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 Six year-old Jerry was having behavioral problems in his kindergarten class at an Omaha school. He often hit other children and had problems accepting “no” as an answer. He had similar behavioral issues at home.
Referred by the school to the School And Family Enrichment (SAFE) program, Jerry’s single mother, Pam, expressed her concerns about her son’s behavior to a therapist from Heartland Family Service. She would soon give birth to her second child, and she feared that Jerry might harm the baby.
The therapist began working with Jerry on behaviorally appropriate ways of accepting “no” and on understanding why he was hitting other children. Before the baby’s arrival, she gave Jerry and Pam a doll so they could practice caring for a baby at home. Pam agreed that when the real baby arrived, the doll would become Jerry’s baby. The therapist helped Mom with a plan to give Jerry responsibility to help take care of his new sibling after it arrived. They began shaping Jerry’s big brother role so he could act as a “superhero” and protect the baby from harm. She made him a “Big Brother” shirt to wear when asked to help with the baby. In addition, the therapist suggested fun activities Jerry could do by himself when mom needs to attend to the baby.
The therapist provided emotional support to Pam and helped her find strength and perseverance in working with her son’s attention and behavioral issues. Together, Pam and the therapist determined activities for Jerry to work on. Since he enjoys playing with trucks, watching a favorite movie and using the vacuum, these activities are used as incentives for good behavior. Since Jerry thrives on receiving attention, the therapist also implemented one-on-one playtime with his mom.
The therapist role-played with Jerry to help him learn appropriate behavior in school situations. And by working with staff at Jerry’s school, the therapist addressed both home and school environments with behavioral tools that work specifically for Jerry. The school uses a timer and the phrase “this is your job” to help him focus on one task at a time.
As a result of these combined efforts at home and school, the SAFE program has helped Jerry learn appropriate behaviors and make substantial improvements both at home and at school. Pam feels more successful at disciplining Jerry when necessary, and she is no longer worried that he will harm the new baby.
(Note: Please understand that our client’s stories are deeply personal. The names and photos have been changed to protect their identity.)
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