Handout 5: Geri's Story
Geri is a four-year-old girl who was enrolled in Head Start for the first time a month ago. She lives with her mother and her older brother. Her mother works part-time on a late-night shift while the children stay with extended family members. Geri is very active and she likes to play outdoors. Her behavior is hard to predict. She has bitten other children a number of times. And just last week, while she was playing with dough, she hit the child next to her in the face with a garlic press. Then she threw herself down on the floor and began sobbing. Geri will not talk and no one knows why. She is still wearing diapers.