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February 03, 2005
Wanted: Advice
OK, teachers and those who just like to offer advice...
Spiders. Snakes. Heights. Public speaking. They're all common phobias. But I worked with a girl today with a phobia I'd never even considered: headphones. I work in her kindergarten class part of my day, and her teacher cannot get the girl to go near the computer or tape player because the girl is very afraid of the headphones. Her teacher is out of ideas and wondered if I could get the girl to be comfortable, or at least not have a meltdown when the teacher shows something to the class on the computer. She will not go within a 6 foot radius (I watched her today come near the teacher at the computer and noticed where her boundary was) of a computer or tape player, and I'm pretty sure it's the headphones.
Today I took the girl over to the listening center. She was petrified and I had to carry her over to the center even though she was screaming. I don't know if that's really what I should've done, but that's what the behavior consultant would do at the school where I taught last year. I finally convinced her that we would just read a book together and not use the tape player.
I'm not sure if getting her to the table is progress. But I even got her to (tentatively) brush the headphone cord off her book where it was covering the picture. But then I moved the headphones so they wouldn't creep over on the book again and she had another meltdown.
In a class of kindergartners, it's just not feasible to let the computer or tape player go without headphones.
*scratching head* It's not that she's terrified of headphones or tape players or computers. I'm sure she'll get over that eventually. My dilemma is what I do with her to help her get over it, or at least so she can function in her kindergarten class.
So???
Posted by Anna at February 3, 2005 03:44 PM
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Comments
Are these those super duper industrial strength earphones? Those are huge and probably not a leap to think that a little one would be scared of them.
Maybe trying those little earphone bud, that you put in your ear. Just trying one ear might reduces the intimidation.
Posted by: Christopher at February 3, 2005 07:00 PM
Well, the kind that the teacher uses are the huge earmuff kind, but when I asked the teacher if she had some smaller ones, she pulled out a pair of the cheap $3 headphones. Ashley had the same response to those. I'm not sure those bud earphones would work with kinders, both in ear size and in safety with 5 year olds. It is a thought, though, and I will take in my pair next week to see if it works.
Posted by: Anna at February 3, 2005 08:52 PM