Meet Tokala

Tokala (he/him) is  a 12-year-old sixth grader who attends a small rural middle school composed of mostly (90%) students who identify as White and come from middle-class backgrounds. On a nearby reservation in northern Minnesota, Tokala lives with his biological father and his mother (Tokala’s grandmother). His biological mother left when he was young and is no longer involved in Tokala’s life. He loves to play basketball, play computer games, and watch videos on his iPad. He also talks a lot about his life on the reservation and is proud about attending cultural events and gatherings with his family.

Tokala is also a student with an Emotional or Behavioral Disability (EBD). His teachers perceive him as not caring about his academics and sometimes coldly interact with him. He says that he wants to make friends at school, yet shows aggression toward peers and adults (e.g., grabs, shoves, hits). This aggression has become dangerous, as he sometimes kicks adults trying to comfort him and his peers who are worried about him. This behavior has led to several days of suspension, and it is only November. His behavior has also led to him being bullied by some peers, and others are now avoiding him.

Tokala’s behavior seems to occur more after the weekend or extended breaks, when he wants to do something that someone else is doing, or when the activity is unstructured such as gym class, lunch, assemblies, and before/after school in the hallways. Tokala’s father reports that the same behaviors happen at home after he has gained access to his desired items or activities. He is then asked to transition to something else or put the item away. His father shared that he eventually “gives in to avoid conflict.” To support Tokala in developing tools to better deal with these situations,  his special education case manager explicitly taught Tokala strategies to help him resolve difficult social situations. For example, he was provided with individual social skills instruction on how to (a) interact appropriately with his peers, (b) tell his teachers when he is frustrated, and (c) initiate self-imposed “breaks” rather than become violent.

Despite all these supports, the data on the frequency of his use of (and his success in using) the new strategies to resolve difficult social situations in different school environments indicate that he can utilize these skills 50% of the time. Based on formative assessment data, he is at grade level in reading but below grade level in writing and math. Nevertheless, he still receives D’s or F’s in all his courses except music, where he shares that he enjoys participating in many activities and songs connected to his indigenous background.