Domain 8 Global and Mutlicultural Perspectives
One of our students did not take his medication today, and I felt like we had an out-of-body experience. He was TOTALLY different...totally! I could not believe how "not him" that he was. He was talking very immaturely, he was completely out of control of his behavior, and I basically felt like I was talking to a drunk person.
I used to think that "those" type of behaviors were more choice than anything. Over the course of my time here at IWU, studying disabilities, I have learned that those disabilities really do exist and that medication is much needed. It was interesting to me that his teacher said she might send him down sooner than usual - it depended on how long she could "tolerate" or "handle" or "stand" him...something along those lines. Well, in my classroom, future that is, I will not just "stand" a student but discover ways to work with him/her on days that medication is not available or has not been taken. You can't just "deal" it with; you have to exceed beyond it and not allow it to overcome the student.
I really just took this opportunity to get a feel for how he asks when he doesn't take his medicine. I tried ignoring him, joking with him, being kind of random myself. I'm not quite sure what I would do with a student like this because I would need many more opportunities to observe, but it was good for me to experience that. I was a little afraid he might go crazy on me, but he did just fine.
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Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI'm not an advocate for medication (as you know) but I will say that with some students it truly makes a difference. One thing to process is how difficult it is for the student to function when not on the medication. Also, what are the implications for a missed dose. If it is essential for the child to take the medication then a plan should be developed for what to do on days where he/she misses their medication. If it becomes a regular pattern then you may want to administer the medication upon the student's arrival at school. These procedures would not be necessary for every student on medication. This will be good for you to process through and try to develop a plan of action should it happen again.
Great learning! It was such a joy to visit with you today:).
Prof. Forshey