Inappropriate, Often Dangerous Practices

Last September, I wrote a post titled Takedown or Hug, in which I discussed the use of physical restraints by school personnel. I believed then and I believe now that restraints should not be necessary and not used. I understand the rationale I hear from school staff that they are only restraining to protect the child in the middle of a meltdown as well as the other children in the classroom or school. However, my belief is that were proper supports in place prior to the meltdown, perhaps the meltdown would not have happened at all. I am not in a classroom and I do not a group of 20 or more students, some of whom may have disabilities which may result in outbursts of anger and aggression. But, I am the parent of such a child, and I have learned over the nine years that I have parented her that there are other, better ways to diffuse a situation.

An article appeared in this week’s New York Times titled, Calm Down or Else. The author of the article describes several situations in a school classroom in which physical restraints were used. While on the surface, some of the restraints may have seemed appropriate, others described were obviously mishandled situations. The author poses the question “Have the incidents of restraint being used increased because more and more children with disabilities are being mainstreamed?” Again that supposition screams out to me that the proper supports are not in place. Asking a general education teacher who has not been trained in special education services to anticipate issues encountered by a child with an emotional disability is not going to work. Train that general education teacher – provide appropriate special education support in the general education classroom – teach everyone to notice the triggers that may set a meltdown in motion – in other words, know your students, anticipate their needs, and always be aware of the nuances of behavior occurring in the classroom.

The author ends his article with the concerns that unless schools adopt policies and standards, and unless those things are clearly communicated to parents and school staff, abuses and even deaths from improperly applied restraints will continue. And, as one of the experts cited in the article says, some parents want their child restrained and some are vehemently opposed, further complicating the jobs of those professionals who are caught in the middle of the fray.

I believe it is time for a national look at this issue, and while that is happening, I believe school systems need to adopt some transitional policies and standards to ensure the safety and RESPECT of each and every student in their classrooms. And just for the record, I DO NOT WANT ANY OF MY CHILDREN RESTRAINED.

**Special Note**
One exception to my stand on never restraining a child in a school is that situation where a child has brought a weapon to school. At least in my school district, all schools have a resource (police) officer assigned to the school. That officer is trained to handle weapon related situations, regardless of the age of the offender and should be the first to respond. However, if the situation is such that a teacher must act to protect others from the actions of a student with a weapon, I certainly pray that teacher has been trained and is capable of subduing the child with the weapon.

Wrong Place - Wrong Time

Ashley’s classroom is small – only 4 students for the majority of the day. In the afternoon some other students come to the classroom for vocational training, and at that point, the noise level and the anxiety level has been known to climb fairly high. Overall, I am thrilled with Ashley’s placement this year, and with the excellent job the teacher and other staff do to teach her. However, there is one very negative aspect to this particular classroom – one of the students has outbursts of rage and aggression.

Because my oldest daughter, Jessica, is also prone to such outbursts, I am very familiar with the injuries that can happen during the tirades. I’ve had my ribs broken and too many bites and bruises to count. I sustained those injuries because I wanted to make sure that none of my other children were injured. And that is exactly what the teacher and aides in Ashley’s classroom do with their aggressive student. They offer themselves up in the midst of the outbursts in the hopes that the other students will not be injured. And they have done an excellent job of protecting the other students. However, the cost of their own safety has been high.

I’ve seen bites that have broken the skin and left bruises every shade of purple. Black eyes from head butts, and sore legs from kicks are quite common for the adults in the classroom. Just yesterday, the classroom aide had her thumb broken. I think the staff in the classroom has cornered the market on tetanus shots, ace bandages, and ice packs. What I don’t understand is why the situation is allowed to continue.

I am one of the strongest advocates for children being in the least restrictive environment for their education. But I don’t believe that LRE has to come at the cost of ongoing and extensive personal injury. In my opinion, this aggressive student needs to be in a different environment, and one with different supports. The current placement does not seem to be working for anyone – the student or the staff – and I worry constantly that during one of the outbursts, one of the other children will be injured.

Stranger Danger

I need advice. How have other parents taught their children with intellectual disabilities about the danger of strangers?

Jessica, my now 17 year old daughter, is extremely social, outgoing and friendly. Those are for the most part very good qualities. However, she has yet to learn how to distinguish when she should be friendly towards someone and when she shouldn’t. Jessica has never met a stranger. Everyone she meets she treats like a long-lost friend – hugging, smiling, holding hands. If an abductor drove up next to her, said her name, and invited her to get in their car, she would do it. There would be no need for puppies, candy or any other item to lure her in. She would get in the stranger’s vehicle merely because the stranger smiled at her.

I’ve tried, and Jessica’s teachers have tried over the years to explain dangerous situations to her. But it’s not working. Now that Jessica is 17 and will be 18 in just a few months, I am really starting to worry. Jessica has expressed the desire to live independently as an adult, and I really want to support her in that decision, but I am very worried. Not only will I worry about her getting in a stranger’s vehicle, if she lives independently I will worry about her letting a stranger into her apartment or entering a stranger’s home herself.

Does anyone have any suggestions for teaching Jessica how to distinguish a safe situation from and unsafe one? For a quick snapshot into Jessica’s level of functioning, she has a moderately significant intellectual disability. She reads at a second grade level but without any real comprehension. She writes at a first grade level, and she does math at a 3rd grade level. She doesn’t handle criticism well, and she does have an explosive temper.

Any and all suggestions would be much appreciated!