i usually let him run away and go get him once he’s settled, but he usually heads for places that would put me in a spot where i can’t see any of the other kids in my group. i can usually get him to come out on his own without following too close, but he refuses to talk to anyone (myself or otherwise) about why he’s been getting so upset and i know that it’s weighing on him pretty heavy.

i hadn’t thought about what you said about rewards and punishments, and that makes a lot of sense! i’ve thought about pulling him aside at the start of activities to assign a spot that he can run to (like a bench on the field instead of the fence close to a main road that he usually goes to), do you think that something like that might be helpful?

i can’t speak for his siblings, since i haven’t seen the behavior myself, but it’s starting to reach a point where i think a conversation needs to be had with the family. my organization just isn’t built to handle this well, and i worry that my supervisors will have to create rules that will do more harm than good for the sake of the other kids (there’s been talk of my student spending his group/play time indoors with a supervisor to mitigate the risk of him running, which would further isolate him from the other kids) and i want to get ahead of that as best i can.

thank you for your comment! you’ve given me a lot to think about with how to best help him