Changing the Learning and Interpersonal Behavior of an Adolescent Truant Boy With Learning Disabilities : A Case study

Abstract

The present article reports a case study of an adolescent middle-school boy with learning disabilities (dyslexia and ADHD) who was truant from October of the eighth grade to March of the tenth grade, a total of 30 months. During that time, support was provided for his feelings, his study habits, and his interpersonal relations. The support was divided into 4 periods. For the first 6 months, he was given support and guidance with his homework and with reviewing his school work. For the next 6 months, he was allowed to do anything he wanted at home and outdoors. He was not required to study his school work. After that, for 3 months, he was allowed to participate in his favorite class, woodshop (furniture making). However, because in the past, he had not completed what he had started, he was required to complete all tasks. In the final 15 months, he was taught social skills. The boy enrolled in a distance-learning high school, which required him to submit assignments on time. The results of three questionnaires, including the Mental Condition Questionnaire, which were completed 4 times, were analyzed, as were anecdotal reports. The results suggested that his depression improved, and his attitude toward studying and his relations with his parents were much improved. After the boy enrolled in the distance-learning school, he no longer showed truant behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)