Troublemakers in the Classroom

In my few times volunteering in the classroom, I have found a few troublemaker students. However, one student stands out. This student is a black female who is eight years old. She is tall, has dark, curly hair and brown eyes. Her desk is separated from everyone else in the class and is right in front of the teacher's desk. She is quiet and doesn't make a loud commotion. However, she is defiant and refuses to do her work, which causes interruptions when the teacher has to constantly tell her to do her work and tell her what the right choice she should be making is. She is defiant and never answers questions when any adult asks her something. 

This student is a so-called 'troublemaker,' but there is more depth to her rather than her troublemaking behavior.  The last time I was in the classroom, the student refused to do her workbook. The teacher had to check her work three separate times because she kept pretending to do her work and putting it away without actually doing it. This was a disruption to the class and the teacher could tell that I was wondering why this troublemaker was acting this way. The teacher informed me that she has an IEP. I immediately took that into consideration while thinking about her behavior. I put myself into the student's shoes. It must be extremely difficult to do any work when it is beyond the student's level. This student is the canary in the coal mine. She is warning us to listen to her. She is struggling in school and is begging for help in the form of misbehavior. It is unfortunate that she is seen as the 'troublemaker' in the class, when in reality she is just completely frustrated with her school work.