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Personal space, acceptable boundaries at this age is very important.  The teacher should have addressed this asap.  I think you can still handle this very gently.  Some things I would suggest is speaking to the three girls all together.  Then speaking to Laura in a vocabulary level that she understands, without making her feel bad.  You don't know what you don't know.   The teacher needs to make sure she understands how this might make others feels or how it might be misinterpreted by others (boys and girls).  The friends need to reassure Laura that they like her as a friend, but sitting on their laps makes them feel uncomfortable.

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Absolutely, this needed to be addressed when it first occurred.

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LAST QUESTION

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Don't CANCEL...that was a DYNAMITE response!

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Sorry...my computer is giving me problems!

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totally agree Jolene!

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Great ideas

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When it comes to uncomfortable situations I always try and have a trustworthy person for the student I am dealing with and another teacher/principal/sert with me.

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Great idea Sarah!

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Stick my head in the sand..signed .ostrich

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Absolutely - this would be a great teachable moment for the friends as well. How do you deal with a situation that you're uncomfortable with?

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Great points! Hopefully these important social skills would have been taught to Laura already, but perhaps it's difficult for her to put them into action in a different setting (just a thought).

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I am a bit upset that at 18 these conversations hasnt happened with Laura yet. As a young female adult, these are conversations that need to happen, so she can be her own advocate need be.

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Social stories with drama or improv can work as rehearsals for how we react. It's a way of trying on a personality / reaction to see if it fits. Each can be used to create socially acceptable scripts - very powerful with all students.

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This is a great situation for social stories. We used them quite often in my class and the students would act them out. Laura needs to be taught appropriate places to sit. This can't just be expected of her, Mrs. Jenkins is not setting her up for success. I think its great that Laura has two girls that she has bonded with. They could also lead by example and show her places to sit. I think a conversation about personal boundaries may be needed.

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Discussion Question #3:                                    Laura is a high school student with Down Syndrome. Her chronological age is 18, however, she will stay in high school until she is 21. Laura has been placed in a Special Education class with partial integration. Physical Education is one of the classes that she regularly attends. Her Educational Assistant will walk Laura down to the gym, and pick her up from the gym area when class is finished, but does not stay for the class as Laura is capable of following instructions and truly enjoys attending P.E class. When Laura comes to P.E class (Grade 9 girls), she is often very excited to see her classmates. There are two girls in particular that Laura will run to and hug. At times, if they are sitting on the floor listening to instructions, she wants to sit on their lap. Mrs. Jenkins, the P.E teacher has observed these events, has noticed that the girls are becoming increasingly uncomfortable, but is hoping it will work itself out. There are some Social Skills that need to be addressed. What could you recommend in this specific situation?