Just Not Right: Restraints Used in CT Public Schools
“We’d like to have our children not have anybody put their hands on them … but the reality is that’s what occurs.”
Said Faith Vos Winkel of Connecticut’s child advocate’s office. More than 100 parents in the Hartford, CT, area packed a room on Wednesday, December 13th, at a hearing sponsored by the state Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. While Connecticut has strict limits on the use of “force or seclusion” in programs operated by a number of state agencies, the law does not apply to public schools, an article in today’s Hartford Courant notes.
Jill Ely’s autistic son was pinned to the floor by an aide after he had tried to hit the aide; a behavior plan that was then developed called for placing him in a room with the door held shut until he stopped screaming. Wilton High School’s use of the “safe room” for Ely’s son caused him to become frightened and to try to escape.
Maryann Lombardi’s autistic son was “routinely” sent to a padded room, the “timeout room.” Regarding such rooms, she said that they “‘are creating a culture within the public school system where employees believe that if you have a disability label, locking you up is OK.’”
Other parents testified that some schools did not tell them when their children were secluded or restrained. Said State Senator Edward Meyer:
“It’s astonishing that schools notify parents when their children get sick, but when there’s a highly invasive action like physical restraint, [parents] are not notified.”
It is astonishing.
And there are other ways to help an autistic student—a student—in a difficult moment than someone “putting their hands” on him or her.
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POSTED IN: Education, Legal Issues, Parenting, Safety
7 opinions for Just Not Right: Restraints Used in CT Public Schools
caroline
Dec 14, 2006 at 1:17 pm
what are appropriate behavioral strategies? if a child is screaming? hitting or biting? can you publish specific suggestions? Thank you for your incredibly helpful website.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Dec 14, 2006 at 2:54 pm
For my son, teaching him to do other things—like somehow communicating his needs and/or desires—has been our main strategy. We first have to figure out why there might hitting etc. (trying to communicate frustration, or needing a break, or some such) and then think of other ways for him to communicate what he wishes to. And then we have actually to teach him the strategies—-it is a slow process but the end results last and, even more, it is a way of responding to the kinds of behaviors you mention while keeping a child’s dignity in mind.
I hope that is a bit helpful… thanks for reading.
mika
Dec 15, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Here in Northern California, we have a yearly mandated trainings on these behavioral issues.
The program is called CPI (Crisis Prevention Intervention).
In the CPI program when a student is acting out to other students or staff. We are to remove the students and some staff til the student is calm. Meanwhile we also are to modify the enviroment (Less lights on, no talkin, less eye contact, etc.)They also remind us to be conscious of our body language, voice tone,and face expressions.
The only time to restrain is when the student is doing self injury. When this happens we are to restrain (elbows locked gently),the restraintment is not to go for more than 3 to 4 minutes.
Meanwhile we are also to use PECS or paper and pin, vocal switches to help them communicate.
If the student is coming at you , you are to keep moving around and away.
They also go over the ABC model. ABC model goes over the cycle of escalation, crisis, to calming.
We use to use MAB (I didn’t care for because of all the restraints you had to use)
We have added more to the CPI program by making a team among the staff in each classroom and assigning each team member a role. Whether it’s documenting or helping other students.
Our team leader will make an entry in the behavioral log and communicate with the guardian or parent. Then we as a team sit and discuss what happend and what we believe contributed the incident. I feel diolgue among staff is vital for safety and prevention.
mika
Dec 15, 2006 at 1:30 pm
I also forgot to mention that CPI also teaches you how to gently get out of pulled hair grips and how to gently get out of a bite grip as well..
Kristina Chew, PhD
Dec 15, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Thanks so much Mika—-we follow some similar protocol and I’ve been through crisis management training myself.
SCL
Feb 15, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Unfortunately, there is often no budget for the appropriate training required, especially as a paraprofessional. I have watched entirely inexperienced people be placed in a one-on-one aide position with an child with autism or other difficulties that are more than mild. No training is given. I have myself been put into such a position with an extremely violent student, and wound up being hit severely myself in the process of trying to calm the student and prevent him from hurting himself. What then? Unless the money is put in to train the ones working with the student, dangerous situations like this will continue.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Feb 15, 2007 at 3:40 pm
SCL, thanks so much for writing about this—-I think the situation you describe is not uncommon and do think it was the case for my son in a former public school placement. At one point, the staff in his classroom restrained him physically and regularly, and things got bad (that is an understatement). Staff in my son’s current school district receive training in crisis management and I can’t say enough about the importance of training and continued supervision.
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