Every state and more so every city has their own way of running education and handling IEPs. What you could do for your child in support and educational experience is literally a great spectrum of its own. It's important to know that, if you have a problem, you can't just bring federal law down on their heads. You have to go through proper channels and that means the State level. How that state handles or enforces federal law is entirely up to them and yes, that's mostly considered legal and accepted by the "higher authorities". So if you are in Florida and have an IEP complaint to make, you have to make it to the State of Florida Department of Education. You don't get to just jump to the White House. Some places may cave to the threat of a complaint, but that will be the exception rather than rule. Because of the process you will have to go through,, many of them will be pretty calm about the issue.
Florida is a state of nightmare tales of abuse against children in autism (or other disabilities) and you can find tons of news media all over the internet. States like, Wisconsin are generally more successful. If you want to have some fun take a trip to Greatschools.org and see how schools in your burg measure up to others around the country. Check anywhere you want. You'll be amazed. For even more comparison, compare that to the 2009 NAMI grading of the states. You can pretty much see how things will be for your child in school on the comparisons. But influences go deeper than that. What kind of things go into affecting how your state and city run their system?
Politics: Where do you think common core came from? Politicians. It's all done with Ordinances, Acts, and other nonsensical business you may not even get to vote on.
City Size: Are you in a major city or small town? Small and isolated towns can be the most differential in school from the rest of the state. Even that may be small differences, but I'm sure I have readers with stories.
Local Beliefs/Traditions: What are of the country are you in? Are you in the Bible belt? Maybe you live in Tornado alley or way up north? Beliefs and traditions of the place you live in will have a direct impact on education and how it's run. It's not supposed to, but it does. In Utah, the Mormon Religion is majority of the population. That means most of the teachers are Mormon too. Their distinct beliefs carry over into the class room. I know this because I lived in Utah for my 9th grade year after being in Nebraska. Totally different worlds.
What they personally think of YOU as a parent: I've had one school commend me, one judge me as a parent (and they all do but I mean harshly) and one label be as a difficult parent, all for doing the exact same thing. It's common knowledge that you can't get along with everyone. But we are supposed to be professional too, right? Well. Definitions vary. One thing that is for sure, if the teacher really doesn't like you, it will affect his or her point of view toward your child. The common thought on parents of special needs students is that we are a colossal pain in the ass. That stigma (and not all teachers are like this) can make it hard to establish a good parent/teacher rapport.
And all of that is just in Elementary school.
The reason I post this is because, as I look over stories on the internet; I see people lending advice about federal IEP Law as if it's exactly the same in ever state, county, and city. Yes, I know it's written the same, but getting it enforced is a totally different universe. And situations vary so that the law may not be broken by some technicality. It's always best advice to consult a local attorney. Consultations are usually free.
If you are a parent of a special needs student with an IEP, you owe it to yourself to find out exactly what your state's procedures are in handling complaints and education in general. How do they enforce their policies? Too often we wind up surprised and that's never a good thing to be. But what do you do if you are in a bad situation? In my next installment, I'll tell you.
Showing posts with label schools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schools. Show all posts
Monday, August 11, 2014
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Contacting Education Departments
I've sent out my first email to all but one State level Department of Education throughout our country of the US. I originally planned to do a packet by US post to them all, but the costs just became impossible. Between having the packet copied fifty-one times (with one sent to the White House) and paying postage that many times over (a minimum of a hundred dollars) it's just not possible on my income. So I have to split the project into parts and email it.
There is one state that hasn't responded to me with an email that I can send to and doesn't have it listed on their site. You can only contact them through a general message point on their site. That would be New Jersey. The White House has the same general form to use and they haven't responded to me either.
Idaho responded to my sending of part one and favorably too. No one else has responded.
This was part one of my information on autism as sent through email. Feel free to print this and share it with anyone you feel would benefit. Just remember I put the man hours into compiling it for credit purposes.
Dear Educational Departments of America,
I write to you today as a concerned American citizen who lives with autism. I also write to you as a friend of the educational system in our country. I am not a doctor, lawyer or professor. I carry no special certifications. What I have is my raw life experiences and research. Through this I have been helping families learn about and cope with autism for about three years. I have put together this information to assist you in understanding autism, perhaps in ways you have not considered yet. It is to show you an alarming trend that has swept over the face of our country and suggestions to correct it.
My name is David Wilde, I am 39 years old and was diagnosed with autism in 2005, right after my son. Since then I have been on a journey of new self learning. Through my own school years, I never understood why I had such a hard time of it. I suffered physical and mental bullying and was even labeled as retarded by the school district I attended.
Yes, this was a long time ago and there have been improvements in our schools. However, there are still serious problems for us to correct that echo the same even today.
It is my hope and prayer that you will not cast this aside. That you will read it and share it with your colleagues. That all of you will gain knowledge from it that will help you and all our school districts in our great nation, understand autism even a little bit better.
Please know that you have my permission to duplicate this information as many times as you wish in order to send it to the rest of your districts and any other offices that you work with who may benefit from this information.
As this is being sent via email, if there is a better email in your department to send to, please respond with that information and I will make a correction immediately. Be sure to clearly indicate which state you represent.
I am not charging anything for this information or my hours in putting it together. I am volunteering for the sake of our educational system and children everywhere.
You may contact me at anytime via this email or write to:
Copies of this work have been sent to:
State level Departments of Education in ALL fifty states.
The President of the United States of America
1: Adapting to the new trend of student:
Adapting is what makes us successful as a species. As our world changes, we adapt or even evolve and move along with those changes. For example, in recent news, basic training in our armed forces announced the drop of bayonet training for soldiers. They dropped it because it does not meet the needs of our soldiers in combat environments of today. For that matter, they realized that they haven’t even been using bayonets on weapons in close to twenty years. Training has adapted now to fit the needs of our soldiers because the environment they fight in has changed.
How we handle students with special needs must also adapt because the very definition of those special needs and the number of students with them has changed.
This year the CDC announced that the number of children with autism moved from 1 in 150 to 1 in 110. The numbers of students with special needs behaviors have increased in classrooms as well. This demands a certain level of changes in handling the classroom and these students. By the current trend, numbers are going to increase, not decrease.
Because of this, not only are more teachers likely to be needed, but more in class aides and greater understanding of conditions being dealt with. Smaller classes for control aspects will also make it easier for teachers and aides to work with students. A ratio of 15 students per classroom is suggested at maximum. Some districts have already put this ratio to use.
Arranging autism seminars for school staff would help immensely in understanding of these students as well as other disorders. Resources to consider for such work would be state chapters of the Autism Society of America and Autism resource centers established across the country. They exist to help families find resources. It makes sense that they could help schools too.
So how did restraint and seclusion get so out of control? In a word, desperation. Our classrooms have been flooded with excess of special needs students without additional training to prepare. Staff have found themselves desperate to try and get these kids to “calm down” and “behave” in class. Sadly, human nature through society has been prone to use force when no other avenues seem available. This does not excuse the tragedies that have happened, but does explain a little of why. That is why we must make adjustments, we must adapt in our educational system. We can help educational staff work easier with these special needs students, and stem the tragedies, misunderstandings, due process hearings, and even lawsuits occurring around the country.
2: Autism Misconcepts
It’s as important to know the myths and misconceptions of autism as it is the facts and realities. What I will share with you here are comments made by school staff from actual experiences of parents I have interviewed around the country.
-This child can’t learn the material or is incapable of learning the material. Children with autism don’t react to or relate with the world around them the same as other children. This makes it too easy to underestimate their learning capabilities and for educators to just give up on them. My own son was accused of this because of his outbursts and behavior that made it seem like he wasn’t paying attention. Later in the year he showed them all that he not only absorbed the material and heard what was said, he understood it perfectly. Erratic behavior is not proof of inability to learn. For that matter, autistics are well known for absorbing everything around them. But they can’t sort it as fast as others because they literally take in too much at a time to do so. This factor of autism is murder on their attention span because literally every single thing in the room is demanding their attention at the level of a fire alarm. If all your teachers could be armed with this information, we can give these kids a better chance to make it through school.
-I just don’t see autism in your child. This is one that has frustrated many struggling parents and seems dismissive to them. You may see a hundred children with autism and not even know it. First of all, it’s not the school staff’s place to judge medical diagnosis. Every child with autism is different and there’s often other co morbid conditions that take affect on the child’s behavior. It’s a spectrum and behaviors can be affected all across it. I’ve had teachers suggest that my son is too social to have autism. What is missed with that statement is that our autism kids will be an extreme of either direction. Those that are in the extreme of social attempts still have trouble with social boundaries and cues. They want to be social but try too hard and wind up forcing people away as a result. It’s important that staff not worry about judging diagnosis (especially when they aren’t doctors) and concentrate on what will help the child learn.
-This child is a brat or a nuisance. If staff understand how our kids are affected by their conditions at all, they won’t dismiss them as just brats. Our kids aren’t just trying to learn a curriculum but how to live through a medical condition as well. Imagine trying to learn how to juggle and ride a bike at the same time. Separately you can expect success in a given period of time, but if your body and mind force you to do both at once it will get frustrating in a hurry. That’s life for our kids on the spectrum, constant frustration because things they try to do never come out as intended. Then they get more frustrated because someone is yelling at them or scolding them when it was a struggle in the first place. That’s not to say they should never be scolded but it will take practice to separate the behaviors that require a little healthy scolding and the ones that don’t. A rule of thumb is to apply to behavior that directly affects others. Hitting another child or acting out against another child is inappropriate and should still be dealt with immediately. Getting frustrated over a spelling paper is inappropriate but not hurting anyone. It doesn’t require the same amount of discipline or handling. It is where understanding and some sensitivity to the child’s struggles can go a long way.
-This child needs to be institutionalized. If ever a phrase should be banned from escaping a teachers lips to our autism families, it’s that one. This is a medical decision and should be made with extreme care. Autism kids don’t need to be locked in a cell, they already are inside of their own poor heads. Why would we want to compound that pain? In my Jr high years in Lincoln, Nebraska I was branded as retarded and made to stay in a hospital for 30 days for evaluations. While they still didn’t diagnose my autism, they did discover I was anything but retarded. It was not my school’s place to judge me medically. In all fairness however, autism can be a masking condition that is good at covering itself up. That’s why we need to apply this new level of understanding for all our teachers and staff.
-It’s just poor parenting. Autism is a proven disorder and has nothing to do with how a child is “parented”. As it is, parenting an autism child is very challenging. School is often far more structured than at home and doesn’t involve the same needs as running a household. Autism parents have to take their child to the store and appointments and be prepared for spontaneous behavior at any waking moment. Embarrassing explosive meltdowns could happen for just about any reason, but mostly reasons “invisible” to the bystander. Daily routines that most take for granted can be long drawn out episodes and require vigilance and patience to get through. Staff need to consider that they do not see but a fraction of these children’s lives. They also need to remember that these are special needs children and parenting is more of a challenge than with an average child.
-This child is unhealthy or diseased. Autism is a disorder, not a disease. It is not communicable though known to be hereditary. High functioning autism children can run and play just as well as any child. They can grow and mature, though maturity takes longer. Calling them unhealthy or diseased is inappropriate and hurtful to the relations with the child’s family.
-This child is supposed to have genius ability. Not all autism children have a savant ability, while such is popular in the movies. What is common is for them to become so enthralled with a given subject that they can’t let go of it. They may become “little professors” on that subject. They may be able to tell you trivial information that almost no one would even notice on the subject. They may even try to apply that subject to everything they say or do (whether it fits or not). However, that does not constitute genius, just intense interest that gets them “stuck in a rut”. People with autism are extremely diverse, though there are mannerisms that are common amongst them.
-This child will never leave home or be able to do anything on his own. This is an impossible forecast. It’s also highly inappropriate. It suggests that a child with autism will never mature or grow. It’s true that low functioning autism children may need care for their entire lives, but it’s not true for every child and certainly cannot be forecast based on the child’s condition in elementary school (for the high functioning). Children with autism go through phases of maturity and growth. They just take longer and have more difficulty. Not only is it wrong to say this to parents (refer to idea of not judging or diagnosing above), but the children can pick up on it as well. I remember being labeled as ‘retarded’ and I remember teachers in more than one state or district who told me point blank that I would never amount to anything. Remember that these children pick up more than they show. It’s psychologically damaging and hinders self esteem which does hinder their personal growth. With proper support and care, many of our children will grow, mature, and be able to lead lives on their own. It’s important for this to take place in our schools.
So, from this we can take that high function children with autism:
-CAN learn the material, even if they don’t show it right away.
-are diverse and will show symptoms differently in their behaviors.
-is NOT just a brat or spoiled child, rather at the mercy of their conditions.
-does not require being locked up just because they have autism.
-is not the result of bad parenting.
-is not diseased or unhealthy just because they have autism.
-is not always a genius.
-may mature and grow, even if it doesn’t look like it at the time.
There is more to come in part 2.
There is one state that hasn't responded to me with an email that I can send to and doesn't have it listed on their site. You can only contact them through a general message point on their site. That would be New Jersey. The White House has the same general form to use and they haven't responded to me either.
Idaho responded to my sending of part one and favorably too. No one else has responded.
This was part one of my information on autism as sent through email. Feel free to print this and share it with anyone you feel would benefit. Just remember I put the man hours into compiling it for credit purposes.
Dear Educational Departments of America,
I write to you today as a concerned American citizen who lives with autism. I also write to you as a friend of the educational system in our country. I am not a doctor, lawyer or professor. I carry no special certifications. What I have is my raw life experiences and research. Through this I have been helping families learn about and cope with autism for about three years. I have put together this information to assist you in understanding autism, perhaps in ways you have not considered yet. It is to show you an alarming trend that has swept over the face of our country and suggestions to correct it.
My name is David Wilde, I am 39 years old and was diagnosed with autism in 2005, right after my son. Since then I have been on a journey of new self learning. Through my own school years, I never understood why I had such a hard time of it. I suffered physical and mental bullying and was even labeled as retarded by the school district I attended.
Yes, this was a long time ago and there have been improvements in our schools. However, there are still serious problems for us to correct that echo the same even today.
It is my hope and prayer that you will not cast this aside. That you will read it and share it with your colleagues. That all of you will gain knowledge from it that will help you and all our school districts in our great nation, understand autism even a little bit better.
Please know that you have my permission to duplicate this information as many times as you wish in order to send it to the rest of your districts and any other offices that you work with who may benefit from this information.
As this is being sent via email, if there is a better email in your department to send to, please respond with that information and I will make a correction immediately. Be sure to clearly indicate which state you represent.
I am not charging anything for this information or my hours in putting it together. I am volunteering for the sake of our educational system and children everywhere.
You may contact me at anytime via this email or write to:
Copies of this work have been sent to:
State level Departments of Education in ALL fifty states.
The President of the United States of America
1: Adapting to the new trend of student:
Adapting is what makes us successful as a species. As our world changes, we adapt or even evolve and move along with those changes. For example, in recent news, basic training in our armed forces announced the drop of bayonet training for soldiers. They dropped it because it does not meet the needs of our soldiers in combat environments of today. For that matter, they realized that they haven’t even been using bayonets on weapons in close to twenty years. Training has adapted now to fit the needs of our soldiers because the environment they fight in has changed.
How we handle students with special needs must also adapt because the very definition of those special needs and the number of students with them has changed.
This year the CDC announced that the number of children with autism moved from 1 in 150 to 1 in 110. The numbers of students with special needs behaviors have increased in classrooms as well. This demands a certain level of changes in handling the classroom and these students. By the current trend, numbers are going to increase, not decrease.
Because of this, not only are more teachers likely to be needed, but more in class aides and greater understanding of conditions being dealt with. Smaller classes for control aspects will also make it easier for teachers and aides to work with students. A ratio of 15 students per classroom is suggested at maximum. Some districts have already put this ratio to use.
Arranging autism seminars for school staff would help immensely in understanding of these students as well as other disorders. Resources to consider for such work would be state chapters of the Autism Society of America and Autism resource centers established across the country. They exist to help families find resources. It makes sense that they could help schools too.
So how did restraint and seclusion get so out of control? In a word, desperation. Our classrooms have been flooded with excess of special needs students without additional training to prepare. Staff have found themselves desperate to try and get these kids to “calm down” and “behave” in class. Sadly, human nature through society has been prone to use force when no other avenues seem available. This does not excuse the tragedies that have happened, but does explain a little of why. That is why we must make adjustments, we must adapt in our educational system. We can help educational staff work easier with these special needs students, and stem the tragedies, misunderstandings, due process hearings, and even lawsuits occurring around the country.
2: Autism Misconcepts
It’s as important to know the myths and misconceptions of autism as it is the facts and realities. What I will share with you here are comments made by school staff from actual experiences of parents I have interviewed around the country.
-This child can’t learn the material or is incapable of learning the material. Children with autism don’t react to or relate with the world around them the same as other children. This makes it too easy to underestimate their learning capabilities and for educators to just give up on them. My own son was accused of this because of his outbursts and behavior that made it seem like he wasn’t paying attention. Later in the year he showed them all that he not only absorbed the material and heard what was said, he understood it perfectly. Erratic behavior is not proof of inability to learn. For that matter, autistics are well known for absorbing everything around them. But they can’t sort it as fast as others because they literally take in too much at a time to do so. This factor of autism is murder on their attention span because literally every single thing in the room is demanding their attention at the level of a fire alarm. If all your teachers could be armed with this information, we can give these kids a better chance to make it through school.
-I just don’t see autism in your child. This is one that has frustrated many struggling parents and seems dismissive to them. You may see a hundred children with autism and not even know it. First of all, it’s not the school staff’s place to judge medical diagnosis. Every child with autism is different and there’s often other co morbid conditions that take affect on the child’s behavior. It’s a spectrum and behaviors can be affected all across it. I’ve had teachers suggest that my son is too social to have autism. What is missed with that statement is that our autism kids will be an extreme of either direction. Those that are in the extreme of social attempts still have trouble with social boundaries and cues. They want to be social but try too hard and wind up forcing people away as a result. It’s important that staff not worry about judging diagnosis (especially when they aren’t doctors) and concentrate on what will help the child learn.
-This child is a brat or a nuisance. If staff understand how our kids are affected by their conditions at all, they won’t dismiss them as just brats. Our kids aren’t just trying to learn a curriculum but how to live through a medical condition as well. Imagine trying to learn how to juggle and ride a bike at the same time. Separately you can expect success in a given period of time, but if your body and mind force you to do both at once it will get frustrating in a hurry. That’s life for our kids on the spectrum, constant frustration because things they try to do never come out as intended. Then they get more frustrated because someone is yelling at them or scolding them when it was a struggle in the first place. That’s not to say they should never be scolded but it will take practice to separate the behaviors that require a little healthy scolding and the ones that don’t. A rule of thumb is to apply to behavior that directly affects others. Hitting another child or acting out against another child is inappropriate and should still be dealt with immediately. Getting frustrated over a spelling paper is inappropriate but not hurting anyone. It doesn’t require the same amount of discipline or handling. It is where understanding and some sensitivity to the child’s struggles can go a long way.
-This child needs to be institutionalized. If ever a phrase should be banned from escaping a teachers lips to our autism families, it’s that one. This is a medical decision and should be made with extreme care. Autism kids don’t need to be locked in a cell, they already are inside of their own poor heads. Why would we want to compound that pain? In my Jr high years in Lincoln, Nebraska I was branded as retarded and made to stay in a hospital for 30 days for evaluations. While they still didn’t diagnose my autism, they did discover I was anything but retarded. It was not my school’s place to judge me medically. In all fairness however, autism can be a masking condition that is good at covering itself up. That’s why we need to apply this new level of understanding for all our teachers and staff.
-It’s just poor parenting. Autism is a proven disorder and has nothing to do with how a child is “parented”. As it is, parenting an autism child is very challenging. School is often far more structured than at home and doesn’t involve the same needs as running a household. Autism parents have to take their child to the store and appointments and be prepared for spontaneous behavior at any waking moment. Embarrassing explosive meltdowns could happen for just about any reason, but mostly reasons “invisible” to the bystander. Daily routines that most take for granted can be long drawn out episodes and require vigilance and patience to get through. Staff need to consider that they do not see but a fraction of these children’s lives. They also need to remember that these are special needs children and parenting is more of a challenge than with an average child.
-This child is unhealthy or diseased. Autism is a disorder, not a disease. It is not communicable though known to be hereditary. High functioning autism children can run and play just as well as any child. They can grow and mature, though maturity takes longer. Calling them unhealthy or diseased is inappropriate and hurtful to the relations with the child’s family.
-This child is supposed to have genius ability. Not all autism children have a savant ability, while such is popular in the movies. What is common is for them to become so enthralled with a given subject that they can’t let go of it. They may become “little professors” on that subject. They may be able to tell you trivial information that almost no one would even notice on the subject. They may even try to apply that subject to everything they say or do (whether it fits or not). However, that does not constitute genius, just intense interest that gets them “stuck in a rut”. People with autism are extremely diverse, though there are mannerisms that are common amongst them.
-This child will never leave home or be able to do anything on his own. This is an impossible forecast. It’s also highly inappropriate. It suggests that a child with autism will never mature or grow. It’s true that low functioning autism children may need care for their entire lives, but it’s not true for every child and certainly cannot be forecast based on the child’s condition in elementary school (for the high functioning). Children with autism go through phases of maturity and growth. They just take longer and have more difficulty. Not only is it wrong to say this to parents (refer to idea of not judging or diagnosing above), but the children can pick up on it as well. I remember being labeled as ‘retarded’ and I remember teachers in more than one state or district who told me point blank that I would never amount to anything. Remember that these children pick up more than they show. It’s psychologically damaging and hinders self esteem which does hinder their personal growth. With proper support and care, many of our children will grow, mature, and be able to lead lives on their own. It’s important for this to take place in our schools.
So, from this we can take that high function children with autism:
-CAN learn the material, even if they don’t show it right away.
-are diverse and will show symptoms differently in their behaviors.
-is NOT just a brat or spoiled child, rather at the mercy of their conditions.
-does not require being locked up just because they have autism.
-is not the result of bad parenting.
-is not diseased or unhealthy just because they have autism.
-is not always a genius.
-may mature and grow, even if it doesn’t look like it at the time.
There is more to come in part 2.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Restraint and Seclusion in our schools
All is peaceful as the 2nd grade student works on his spelling words along with the class. In the blink of an eye, something agitates him. He gets frustrated over something that others can only guess at and instantly shreds his spelling paper. His aide and teacher move swiftly and the child finds himself with arms held down in place, restrained against his desk. No one will let go of him until the thrashing and struggle cease. Unfortunately, while restraint has its place, this is not a scenario that restraint was required in.
The proper use of restraint seems to have gotten lost over the years since introduced as a solution in public schools decades ago. It’s getting used for infractions of behavior more as a punishment than a safety protocol. The proper use of restraint is for a child who endangers himself or someone else beyond the scope of being redirected from behavior. Consider my scenario again and ask yourself; who was in danger? Who was being hurt? A piece of paper, that’s all. At this point, it is time to attempt redirection of the child’s behavior and attention. Should that fail, and the child turns destructive behavior to self harm or goes for another student, then restraint may be necessary.
Seclusion is the next issue that’s causing problems. Consider this, therapists tell us that time out should only be used for a period of about a minute per child’s age. They’ll even tell you that a child with shortened attention span will have to be adjusted in shorter increments of time. How is it then, that our schools are locking children in “seclusion rooms” for 30 minutes and more? Some for more than an hour! Just to get started, that’s about 3x the amount that we are taught, isn’t it? As if that weren’t bad enough, seclusion areas could be anything from a blank concrete room to a janitor’s closet! Another thing that “time out” is not supposed to be is intimidating or frightening. Think about it.
So why have our schools gone to such extreme measures? I think they simply don’t know what to do with these kids and what ever conditions they may be living under. That’s why they need additional education. Let’s face it, the number of children who have autism, ADHD, or any other condition, isn’t dropping. In fact, it’s increasing by leaps and bounds. It’s creating a shift in the kinds of students that teachers are doing to find in their classrooms. This calls for the system to adapt to the changing needs of the students.
When it comes to restraint, we need to set a guideline for it’s use and train our educational staff in proper application. When considering the child’s needs what do we know about them? What is their medical condition and how does it affect them? There’s no need to be perfectly knowledgeable, but knowing the basics certainly can’t hurt. Here’s an important consideration; can the child in question be redirected from behavior? If so, there should be no need for restraint. If the child has fits that cannot be consoled or redirected, and they become dangerous to themselves or others, then safe and appropriate restraint should be used. But what does restraint really do to a child? In my next posting, I’ll be addressing just that.
The proper use of restraint seems to have gotten lost over the years since introduced as a solution in public schools decades ago. It’s getting used for infractions of behavior more as a punishment than a safety protocol. The proper use of restraint is for a child who endangers himself or someone else beyond the scope of being redirected from behavior. Consider my scenario again and ask yourself; who was in danger? Who was being hurt? A piece of paper, that’s all. At this point, it is time to attempt redirection of the child’s behavior and attention. Should that fail, and the child turns destructive behavior to self harm or goes for another student, then restraint may be necessary.
Seclusion is the next issue that’s causing problems. Consider this, therapists tell us that time out should only be used for a period of about a minute per child’s age. They’ll even tell you that a child with shortened attention span will have to be adjusted in shorter increments of time. How is it then, that our schools are locking children in “seclusion rooms” for 30 minutes and more? Some for more than an hour! Just to get started, that’s about 3x the amount that we are taught, isn’t it? As if that weren’t bad enough, seclusion areas could be anything from a blank concrete room to a janitor’s closet! Another thing that “time out” is not supposed to be is intimidating or frightening. Think about it.
So why have our schools gone to such extreme measures? I think they simply don’t know what to do with these kids and what ever conditions they may be living under. That’s why they need additional education. Let’s face it, the number of children who have autism, ADHD, or any other condition, isn’t dropping. In fact, it’s increasing by leaps and bounds. It’s creating a shift in the kinds of students that teachers are doing to find in their classrooms. This calls for the system to adapt to the changing needs of the students.
When it comes to restraint, we need to set a guideline for it’s use and train our educational staff in proper application. When considering the child’s needs what do we know about them? What is their medical condition and how does it affect them? There’s no need to be perfectly knowledgeable, but knowing the basics certainly can’t hurt. Here’s an important consideration; can the child in question be redirected from behavior? If so, there should be no need for restraint. If the child has fits that cannot be consoled or redirected, and they become dangerous to themselves or others, then safe and appropriate restraint should be used. But what does restraint really do to a child? In my next posting, I’ll be addressing just that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)