Two Children, One Circle Time

The exclusion is making the behaviour worse, not better. Twenty minutes outside twice a day removes him from instruction, gives him the attention that follows misbehaviour, and adds separation anxiety - visible in the new crying at drop-off. For a child who cannot sit still, exclusion also fails to teach the sitting behaviour that is expected.

The behaviour is being read as naughtiness rather than as a signal. Rocking, running, snatching and hitting are consistent with hyperactivity and impulsivity, but the teacher cannot diagnose this. What she can do is observe systematically (what happens before, during and after) and refer. Calling him a 'bad influence' assigns a character judgement to a 5-year-old.

Kavya's difficulty is a screening failure, not laziness. Holding a book at 15 cm and squinting at a wall chart are classic signs of a refractive error. She copies only the first letter because she cannot see the rest. No child should be labelled lazy before vision and hearing are checked.

The whole-group wall chart is inaccessible by design. Small pictures on a distant chart exclude any child with poor vision; the format, not the child, is the problem.

Legal and ethical points. Corporal punishment and humiliation are prohibited, and exclusion from class as punishment is not acceptable. Every child has a right to be included with reasonable accommodation; parents must consent to referral; and one child's difficulties must not be discussed with other parents.

Time and structure. Cut circle to 8–10 minutes, split into two short circles if needed. Use a picture schedule with three cards (song, story, goodbye) so the sequence is predictable; give a two-minute warning before each change.

For Aman.

• Seat him at the edge of the group, within arm's reach of the teacher, with a small permitted fidget (a knotted cloth or cap string).
• Give him a job: holding the drum, turning the weather card, choosing the rhyme. A role channels movement into participation.
• Build in movement: 'stand, clap three times, sit', passing the drum, hopping to the story mat.
• Teach and practise a break card: he holds it up and takes a two-minute walk with the helper, then returns. This replaces being sent out.
• Use specific praise for the behaviour you want: 'You sat and held the drum for the whole song.'

For Kavya.

• Seat her within one metre of the book and the teacher, with light behind her, not facing a window glare.
• Use large, high-contrast picture cards and real objects; describe every picture aloud so the visual channel is supported by speech.
• Give her materials in the hand rather than only on the wall; a peer buddy sits beside her.

Both sets of changes - short blocks, movement, visual schedule, large clear materials, close seating - help every child in the group, which is the point of universal design.

Aman.

• Two weeks of ABC observation: what happened before (Antecedent), the Behaviour, and what followed (Consequence). A pattern is more useful than a label.
• Vision and hearing screening through the ANM; ask about sleep, screen time and home routine.
• Paediatric referral with written parental consent; if difficulties persist after 6–8 weeks of classroom support, refer to the district early intervention or child guidance service.
• Daily report card with two goals only (for example, 'stays in circle for 5 minutes', 'asks before taking'), shared with parents each evening.
• Agree a response plan with all staff: no restraining, no shouting, no sending out; use redirection, choices and the break card.

Kavya.

• Vision screening at the centre, then referral to the district hospital for refraction with a written slip to the parents.
• Meanwhile, enlarged materials, front seating, oral description, and more time for copying.
• Follow up on whether spectacles were provided and whether she wears them.

Must not do: diagnose either child; discuss one child's difficulties with other parents or name him in a group; physically restrain, shame or exclude a child as punishment; or delay referral because the parents seem reluctant - instead explain, reassure and record the conversation. If other parents demand Aman's removal, respond with what the centre is doing to include him, not with his confidential details.