Comments on: Abuse, neglect and humiliation at a public school too near to you http://www.blisstree.com/articles/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/ Family, Health, Home and Lifestyles Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:22:36 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: it'sasadshame http://www.blisstree.com/articles/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-562776 it'sasadshame Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:42:55 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/#comment-562776 my 11 year old has been restrained constantly, carried by his ankles & wrists from the school office to my car (in the parking lot), locked into an old bathroom used as a time out room (everything's stripped but it has the same linoleum floor, nothing for safety). i took a picture. my son would loose it being locked in there, often stripping down and urinating. Then they want to mention that - like he would do that if he weren't locked in an old bathroom. My son has AS & SID. the schools say they're not sure he has autism although 6 or 7 doctors say he does. and the school evaluations say "maybe". i've had a lawyer & gone to mediation. the school didn't really try to do their part. Do i have it in me to fight more? i just pulled my son out from experiencing more harm from school & am homeschooling him until we can move somewhere else. my 11 year old has been restrained constantly, carried by his ankles & wrists from the school office to my car (in the parking lot), locked into an old bathroom used as a time out room (everything’s stripped but it has the same linoleum floor, nothing for safety). i took a picture. my son would loose it being locked in there, often stripping down and urinating. Then they want to mention that – like he would do that if he weren’t locked in an old bathroom. My son has AS & SID.

the schools say they’re not sure he has autism although 6 or 7 doctors say he does. and the school evaluations say “maybe”. i’ve had a lawyer & gone to mediation. the school didn’t really try to do their part. Do i have it in me to fight more?

i just pulled my son out from experiencing more harm from school & am homeschooling him until we can move somewhere else.

]]> By: False Prophets and Failed Poets http://www.blisstree.com/articles/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-563369 False Prophets and Failed Poets Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:32:58 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/#comment-563369 [...] at least one autistic child faces the opening of the school year without a school and too often physical restraints are used to “manage” autistic children’s behaviors. For worse or for better, at [...] [...] at least one autistic child faces the opening of the school year without a school and too often physical restraints are used to “manage” autistic children’s behaviors. For worse or for better, at [...]

]]> By: Regan http://www.blisstree.com/articles/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-562875 Regan Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:19:36 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/#comment-562875 <i>When someone’s told to restrain a child, does that person pause to think about how the child feels?</i> You'ld think so. I'll out myself and say that I feel that there are times in <i>emergencies</i> where there is significant and <i>real</i> concern of injury and that have not been amenable to <i>competent</i> deescalation, where restraint may be called for...used parsimoniously, ethically and under <i>safety</i> guidelines, because improperly applied, restraint can <i>kill</i>, That said, I feel that it is overused as a matter of routine in many settings, without consideration of the ethics, evaluation and development of alternative behavior management and antecedent strategies. The latter takes patience, time and skill, but represents an improving situation for everyone in many ways. I had the horrible experience some years back of watching restraint being used as routine behavior management because those involved did not know alternative strategies to apply...or at least did not do so during the time I observed the restraint. Basically the strategy appeared to be to "wear the kid down" and it routinized into a physical power struggle that occurred in the full view of the other students in the room. So besides the feelings of the child being restrained, there was that of the other children who were witness...what precisely were they also learning? The last straw was where the paras decided to improvise on known techniques and started dragging the kid by his hands with his toes off the floor. That was horrific enough but one para lost his grip and I just barely was able to get under the child's head before it hit the terrazzo floor. Everyone was very embarrassed. I filed a complaint about the appropriateness and oversight, and as a result was banned from the room for violating "confidentiality" and demoralizing staff "doing their job". And yet in their day-to-day, most people would see these people as fine folk...nice people. It was the banal institutionalization of these practices that scared the h*ll out of me, and still does. When someone’s told to restrain a child, does that person pause to think about how the child feels?
You’ld think so.

I’ll out myself and say that I feel that there are times in emergencies where there is significant and real concern of injury and that have not been amenable to competent deescalation, where restraint may be called for…used parsimoniously, ethically and under safety guidelines, because improperly applied, restraint can kill,

That said, I feel that it is overused as a matter of routine in many settings, without consideration of the ethics, evaluation and development of alternative behavior management and antecedent strategies. The latter takes patience, time and skill, but represents an improving situation for everyone in many ways.

I had the horrible experience some years back of watching restraint being used as routine behavior management because those involved did not know alternative strategies to apply…or at least did not do so during the time I observed the restraint. Basically the strategy appeared to be to “wear the kid down” and it routinized into a physical power struggle that occurred in the full view of the other students in the room. So besides the feelings of the child being restrained, there was that of the other children who were witness…what precisely were they also learning? The last straw was where the paras decided to improvise on known techniques and started dragging the kid by his hands with his toes off the floor. That was horrific enough but one para lost his grip and I just barely was able to get under the child’s head before it hit the terrazzo floor. Everyone was very embarrassed.
I filed a complaint about the appropriateness and oversight, and as a result was banned from the room for violating “confidentiality” and demoralizing staff “doing their job”.
And yet in their day-to-day, most people would see these people as fine folk…nice people. It was the banal institutionalization of these practices that scared the h*ll out of me, and still does.

]]> By: sharon http://www.blisstree.com/articles/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-562588 sharon Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:29:29 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/#comment-562588 I remember hearing rumors about similar things happening in the neighboring county and being thankful we didn't live there. But really, it "could" happen anywhere and that is scary. I remember hearing rumors about similar things happening in the neighboring county and being thankful we didn’t live there. But really, it “could” happen anywhere and that is scary.

]]> By: neil http://www.blisstree.com/articles/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/comment-page-1/#comment-562569 neil Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:32:14 +0000 http://www.autismvox.com/abuse-neglect-and-humiliation-at-a-public-school-too-near-you/#comment-562569 Having experienced both an autism specific and mainstream school for our daughter, I can only say that perhaps it might be better to push for specialist schools rather than fighting through the courts for an uncertain outcome. Our autism school is the one shining beacon in our lives, there is no need to explain anything to the teachers, they're trained to deal with autism. There just doesn't seem to be a place in mainstream schools for these types of kids, they don't seem to fit, not in the classroom, nor with their peers. Our school has been so successful in teaching autistic kids that it is to be expanded from just primary to secondary as well. Having experienced both an autism specific and mainstream school for our daughter, I can only say that perhaps it might be better to push for specialist schools rather than fighting through the courts for an uncertain outcome. Our autism school is the one shining beacon in our lives, there is no need to explain anything to the teachers, they’re trained to deal with autism. There just doesn’t seem to be a place in mainstream schools for these types of kids, they don’t seem to fit, not in the classroom, nor with their peers. Our school has been so successful in teaching autistic kids that it is to be expanded from just primary to secondary as well.

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