Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Student panics when she has to do group work Last year, when I was a paraprofessional, I worked with a middle school student who has autism in a general education classroom. Every time she has to do a group assignment, she starts to cry and sometimes gets out of her seat to go to the back of her room. I tried calming her down by saying "It's ok. I know you don't like to work in groups, but I will be right next to you. You can do it." Also, I tried waiting 5 minutes for her to calm down before trying again for her to work with her group. What else could I have tried? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I would give her a medium to monitor her anxiety and express herself in a way that fits her. I also think maybe asking she works in the group for 5 minutes, setting a timer she can see, and then if she is not feeling it let her work independently or have some choice-time. Doing that every time. I would want her to develop some of those interpersonal skills that come with collaboration, but also I would want to respect when she advocates for herself saying, "I cannot handle this right now."