One Thing Is Clear
I taught a student who had intellectual disabilities. For example, I had a test question that was “Who is the founder of Buddhism?” and the choices were me, the principal, the assistant principal, and the correct answer. He came back from his accommodation room and said “I chose you for the last question!” and he legitimately didn’t understand why that was bad.
Admin had called him into the office to discuss things with him before, but talking to him never led to anything because it was like herding cats. One morning, while walking to class, he said: “Hey Mr. Teacher, this morning my poppy tried to choke me, threw me on the ground, and took my phone away. But don’t tell anybody, okay?”
I swear it was like a completely different kid was talking, because it was so focused and direct. Luckily, Child Protective Services and eventually some officers got involved.