Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Hi everyone, just seeking some advice for a challenge I've encountered at my new job.

There is a child in the kinder room that has displayed behavioural and physical signs of being on the autism spectrum however has not been diagnosed with anything. (Single) Mum will not get him diagnosed officially and claims he is "naughty" and "has speech delays" - which yes, he does have speech issues, but she will not seek help with, or when she does progress and get help from professionals she will eventually do a 180 and blame it on us!

The child is constantly hurting others (educators and peers), screaming his words or just to make noise, doesn't follow direction and will run away when asked to do something. He also throws, bites, chokes, and attempts to really hurt peers when things are not going his way. At the moment he is pretty much "tagged" by an educator throughout the day, but this is tiring and there aren't enough staff to warrant someone being with the one child constantly, yet without it someone will get hurt.

His routine has changed recently due to circumstances with Mum, so he now arrives an hour or two earlier than usual and leaves an hour or two later. His diet is terrible at home and is reflected in his eating habits in care. His behaviour is given into at home to "prevent arguments", so any discipline we try to enforce completely goes out the window when he goes home. Currently he attends 4 days a week. Child FIRST has been notified of his behaviour and family but now claim their resources have run out for the child and have all but said "kick him out of care". Management will not allow this.

What I really need here is some help for this child and his family. I was watching him today and my heart broke for him - he is very obviously different to others in the way he thinks and acts and without support he will go into school without any of the basic social/emotional skills he needs. As newly appointed educational leader I am looking for any tips, tricks, or help in general to help me bond with the child, with mum, and make our communication meaningful and be a support for her to lean on so we can hopefully use the services already provided by Child FIRST and help him grow as a person.

Many thanks

There's going to be very little you can do without the support of his Mum. The child needs a specialists opinion or help and unfortunately we're educators and not specialists. Has a meeting been held with Mum and management about your concerns? It's important that Mum feels that you're on her side and only have the best interests of her child at heart and not that you're judging her parenting. If she isn't willing to do anything, you might be able to put in a report to CPS (start documenting all conversations and the child's behaviour) as not providing a child with medical assistance is a form of neglect as it's inhibiting their development. But keep on trying, keep on advocating for this child because you might be the one that makes a difference for them.