Restrained with a “belt-like device”—what?
November 25, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
For all the concern and criticism about the use of restraints in public schools on disabled students, sometimes it seems there’s no end to hearing about yet another school district that has improperly restrained a child. Yesterday’s McDowell News reports that a 14-year-old autistic student was restrained using a “belt-like device”—-a belt used to help students using wheelchairs in and our of their chairs. Jeremiah’s mother, Ann Watson, said that the school did not inform her about restraining her son and in this way.
She further said the system has purged documents that reflect poorly on the school system’s handling of special needs students.
Last month she began noticing that Jeremiah was nervous, unable to sleep at night, and unusually upset. He began having incidents at school, including wetting his pants. Then earlier in this month, she got a call from the mother of a student at East. According to Watson, the caller said her daughter was upset about seeing Jeremiah tethered and being led on a leash at school.
Jeremiah is diagnosed as suffering from autism, she said. She homeschooled him for a number of years after an earlier conflict with administrators over speech therapy and other services for her son, she explained.
Marion Police Lieutenant Scott Spratt confirmed there was a complaint on file, although his ability to comment was limited, due to it being “a juvenile matter.”
He said last week the incident “has been investigated and currently being followed up on.”
Associate Superintendent Mike Murray said last Wednesday that the accusation was frustrating.
“We don’t have devices,” he insisted. “We don’t use any torture apparatus or anything of the sort.”
A school employee who spoke on condition of anonymity told the McDowell News that an “inexperienced assistant in the class had used a belt to tether Jeremiah on as many as three occasions.” Sounds like someone with experience needed to step in?
If the school deals with students in wheelchairs on a regular basis, then it’s extremely unlikely that they “don’t have devices”.
Lifting belts (manual handling belts, handling belts etc) are required to assist support workers in moving and handling of clients. If the school doesn’t have any lifting belts (it’s highly unlikely to be a hoist-only school and slipsheets are usually bed-only) then it sucks in protecting its employees from back injuries.
Lifting belts have loops built in for extra grip, one could easily be co-opted as a restraint with something as simple as strong string, skipping rope or a clothes line. A bariatric extender belt could also be used.
Kudos to the girl who spoke to her mother about what she saw. And the mom for acting on something… many probably would never have done a thing.
PS. Jeremiah probably isn’t “suffering” from autism as much as the abuse that went on. JMO.
“many probably would never have done a thing”
True, in fact I’ve been in the room when parents have requested restraints be put in place on their (late 30’s) son.
It would not suprise me at all, giving how many autism parents dehumanise their children, that some would go as far as to privately purchase and supply restraints themselves.
I totally understand the visual effect restrains have on “traditional” folks. However, in some cases, restraints are far better than injury, running into traffic or disappearing in a Mall.
In the case of the school, it should have been told to the Mother first then explained, nicely, to the other children in the class that the boy could injure himself without it.