Positive Behavior Support for ALL Michigan ... - Oakland Schools

Randy’s Story:
A Social Worker’s Perceptions
regarding Positive Behavior Support
Randy began life with many barriers to overcome. He was born to an unwed
mother and his father was in jail. Randy also faced numerous medical problems.
He had a hernia, poorly developed muscles, breathing problems, and low birth
weight. His prognosis for healthy development was poor.
Randy’s mother took him home from the hospital, held him, and cared for him
for months. Gradually, he began to improve. However, Randy’s mother noticed
that he did not seem to hear sounds that other children heard. Testing determined
that Randy had a significant hearing loss and would eventually require
special accommodations when he went to school.
When he was five, Randy was enrolled in elementary school. He soon exhibited
serious emotional and behavior problems. When Randy entered first grade, he
was placed in a self-contained classroom for students with emotional impairment.
Services provided by the school team and his mother’s support and
assistance helped Randy gradually improve his behavior.
By the fifth grade, Randy was able to function in a normal school setting, and he
was mainstreamed into a regular classroom. However, there were still areas in
which Randy required skilled support to be successful. He had problems with
poor hygiene, immaturity, and occasional temper outbursts. Randy’s academic
achievement was poor, as well. A system of Positive Behavior Support was
implemented by the school team to help Randy remain in the general education
program and to improve his social and academic functioning.
As he grew older, Randy became a sports fanatic. The Positive Behavior Support
team recognized his passion and used it to help him stay academically motivated
and to expose him to positive male social role models. Even though his
athletic prowess was just average, the junior high school coaches selected Randy
to play football and basketball or made him a team manager or coach’s assistant.
In the eighth grade, when Randy did not make the cut for the basketball team, one
of his classmates privately went to the coach and begged him to make Randy the
team manager. Understanding Randy’s needs, the coach agreed to do so.
Randy gave his heart and soul to his sports endeavors, and his spirit prompted
the coaches to create a place for him. With this teamwork, a small boy with a
severe hearing impairment, attention deficit disorder, and a history of emotional
difficulty, achieved success. His teammates and coaches respected him,
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