A SecurePath success story

Shared by a member of the SecurePath staff

Juan was referred for SecurePath services by his speech therapist, who called us to emphasize the urgency of the case. The speech therapist was concerned because Juan’s behavior was out of control on each occasion that she went to the home to work with Juan. In fact, on several occasions he had become violent with her and with his mother. The speech therapist remembered SecurePath’s work with other clients she had referred to them and pleaded that Juan receive therapy as soon as possible to address what she called “the most severe behavior problems” she had ever encountered. She didn’t know where else to refer Juan, because his family has no transportation, Juan is covered by Medicaid, and the family speaks only Spanish. After speaking in more depth with the speech therapist, the parents, and the school, the SecurePath staff decided that the situation was sufficiently dire that we should begin our work without delay. 

Because Juan’s school was having a great deal of difficulty managing his behavior, our first priority was to assist the school so that his placement would be secure and he could begin to be more successful in that environment. Our SecurePath therapist visited the school, observed Juan, and worked to form a relationship with his teachers. Our therapist provided guidance for the teachers, assisting them in better understanding and managing his aggressive reactions. Our therapist also arranged and facilitated a meeting between Juan’s mother and teachers in which they could express their concerns to each other and begin to develop a collaborative partnership on Juan’s behalf.

Meanwhile, we were working with Juan’s mother and Juan in their home, each on a weekly basis. During our weekly parent sessions, our therapist explored Juan’s mother’s and father’s ideas about limit-setting and consistency and quickly discovered that his parents had primarily relied upon threats of discipline to manage their son’s behavior. Our therapist provided information about effective discipline and was eventually able to help parents see that they were not being mean when they provided limits for Juan—that, in fact, it was much kinder to help him learn as a young child that he cannot do whatever he wants and that there are at least two safe, loving adults watching out for him.

At school, Juan’s behavior began to slowly change from week to week. The first sign of improvement at school occurred when Juan became willing to try his lunches. Before our work with him, Juan would flip backwards in his chair and throw his food at lunchtime. With our guidance, teachers implemented strategies for getting Juan to try a bite of each food offered, allowing him to refuse to eat if he didn’t like what he tried.

The most important improvement came as the result of the therapeutic relationship Juan formed with therapist and the work that was accomplished in the individual play sessions with him in his home. At preschool, Juan began to proudly introduce his therapist to his classmates. He became well-behaved at school, with only occasional need for teacher assistance, and his parents felt better able to control Juan’s challenging behaviors. Most encouraging of all was his parents’ report that they could enjoy fun and special moments with Juan, rather than constantly trying to correct his behavior.

Before he received SecurePath services, all of the adults in Juan’s life were frustrated with him. His behavior was so severe that the likelihood of his succeeding in school would have been extremely low, as evidenced by his frequent behavioral write-ups and calls home from the preschool. Since receiving help through SecurePath, Juan’s behavior has improved, and his parents have learned to meet his needs by providing consistent limits. He can enjoy school and his classmates, and other adults can enjoy Juan’s company. We are gratified that Juan’s ability to be successful in preschool, and expectably in Kindergarten, will provide him with a much greater chance for continued success as the years go on.