticed this also.
During instruction time when he should be writing, he is sucking his thumb or copying
someone else's work. On one occasion when he should have been listening to the
teacher, he was flicking paper off his desk. He also has problems on the playground.
Other students are complaining he is calling them names. These names usually involve
curse words. One Friday he actually received two referrals from two different teachers.
Miss Babita wrote a referral because of his behavior in the classroom and another
primary teacher wrote a referral because of his behavior on the playground. What the
intervener is concerned with is his negative attitude so early in the mornings. Because it
is so early in the morning, the intervener is curious to know what is going on at home
which may cause his attitude. The intervener is questioning whether he is being yelled
at on a constant basis at home. Or perhaps now that there is a newborn at home he is
feeling ignored.
Factors which might have triggered a crisis in the case of Arvind as per Gillis (1994:157)
are as follows:
Birth of a baby in the family,
Death of his grandmother,
Parental discord, and
Possibility of violence at home.
Considering the events that might have precipitated a crisis in Arvind and the symptoms
of ADHD found in Arvind intervener concluded that Arvind might be possibly suffering
from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder but that such a diagnosis could only be

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made by a professional.

 The field of intervention and the relationship build with the child
To examine the dimensions ofthe problem in order to define it, the intervener continued
to collect information about Arvind by looking at mark sheets for the previous
years.Arvinds kindergarten teacher wrote, Arvind has made many improvements this
year. With more self-discipline, he would be on grade level. On July 15, 2012, his first
grade teacher wrote, Arvind needs constant praise and prodding. He's capable but
lacks the thrill of achievement. Poor self-discipline. Finally, I viewed his report card for
the last three trimesters. He is receiving below average grades in reading and language.
His grades in mathematics are worse. He is earning far below basic grades. Miss Babita
recommended after school tutoring and summer school for Arvind.
The intervener suggested:

She will give Arvind special support,care and attention so as to boost up

his self-esteem and also not to make him feel rejected in the class due to
his irritable attitutes. (making psychological contact to establish a
relationship)

Arvind needed help in dealing with his anger and getting along with other
students. The intervevers goal was to help Arvind realize the situations
that make him angry and to brainstorm ways to express his anger.

shortening the length of assignments in order to keep Arvind motivated to

finish work.(generate and explore alternatives and specific solutions)

Each Monday Arvind and the intervener discussed the homework plan for
the week and why he was completing each assignment. The intervener
read the directions with Arvind for each assignment to make sure he
understood what was expected of him. Next, they discussed what time

day he would come home, grab a snack to eat, and he would devote 30

each day his homework was to be completed. They both decided,every

minutes to completing his homework. After completing his homework, his

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mother would sign the papers and the next day he would return the
assignment to the intervener and they would discuss what he thought was
hard or simple about the work.

Arvind made the biggest improvements with his homework. During the 5
week period he missed only three assignments. Whereas before the
intervention, Miss Babita reported Arvind rarely turned in his homework.
She said on a few occasions, she found his homework torn apart in the
parking lot at school. There were also some improvements with his
academic performance. Some of his abilities were discovered and the
intervener tried to teach him to use his abilities in the classroom. For
example, Arvind realized he is a good reader. The intervener advised
Arvind to show Miss Babita just how well he is a good reader. Miss Babita
reported Arvind is now focusing more on his work and actually completing
more assignments.-(generate and explore alternatives and specific
solutions)

gettingArvind involved in an agency which conducts group counseling with

students once per week for anger management.-(implementation of an
action plan)

Arvind is still struggling with his anger and cooperating with others. During
the third week of intervention he received a referral for fighting. He was
suspended for a day and given punishment. The intervener asked him
before the fight began, did he think about the strategies they discussed
when he gets mad. Arvind said no and that the situation was the other
students fault.The intervener believe she made the best progress she
could make with Arvindbut she does not think Arvind is going to show any

more help from his parents and a professional.

improvement with his anger unless he has ongoing counseling along with
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she will maintain weekly interaction with him-(follow up)

Arvind turned in his work weekly so that the intervener could chart and
discuss his progress one-on-one.

Furthermore,building a positive relationship between the child and the intervener is a

fundamental task in crisis intervention. By doing so, the intervener created an emphatic
understanding between herself and Arvind. As such, It was easier for Arvind to
converse with the intervener .He was more at ease in expressing his feelings.
During the weekly interaction with Arvind, showed her genuineness towards Arvind by
bringing a small gift for him as promised by her every time they met. The objective
behind giving Arvind the gift was to make Arvind realize that he is cared and loved by
others. Therefore he was expected to help the intervener to help himself by listening to
her advice.
Moreover, honesty is of utmost importance when establishing trust in a relationship. The
intervener made Arvind understand that all their conversations were not confidential as
at times she needed the help of others to find solution to his problems.
For example, the intervener had to contact Arvinds mother to make her aware of her

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interventions for getting Arvind motivated to complete and turn in his homework.

 The Intervention and interview

The intervener gave Arvind a simple seven question pre-test. The questions included
the following:
Always

I complete and turn in my homework;

I try my best when the teacher gives me work to do;

I listen when the teacher is talking;

I always have my pencils, paper, and crayons

Sometimes Never

ready to work in class;

E

I like to read when my work is finished;

My class work is neat.

The final question is a sentence completion: The

best thing about me is

After each question Arvind bubbles in a response to the question.

The happy face is a response for always;
The neutral face is a response for sometimes;
The sad face means never.

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Psychological support

My interventions targeted the one of techniques pointed out by Dixon(1987):

1. The interveners goal regarding Arvinds academic performance was to help him
feel lovable and capable because she has a suspicion he is not receiving this at
home.His approach was to determine some of his abilities and then to provide
continuing affirmations of these abilities. Since the intervener only had five weeks
of intervention, they met 2 times per week for individual counseling during the
afternoon in her classroom. The latter conducted individual counseling activities,
such as the Toilet Paper Brainstorm. In this activity Arvind unrolled some toilet
paper from a roll. He tore off individual sections of paper from the roll. Each time
a section was torn off, Arvind told the intervener about one of his abilities by
completing the sentence, I can The intervener then helped Arvind to see that
he can use these abilities to help him in class to complete his work and to be
successful.In case Arvind was blocked,the intervener helped him to continue with
the activity by saying I wonder if you can manage to say more of your abilities
In addition, the intervener showed Arvind how a student behaves when he is
ready to listen to a teacher. They role played these strategies. The intervener
modeled how to have his materials ready on his desk when it was time to work;
how a student sits when he is listening to the teacher; and how to turn in neat
work.

2. As the intervener was administering the pre-test she had to repeat what the
meaning of a pre-test is because Arvind started to cry in the middle of
administration. The intervener had to stop and tell him he was not in trouble, nor
was the test a referral to the Head mistress. The test was for her eyes only. After
he finally understood the purpose of the pre-test he stopped crying. Arvind
seems to be aware of the areas he is deficient- not listening, sloppy class work,
and not trying his best. He says he sometimes turns in homework and has
materials ready for class. The intervener does not think he is aware of his
strengths yet because on the last question he writes the best thing about him is

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to be good and listen.

The way forward

Arvind was referred to the nearest Area Health Centre. The case was referred to a
psychologist. The psychologist is coming to see Arvindtwice weekly and he has also
attended his appointment with the psychiatrist. He has been started on medications.
Mrs D and Miss Babita seem quite satisfied with Arvinds behavior. Well, the intervener
believe that Arvind has gained some self-confidence too. It seems that Arvind is kind of
adaptive to the crisis however because he is on medications the intervener hope that

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his health condition will allow him to be able to cope with the different stress of life.

 Bibliography

Johnson, K. Trauma in the Lives of Children. Crisis and Stress Management

Techniques for Teachers, Counselors, and Student Service Professionals.
Alameda, CA: Hunter House, 1989.

Webb, B. B., ed. Play Therapy with Children in Crisis: A Casebook for
Practitioners. New York: Guilford Press, 1991.
Pitcher, G. D., and Poland, S. Crisis Intervention in the Schools. New York:
Guilford Press, 1992.

Bloomsbury Academic, Apr 18, 2005 -

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Attention-deficit-hyperactivitydisorder/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

http://csmh.umaryland.edu/Resources/ResourcePackets/files/crisisintervention.p
df

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http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/psycht_general.aspx

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