Stop Hurting Kids Campaign: Share your Restraint & Seclusion Story
From our friends at National Autism Association, who have the leadership position nationwide when it comes to safety and autism.
The Stop Hurting Kids campaign wants you to share your story! Have you or a loved one been affected by restraint or seclusion? Help us share your story so people know the true impact of restraint and seclusion: http://stophurtingkids.com/axcn
My son is 9 years old and he is being restrained every day in school,as a mum i was unaware teachers in school could do this ,my son has autism and adhd and has been left with bruising on legs and arms,lost his appetite and is having nightmares every single night,is this legal ,I've now took my son out of school as I don't think it is safe for him to be there , any advice on this topic would be really appreciated thank you
Posted by: Gail Bennett | November 29, 2018 at 06:31 PM
Phyllis - Thanks. I looked at the site, which appears to be a lot better than the Stop Hurting Kids site at first glance. I am aware that Rep Miller has made efforts on this issue over the years and the site does have some decent data. I've generally been focused on safety issues external to the school environment, which are a challenging, to say the least.
Clearly positive reinforcement and deescalation in schools is the way to go and unnecessary R&S is bad and in some cases criminal both in and out of schools. What still seems missing to me is a full picture of the strategy behind this legislative effort (and opposition to it). I'll look into it further. Thanks again for pointing me to the FARS site.
Posted by: Dadvocate | June 26, 2013 at 05:42 PM
Dear Dad,
My own son was abused in middle school and suffered a breakdown. The abuse of R & S is very wide spread all over the United States.
Please visit Families against Restraint and Seclusion. if you need more information, let me know and I will send it to
Regards,
Phyllis
Posted by: Phyllis | June 25, 2013 at 12:10 PM
I want those who are in a position of trust and who might ever consider harming my child to know I AM WATCHING YOU FROM DAY ONE and I EXPECT THE WORST FROM YOU. Go ahead and surprise me by earning my trust - until you do? I assume you have the ability to hurt my kid.
Posted by: HADITvocate | June 24, 2013 at 05:26 PM
I'm more than a little confused about this initiative, which I think has an awful title, implying widespread wrongdoing on the part of hardworking teachers, aides, and school staffers across the country. I am unequivocally a big supporter of positive behavioral supports, but does this group want to eliminate the use of restraint and seclusion or eliminate a perceived abuse of these techniques? The website appears to say both in different spots. If the former, what techinques for managing aggressive (not just "challenging") behaviors are recommended? Aggressive behaviors regulary, and often quickly and unpredictably, occur in some with autism. That's a fact. If the latter and stamping out the abuse of these techniques is the aim, the academic research and "evidence" offered of widespread S & R abuse seems pretty thin to me. A 2010 non-random survey? A 20 year old tangential limited study? Several anecdotal horror stories? I am not saying abuse doesn't happen, I'm sure it, like a lot of other bad stuff is real but I'd just like to know if there is any decent data showing widespread problems. I haven't seen it if it exists. And, again, if it's only S&R ABUSE that's targeted for elimination, what are the specific circumstances...and I mean specific...when S & R is allowable (use of direct kicks, punches, slaps, scratching, defined weapons, etc) Clarity is important and, as a longtime safety advocate, I just don't see it here. Safety for everyone is critical and fingerpointing isn't constructive in my opinion. I think positive reinforcement and promotion of good safety policies in schools will lead to better results than this aversive effort.
Posted by: Dadvocate | June 24, 2013 at 12:34 PM