Charlotte*, 5 years old, started her kindergarten year of school extremely dysregulated. She would not last more than 10 minutes in her classroom before exhibiting some form of challenging behavior. Charlotte would sleep in class, run the halls screaming, show physical and verbal aggression to peers and teachers, and at times, law enforcement would be called because she would leave the school, and no one could help her calm down. She made it clear she could not trust the adults around her.
Charlotte was referred to Nexus-PATH’s School Case Management. Her case manager worked with both her and her parents to build relationships and identify what she needed to be successful. Charlotte began seeing a therapist through the Nexus-PATH outpatient mental health clinic and was referred to occupational therapy.
An Individualized Education Plan was created at school through Special Education for her. Her case manager provided direct support to Charlotte in the school, as well. Months later, Charlotte is now able to stay in her classroom all day with support and has built trusting relationships with key school staff. She participates in therapy, rarely runs the halls, and is even reminding her peers about the importance of being nice and listening to the teacher!
*Names and other details have been changed to maintain privacy.