Any tips on handling extremely bad behaviour? (All Teachers)

[Alan Tang]

Personally I would make tasks very quick. Sometimes being pace doesn’t allow those with a learning difficulty to misbehave. Try shortening what you would like them to complete such as play 1 bar, then the second bar, etc and then as a plenary they can play what they have completed it. You could try breaking it up with other types of games as well so the focus won’t be based on sitting or holding the instrument.

Good luck

[Guest Teacher]

I have only taught 2 Children with Autism (Mild) the second one
liked coming to see my Yamaha U3 and he also liked my house!
He was very placid at that time as long as he was on his own with me(of course he also liked me!) We got on very well and he
eventually did the first MTB Exam and got 83% (A Silver Award)
After this he gave up and never came back! He said he wanted to do the exams where you didn’t have to go to a Exam Centre,
ie in a different building, and that’s why we did the MTB exam.
His mother just said he wanted to play outdoors on his new bike!
Very Confusing

[Phil Schneider]

Beckie

Dont let students make your life a misery.Prioritise your own mental health. Does the next students lesson sufer because you are exhausted ? You are not a social worker on 50 k a year. If someone doesnt want to learn its time to suggest finding a more approprate teacher with specialised skills.

[Guest Teacher]

Beckie,

I have a similar student at the moment, and have worked at a learning disability school in the past.

To help me manage my current “difficult” student, I actually met with her mum out of work to discuss her condition and tactics to handle it. It was very useful to come up with a plan of action, and now we’re pretty good at managing her outbursts.

Generally, I’ve found it’s all about personal connection.
Try and find a way to understand and bond with them even if it’s over something simple like a basic melody or song they enjoy. Then when things start getting out of hand try and steer it back to the melody/song and back to having fun. Try and distract with fun exercises, and don’t be afraid to go off the beaten track, since you’ll only find out what works with this person through trial and error.

The most important thing in my opinion though is trying to understand how they feel and finding common ground.

Hope this helps, and good luck. It’s very hard not to let a learning difficulty become a teaching difficulty!

[Guest User]

Positive reinforcement.