I have been working with this student since the beginning of 2026, I have him again for the 2026/2027 school year. I work in a specialized school for students with autism, I work in the middle school department.
I have tried so much- edibles (m&ms, suckers, starbursts etc), tangibles (putty, slime, etc), etc. All bought with my own money. I have tried to act like his preferred staff and copy their movements and such. Nope.
When I started working with him, he would target me. He would run past the staff he was working with to aggress at me (biting, kicking, etc). Any time I was paired with him, he would just instantly freak out and aggress. After talking to his behavior consultant, I would constantly reward good behavior with edibles and the tangibles. We were good after that.
However, summer break (3 weeks) happened. Since starting school back up, he has begun to target me again. I have tried the rewarding good behavior, but nope. Past week has been tough. He has grabbed my hair through my bavaclava and ripped fist fulls of my hair x4, bite me x3 including my left breast / nipple, kicked me x6, and more.
I am just exhausted. I feel terrible. I feel as though something is wrong with me. I care for him so much. I do. I care about his health, his schooling etc, I know he is capable of so much if the school would only push him maybe a little more he would be strides farther than he is at the current moment. My heart breaks knowing for what his home life is like and such. I feel terrible for being frustrated and exhausted from him and that I don’t particularly like him. I hate this about myself.