When Roberto first came to class, he cried inconsolably the first half of the day asking for his mommy. He did not interact with any other students the first few days of school. Then he started interacting by hitting fellow classmates, raising his hand to hit other classmates, or kicking and running.
Every time I witnessed Roberto raise his hand against another child, I would remove him from the situation and discuss with Roberto what was happening. We would talk about how the other child felt and looked for other ways Roberto could act. As the days progressed, I witnessed Roberto start using his words to resolve issues. When I shared with Roberto’s dad examples of when Roberto used his words instead of his fists, Roberto’s face beamed with pride. Learning to talk about his feelings made a huge difference!