Sunshine Report

We recently went through another phase of Travis biting his classmates.  He was doing it in the late fall when he first transitioned to the two year old classroom.  We got regular phone calls and had to drive down to school to talk to him.  We tried to narrow down the root cause.  Most commonly it was because he was hungry or tired.  This was also when they recommended hearing tests to which we got a diagnosis of select hearing.  Duh.  He just didn't like the words coming out of their mouths.
Things improved and we were on a roll for a few months.  Then he was back at it again.  This time though it seemed directed at one particular little girl.  She liked to join him in whatever he was doing and also thought it was a good idea to take toys from him.  And really he just wanted to be left alone.  With a not-fully developed vocabulary, he opted to make his feelings known by acting like a vampire or a cannibal.   The teachers tried to keep them separated since she seemed to be the antagonist most of the time, and eventually she moved to the next classroom a few weeks earlier than planned.  On the days I had to go talk to him about his biting or take him home early I was extremely embarassed.  It felt like I was treated like a bad parent who was raising a bad kid.  I tried talking to one of the directors about why the other kids involved were not having their behavior addressed.  Are they being allowed to take something from another child and think it's okay to not share or wait their turn?  I know he's a good kid and can be really sweet.  But if you make the Hulk mad, you'll pay.
His vocabulary has picked up and he is expressing himself and his needs much better.  And we have proof!  Travis earned a Sunshine Report.  This is going in his yet to be created scrapbook.
Date: 04/28/2010
"Travis did an excellent job sharing today!  When he was done playing with the car outside, he got out and offered it to his friends: "Have a car!"  He was also a great helper, holding the trash can open as his friends threw away their snack.  We are so proud of him."
The report is also decorated in magic marker smiley faces and "Fantastic" and "Awesome".

As I finish writing this he is sitting behind me in the chair.  He draped his blanket, Fifi, over my lap.  And he is attempting to brush my hair.