Hassan Case Study

Services which can support this child:

Diversity is a connecting term that relates to a group of people whom are recognized of different background(s). Diversity is the assortment of people from everyday walks of life, the understanding of respect and acknowledgment of difference in others and permitting acceptance (Gudykunst, 2004). The Early Years Foundation Stage identifies “from the earliest age to value diversity in others and grow up making a positive contribution to society.” (DCSF, 2008) highlight’s how reinforcing the positivity and respect of others and individuals in our difference of complexion, religion, gender, orientation etc. shall further acceptance and thus relate to the term or Inclusion in the growth to ‘weed’ out the negativity and ignorance that may poison society.

Family Support Worker:

The Family Support worker (FSW) must be committed to Hassan’s family and the dealings of effect of stress and confusion on Hassan in the family’s refugee appeal. It would prove beneficial for Hassan’s FSW to strongly work with the Refugee Council, as many Support Workers do (National Careers Service Website, 2016); By taking on a prominent role of support for Hassan, it will build trust, support and a positive figurehead for the whole family to connect through to the local community and environment. Although Hassan is too young to understand the complexity of the Refugee situation; the positive relations with the FSW and Hassan’s parents will encourage Hassan’s trust and friendship in the FSW, in contrast to the relations of terror and violence previously experienced in Afghanistan. Hassan and those in his ecological system would all have to build acceptance and relations with the support worker, including me and fellow professionals involved in Hassan’s case. The FSW would have to in theory, ‘stand tall’ in Hassan’s and the whole family’s microsystem, (Bronfenbrenner, 1992). By becoming a close figure of trust, it is easier for the FSW to delve into further support networks of financing money, trauma therapy, living conditions, and how to support Hassan’s transition into SEN specialism at our pre-school. As written by a Refugee Support Worker, the justification for Refugee work entails, “I work in this field because…we are passionate about justice and we want human beings to feel equal” (The Guardian, Anonymous , 2016); Such examples of ‘passion’ are addressed on the government website’s outline of a Family Support Worker’s job role; such as acting as a temporary career for the children in times of distress for the parents i.e. parents in hospital, (National Careers Service Website, 2016). Thus, in these potential scenarios, it would place a lot of commitment onto the FSW and trust on both parts. A Family Support Worker can work closely with a social worker to further blossom and equip the parents with knowledge in parenting and home managing areas concerning the children and especially Hassan’s SEN requirements (National Careers Service Website, 2016). An extra insight of knowledge and support in terms of dealing with the area of home management and parenting skills will highlight a higher ethic and crucial importance on working to build relationships, language skills, trust and parenting skills within Hassan’s family and professionals. The role of the Support Worker will be to provide support and information for the family in the appeal for Refugee Status, finding relevant and appropriate new accommodation, and trauma from murdered and missing family in Afghanistan. 

Services which can support this child cont:

The role of the Early Years Senco is crucial in the development and understanding of Hassan and his specific SEN needs. By integrating a SEN Key worker for Hassan into our setting will not only help the staff understand how to deal with Hassan’s specific needs but further provide inclusion and support for Hassan. A Senco will provide adequate knowledge on wherever a statement is required for Hassan. (Cheminais, 2009). A Key worker will help in examining Hassan’s solitary play, develop group play and plan catered activities through his well-liked creative play. It is important to highlight that the SENCO must be ready to work with the other Services of support and the key factors in Hassan’s case, such as: language translating, working with the family, relationship building, previous trauma and refugee distress (Council For Disabled Children, 4 Children). Therefore, by working with the LBST teacher and the Family Support Worker it will further the Senco’s knowledge on how to make Hassan and family feel comfortable and how everyone can adjust to the SEN curriculum. The role of the Senco is that of “Ensuring parents are closely involved throughout and that their insights inform action taken by the setting, and liaising with professionals or agencies beyond the setting” (DfE and DH, 2015). Hassan’s parents are both qualified and experienced teachers so in theory the parents should welcome the academic curriculum tailored for their son and further support at home. Ensuring that Iyanna and Zahid are closely involved throughout their son’s curriculum and that their insights and comments are well respected about their son’s education will further his development beyond the setting. Additionally, it is crucial that the Senco will highlight to the FSW, LBST and Hassan’s family how the Children and Families Act (2014) affects Hassan majorly as outlaid in the government guide; “give children and young people and their parents more say about the help they get…” (Department for Education, 2014). Furthermore, “Local authorities must involve families and children in discussions and decisions relating to their care and education…rights to a personal budget for the support to children… Local services…be made available in a clear, easy to read manner”. (Alex Bateman, Safeguarding Children E-Academy, n.d.). Thus, with so many new changes made to education and care for SEN children, it is crucial that the Senco will highlight this new information to Hassan’s family through the correct support and carry out this implemented government plan as best as possible.

A Language Bilingual Support Teacher’s (LBST): The service of a Bilingual Language Support Teacher would benefit the whole family, unfortunately Hassan is the only child in his setting that speaks his home-language Pushtu. The Service of a LBST would include Hassan and family into workshops and plan activities that involve similar children of bilingual backgrounds to help further their learning. One crucial element of integration is that of the “encountered difficulties is in the teaching of culture” (Kramsch, 1993), the LBST would work well with the Family Support Worker to identify and highlight to the family not the stress of language integration but to that of the British and Western culture. Hassan is the only child to speak a language with no fellow speaker in his setting, it may seem daunting but to see fellow non-English speakers who are in a familiar position in these workshops may put a theme of familiarity and ease into the family, and learning a language young will enhance Hassan’s language pick-up at a higher speed. (Maynard, 2011). Through the Zone of Proximal Development and ‘collaborative learning’, children and those learning English can develop through each other’s ‘maturing psychological functions’ (Kozulin, 15 Sep 2003), it would not only improve and spin a positive light on group work for Hassan but develop his English skills by learning and connecting with children which will benefit language acquisition (Chomsky, 2006) as his social skills. I personally believe that the LBST would benefit everyone immensely; a teacher’s touch would come in handy than that of a translator who would have to be cleared for safeguarding checks and who would may not be comfortable dealing with Hassan’s case. In contrast to that of a LBST Teacher who would be trained in dealing with cases familiar to Hassan’s.

Critical examination of theoretical explanations surrounding this child and their family:

The “Evidence suggests that youth exposed to trauma have decreased social competence and increased rates of peer rejection” (Schwartz & Proctor , 2000)  furthers the above examination. The violent and chaotic environment that I am aware that Hassan has been exposed to have influenced and had a tremendous effect on his development. A opposite of proposed passiveness, regime and structure in our Pre-school setting will understandably effect Hassan. Hassan does not desire to participate in joint play and acts out violently at the new strange and unfamiliar environment. Hassan’s, “social withdrawal is linked to psychological maladaptation…and feelings of social anxiety or depression” (Vasa & Pine, 2006) further implies Hassan has installed that participating with new children conveys ‘anxiety and depression’, and the violent lashing out is a conditioning of his uncertainty and early development mirroring from the violence he has witnessed in Afghanistan (Rapp-Paglicci, Roberts, & Wodarski, 2002).

The “‘goodness of fit’ hypothesis (Thomas and Chess, 1977) is the match between a child’s temperament and the environment” (Doherty & Hughes, 2014).  This hypothesis of the ‘goodness of fit’ inclines me to speculate that as Hassan has been born and raised for 4 years in Afghanistan-a country rife of violence and trouble, this war-torn country is a big influential and repetitive element instrumented through Hassan’s violence. Hassan’s frustration of not being able to connect with any other than his family- on terms of a linguistic basis makes for the disassociation and isolation with his peers which further hinders his social need and chance to make friend. These identifications are crucial to examine to understand how they attribute Hassan’s solitary play, violent bursts and his disruption in class (Hughes, 2009).

Posttraumatic stress disorder-PTSD include symptoms such as “socially withdrawn behaviour...irritable, angry, or aggressive behaviour, including extreme temper tantrums” (ADAA, 2015) are all present in Hassan. Hassan’s background of witnessing murder, destruction, war, missing family and countless other tragedies; are all indications of how PTSD is very likely that Hassan is experiencing. Further this with living cramped in a 1 bedroom apartment, solitary confinement frustration (Chomsky, 2006) not being able to relate to those other than his family, and the constant wait on if the family will be sent back to re-live the trauma in Afghanistan by the Refugee Council. It is hard to diagnose as I am no doctor, and Hassan cannot connect this verbally and even if he could speak partial English, his undeveloped understanding would refuse his speech to correlate to us the extent of complications, nevertheless the symptoms and the likeliness of PTSD is very likely in a Hassan’s Case. Social inadequacy and isolation is further supported as Hassan’s parents remark how ‘Hassan relates well to his 18-month sister’, at home, speaking a common tongue, in an environment of familiarity understandably Hassan can feel at ease and less anxious as seen at school, “separation anxiety” is also frequent in children with PTSD (Smith, , Perrin, Yule, & Clark, 2014).

 Critical examination of theoretical explanations surrounding this child and their family cont:

As “Cooperative play beings…between the ages of 4 and 6…requires an evolved set of organizational skills and a higher degree of social maturity.” (Parten, 1933) highlights how Hassan’s social maturity and understanding is of a disadvantage in contrast to children of his age. Thus, applying the Social Constructivism theory to Hassan, this entails Hassan to find it difficult to make friends and learn through together which ties with Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development theory (L.S. Vygotsky, 1978). Acting out of disruption in class is a desperate and very low social level way of Hassan alerting us of his presence and frustration (Hoffman, 2012).

Ethical considerations surrounding this child and their family:

Hassan and his family come from a background of persecution and violence; Hassan has spent most of his life surrounded by anger, grief and despair. It is therefore crucial to stress the importance of inclusiveness and equality, to make Hassan feel more welcome (UnitedNations, 1989). By, “A range of methods that may be used with young children in general can also be used with young children with SEN depending on their ‘fitness for purpose’…” (Palaiologou, 2012).

Hassan’s mother-tongue is one of the “most widely spoken languages in the world” (Penzl & Sloan, 2009) Hassan and family can only communicate through Pushtu alone. The aid of a FSW and LBST will help with the family learning English through community groups and workshops however, during the present the family translator must have clearance and confidence to relay back confidential information to and from the family and professionals involved in Hassan’s Case. It is important to emphasize that as Hassan learns English that he does not forget his first language. However, Hassan is at an age where “young children are better second language learners than adults and should consequently reach higher levels of final proficiency in the second language” (Newport & Johnson, 1988)  therefore his proficiency in English is key in terms of adapting to his new life, easing frustration with peers and his proficiency in learning a new language.

Hassan and family live in a 1 bed flat, the family may be moving to another part of Birmingham in future. It is crucial to highlight, if Hassan moves far and out of reach of our current setting that the resources and information is made available to Hassan and future professionals. The issue of the 1 bed flat is Hassan’s physical development, and overcrowding. Hassan and his sister Afsana count as a ‘half a person’ under the law of overcrowding, 1 room apartments are at a max of 2 people (SHELTER, 2015); thus, it is illegal to have 4 people (that count as 3) in a one bedroom apartment. The overcrowding does not look healthily on the appeal for Refugee Status, and the mental and physical health of the whole family.

Settings, resources and materials which could support this child:

The use of Dramatic Play will aid Hassan’s development in learning the English language, further his engagement with peers and give him the attention to being less disruptive in class. Drama groups can easily be found within Birmingham for young children; however, Hassan and family may find it daunting to reach out to these groups without speaking English and facing the same anxiety as he did when he first attended our setting. Role play, puppet used as persona dolls are very key in “Oral language proficiency, dramatic play contributes to children’s developing narrative abilities” (White, 2012) it not only blooms Hassan’s linguistic abilities it allows him to positively think creatively and there in term it will help him with his social skills and language abilities to co-play with his peers. Examples of Dramatic Play include “small toys, figures and other objects that facilitate the telling of stories, and puppets, props and clothes for role-play” (Department for Education and Skills, 2004)

Secondly, Hassan responds well to creative play; his parents use picture books and activities that they can borrow from the Children’s Centre toy library. Thus, dramatic play will enhance his creativity, his social skills from working with other peers, and his language ability. Role-playing will further explore any underlying issues and upset that Hassan will be able to tell through his physical actions, in a sense it is a therapy for Hassan as we can understand his subconscious and conscious feelings and repressions through the stories he chooses to tell. Additionally, the persona doll will be given similar stories as Hassan’s to further his understanding that we are trying to make him feel included and not alone (Brown, 2001).

Communication cards are simple in aiding development, it is an activity that requires two to fully engage. Hassan uses his loud classroom disruption for his call for attention; thus, this activity ensures Hassan having the attention given to him from an adult. The cards give a close relationship between Hassan and the practitioner and “attachment theory is an important foundation of the process. This emphasis the need in early childhood for relationships that provide security and comfort”. (Grove, 2013) this activity should not be performed at high frequent events as Hassan is trying to build social skills. Bowlby’s Attachment Theory illustrates if Hassan becomes too attached and in constant relations with the practitioner it will find harder for him to make friends with his peers and therefore be accepted by his peers, as he needs to learn to interact with fellow children his age (Bowlby, 1997). Communication Cards are beneficial for SEN, it is an easy to perform activity that even Hassan’s parents could re-enact with him. The communication cards come in a variety of forms, and one example allows the participators to write and translate one language to another, which will help relieve language frustration (Chomsky, 2006). Simple cards that read ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘maybe’ are examples of how this activity isn’t too difficult and can be made to pace the child and the practitioner at their own preferred speed. The cards are a great way to explore storytelling; Having “informal interviews or ‘conversations’ carried out by spoken word or signing…the use of sorting boxes-a brightly coloured box with a smiley face for ‘happy’ and a dull coloured box with a sad face for ‘sad’-to indicate feelings” (Palaiologou, 2012) are examples of how stimulating this activity is in terms of language, social skills, building routine and easing frustration are for Hassan.

 Settings, resources and materials which could support this child cont.:

Lastly, the Refugee Council recommends that Hassan and family benefit with the help of the Family Support Worker to attend local mum-and-child groups and local events to try and meet people that may be in a similar position as the family or even relate to members of the community that share the same language. To have somebody to relate to who can understand the pain that the family have felt will bring the family together and build relationships within their new home. (Stewart) As Hassan is very young I wouldn’t recommend therapy just yet as the “concept of counselling and psychotherapy are alien to many British born people, and even more so to families seeking asylum” (Family Refugee Council, 2016) and the anxiety of money for paying for the therapy (if not NHS approved) and for recommending these chosen settings and referrals for professionals would be on the minds of fellow professionals, and because of how young Hassan is, I do not want to meddle with therapy before the methods stated are tried out first. However, if Hassan is integrated to peer relations under the support of his mother or family it will further aid in enhancing his social skills and experiences working towards less violent outbursts.

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