Hi all,
I'd love some advice. I work in a nursery and I am in a constant state of anxiety with one child. This boy is acting out but only for me and is fine with everyone else. The moment he makes eye contact with me he dives under tables, begins lashing out and kicking furniture over. He runs into me at full pelt, pushes children over and climbs everything and dives down head first.
To begin with I thought the child was scared of me but he has started to play with me and if my attention is taken by another child or adult he returns to extreme behaviours. It's scaring me that he is going to badly hurt himself or another child.
We have tried to get other adults to play with him but he runs back to me. I have tried a firm approach, visuals, supported peer play, imaginative group play. It's so hard to work with anyone else in the class and I'm being told by other staff that I'm too soft. It's really disheartening.
I think that it stemmed from one day when he was upset, I gave him a hug. The child displays indicators of SEN and is very sensory, removing shoes and covering his ears when there are loud noises. We have tried weighted blankets and heavy bags and these can help but he is fixated on getting my attention all of the time.
If anyone has any suggestions for how to support this behaviour I'd be enormously grateful.
😊