Social Venture Partners - Arizona

Adrion entered Phoenix Day as a 2–year-old with many emotional and behavioral issues.  He was aggressive towards both adults and children, hitting anyone near him with the slightest hint of irritation. He was defiant, out of control and disruptive in the classroom, from which he was constantly being removed. This created a very frustrating situation for both the teachers, the other children and his mother, who needed to leave work repeatedly in order to take him home from school.

Phoenix Day staff worked closely with Adrion’s mother, who was very cooperative in seeking intervention to help resolve Adrion’s behavioral problems. They referred her to Black Family and Children’s Services, where Adrion was evaluated and provided with counseling. Adrion’s counselor observed him in class weekly, visited his home and maintained close contact with Phoenix Day staff. Eventually, they were able to gain insight into the driving forces behind Adrion’s actions and develop a plan to deal with his outbursts. Adrion was one of three children, each of whom had different fathers. He felt neglected and jealous, as he was the only one of his siblings who did not receive the attention and care of grandparents and extended family members.

Once Adrion’s motives for attention were identified, the counselor, working with the staff from Phoenix Day, was able to provide him with the additional attention he needed at school to succeed. Thanks to their combined efforts, Adrion’s behavior changed dramatically. Over a period of three months, the outbursts diminished significantly, he began to talk problems out instead of reacting violently and he requested adult intervention to help resolve his conflicts.

This past August, Adrion transitioned into Kindergarten as a changed child. He likes school now and knows how important it is to follow the rules. Both his mother and the Phoenix Day staff are very relieved with his outstanding transformation. Adrion is now a happy little boy who is full of potential and has the tools necessary to succeed in school.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 29th, 2010 at 2:54 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.