To restrain or not to restrain?

Very well-written article on the issue of restraining children who are 'out of control' or a 'danger to themselves or others'. It's a pretty long piece for a blog post so I've posted about half of it. To read the full article from the Buffalo News click HERE.

Anybody who works with children with special needs, or even 'regular' children (whatever that means) has, at one time or many times restrained a child or seen a child restrained in a manner that disturbed them. We've all seen situations in which the 'adult' precipitates a crisis then says there is nothing that could be done. I've never, not once, seen a child 'lose it' for no reason. Children's behavior is dependent on their environment...they are always behaving in a manner that 'works' for them and that they have learned. (MY OPINION...happens to be backed by research but there you have it)

If a child is restrained then the 'adults' in that child's life have failed that child in that moment. Doesn't make them bad but don't blame the kids. When I find myself on the other side of a crisis moment I ask myself one question, "What did I do wrong?". In other words, "how did I fail that child in that moment?" I heard something once that has always stuck with me...educators blame the child at the point at which their skill-set ends. I think this is true.

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ALLEGANY — Tim Miller has a lot of “what ifs” running through his head.

What if he had never been held face down by teachers when he was in sixth grade?

What if he had had more friends? What if he had never had autism?

As the number of autistic kids in schools grows, there are signs that teachers and administrators are having difficulty controlling them and addressing their special needs.

That can lead to conflict, and in some cases, to federal court. That’s where Carole and John Miller turned after not getting satisfaction through the state’s special education hearing process.

Their son Tim, a student at Allegany- Limestone Central High School, remembers being restrained face down when he was 12. There is evidence he was restrained more than 10 times over a four-month period in 2005.

“I thought maybe they were taking his wrist. I didn’t like the idea, but I figured, they know better, they’re the instructors, the teachers,” Carole Miller said. “I asked him what happened when he got home from school, and he would always just say, ‘They’re trying to kill me.’ I thought he was overreacting.”

Dealing with troublesome children leaves some teachers with their own questions:

How much physical force can be used in restraining an unruly child?

How much time and attention should be given to the special-needs child without neglecting others?

Are there better ways to control a frustrated child who has special needs?