What to Do when Students Make Unnecessary Contact with Others

Teachers who work with students who have special needs face a number of challenges in the classroom, including making the curriculum accessible for everyone in the class as well as dealing with the emotional and social problems that many children exhibit. In inclusion and mainstreaming classes there can be a wide spectrum of disabilities from mild learning disabilities to intellectual disabilities to emotional disabilities. Often children with disabilities present deficits in social skills which can lead to them becoming ostracized from their peers or they can become the target of bullying and teasing. Many students, even at the high school level, have grown into the habit of making unnecessary contact physically with other students or staff members. This does not include acts of aggression, but more of a means of getting attention. Most students have learned that in order to gain a teacher's or another student's attention they are to raise their hand or call a name, depending on the expectations of the particular environment. However, instead of following those social cues a student with this problem might grab the teacher's arm as he or she walks by or try to hug the teacher. The student may also do this to other students, even those with whom he or she is not a friend, which could result in the situation escalating to a classroom disruption.

While these students may not mean any harm, touching people for attention is not always the correct way to behave in school and later on in the work setting, so it is important to work with the student to reduce or eliminate this type of behavior. There are some natural consequences that can result from touching other people that can become intervention strategies. When the student receives a negative response from a peer after the behavior, make sure he or she understands the link between the touching and the consequences. Work with the student to learn appropriate types of social interactions to use in various settings and model those interactions. If there are other adults in the school with whom the student hugs excessively or touches to seek attention, discuss the importance of modeling the correct ways to interact physically. Provide plenty of verbal praise for all students when it is warranted and also reward the student verbally when he or she demonstrates the desired social interactions. If possible, the student may receive a more tangible reward for demonstrating appropriate social interactions. When talking with the student, make sure to stand an appropriate distance because many students who have issues respecting personal space also tend to stand in very close proximity when holding a conversation.