Paul

Paul has trouble in his classes. His teachers say that he does not pay attention or put forth his best effort. He has shown that he can excel: he earned an A on a recent essay and, in math, instructed his class in a lesson. However, during the fourth quarter, Paul’s grades dropped and he was suddenly in danger of failing and having to repeat the seventh grade. His mother called for help. Carole Boccumini, our Legal Director, became his advocate.

Ms. Boccumini reviewed extensive information about Paul from many different sources. She realized that part of Paul’s attention problem was actually due to the stress of his home life and there were also many indications of an underlying auditory comprehension problem.

Paul and his brothers were taken away from their mother when Paul was an infant and were placed into their grandmother’s care. Paul’s mother still struggles with drug problems and his older brothers both dropped out of high school. One is currently in prison. Recently, when Paul’s grandmother could no longer take care of him, he moved in with his aunt. But he still dreams about a home with his mom. Realizing how stressful this situation was for Paul, Ms. Boccumini helped to ensure that  he got the therapy he needs to work through his problems so that they do not distract him in school.

The other part of Paul’s attention problem is actually an auditory comprehension problem that had previously been overlooked. This made it difficult for Paul to drown out the background noise of the classroom to hear the teacher’s voice. To compensate for this disability, Ms. Boccumini arranged for an FM system to be put in place in all of Paul’s classes. The system includes a wireless microphone that is worn by the teacher and a headset for the student or speakers on the student’s desk. The FM system makes the teacher easier to hear and helps to drown out the surrounding noise of the classroom.

With the help of therapy and the FM system, Paul was able to raise his grades. He successfully passed the seventh grade, a feat that looked unlikely before Student Advocacy stepped in to help.

Paul is now working with Ms. Boccumini to decide what type of high school program will be best for him to get the emotional support that he needs while also working towards his goal of a career in engineering or auto-mechanics, in case he doesn’t reach his dream of playing in the NBA.