RE: Kids w/ Classic Autism, PDD-NOS & Speech Delays

Post Reply New Topic

Were they schools that specialized in autism? This school supposedly did. My friend who pulled her child out of that school also has a son with classic autism (he was not the one in the story). I don't know where she decided to send him after that. (I only know her via Facebook as she's a cousin of my cousin's fiance and lives in another state).

Oh Ok. The schools I looked at were general private schools. The specialist autism schools in this state have a waiting list and priority is for children with severe developmental delay.

I have read some blogs from graduates from one particular autism school who were not happy about their time there. The teachers did infact have a bad reputation for authoritarian behavior. Maybe this is the luck of the draw. Getting a good caring teacher is unpredictable.

Is there a regulatory body this can be reported to? Should the parent's of that child be told?

Yeah I'm wondering about that. It's a standard part of the regular tax payer funded public school system, I thought the ministry kept close tabs on things like that, I'm going to tell a few people, I also know a fellow who has his son going there, he should know.
I can understand that restraints might be needed to prevent a child harming themselves, but this sounded like he was just not doing what they wanted, he tipped some bowls of paper cut-outs on the table. Then when they told him off he started having a meltdown, it sounds like the chair is being used for correctional purposes, thats not the appropriate way to do things. Sounds like there's a staff training issue at the least.

According to Australian regulations if the boy is not self harming they have no jurisdiction to use a harness or restraint to detain him in the chair. Further they are obliged under disclosure requirements to inform his parents of this action.

Thanks CyberDad, is there perhaps a URL you can point me to? I'm having an argument with people (as happens)!
My thoughts are this example here is just the usual piss-poor management, out of site out of mind, and the strong ruling over the weak.

Apologies can't find one relating to primary school or special schools directly but this story indicates the act is illegal in Australia
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/823 ... d-to-chair

This happened in 2008 but that was only 3 years ago and I know they still use these types of restraints to "control" autistic children....and private schools can get away with more than public schools but only if you agree to it.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/s ... fbfcecda50

I know a similar story happened in the US and there were multiple cases of parents finding children being restrained are harmed in this way. Also, some of our kids cant tell us what is going on so it is really scary to send them somewhere. When I first sent my daughter to school I studied about it, found it was a nationally accredited program and they told me that I could drop in any time I wanted to check on her...as long as it didnt upset her too much...this made me feel better. I did keep my son (aspergers) at home for two years because other children were allowed to hit my son and no one did anything about it.

Actually its kind of scary how many stories you can find if you google "autistic child abused at school"....very upsetting!

I don't even have to google it. Those stories seem to keep finding me. I think parents being able to peek in on their kids whenever they want should be the norm, but the autistic school in my neighborhood supposedly doesn't allow it.

On a lighter note my son has a new routine, when he wakes up he doesn't squeal like an exotic bird anymore, he stands at his gate and says "Zigga zigga Daddy?" over and over until someone tends to him. I have no idea where he got the ziggas from.

The source of my information appears to be my daughter's primary school. I looked at a hardcopy of the Education Act as it stands is not very specific in that it gives some discretion to teachers but I can't seem to find the relevant statement that explicitly prohibits restraining a child? perhaps somebody from Australia can point out the relevant statute.

The following is from the USA

Pursuant to IDEA, discipline of a child with a disability must take that disability into account. For example, if a child with Asperger syndrome is sensitive to loud noises, and if the child runs out of a room filled with loud noises, any discipline of that child for running out of the room must take into account the sensitivity and whether appropriate accommodations were in place. According to the United States Department of Education, for children with disabilities who have been suspended for 10 days total for each school year, including partial days, the local education agency (LEA) must hold a manifestation determination hearing within 10 school days of any decision to change the placement of a child with a disability because of a violation of a code of student conduct following either the Stay Put law which states that the child shall not be moved from his or her current placement or interim services in an alternative placement if the infraction was deemed to cause danger to other students. The LEA, the parent, and relevant members of the individualized education program (IEP) team (as determined by the parent and LEA) shall review all relevant information in the student's file, including the child's IEP, any teacher observations, and any relevant information provided by the parents to determine if the conduct in question was:
Caused by, or had a direct and substantial relationship to, the child's disability; or
The direct result of the LEA's failure to implement the IEP.
If the LEA, the parent, and relevant members of the IEP team make the determination that the conduct was a manifestation of the child’s disability, the IEP team shall:
Conduct a functional behavioral assessment and implement a behavioral intervention plan for such child, provided that the LEA had not conducted such assessment prior to such determination before the behavior that resulted in a change in placement described in Section 615(k)(1)(C) or (G);
In the situation where a behavioral intervention plan has been developed, review the behavioral intervention plan if the child already has such a behavioral intervention plan, and modify it, as necessary, to address the behavior; and
Except as provided in Section 615(k)(1)(G), return the child to the placement from which the child was removed, unless the parent and the LEA agree to a change of placement as part of the modification of the behavior intervention plan.[15]
If it is determined that a student's behavior is a manifestation of his or her disability, then he or she may not be suspended or expelled. However, under IDEA 2004,if a student "brings a weapon to school or a school function; or knowingly possess, uses, or sells illegal drugs or controlled substances at school or a school function"; or causes "serious bodily injury upon another person," he or she my be placed in an interim alternate educational setting (IAES) for up to 45 school days.[16] This allows the student to continue receiving educational services while the IEP team has time to determine the appropriate placement and the appropriate course of action including reviewing the FBA and the BIP.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual ... cation_Act

hmmm I note the following in that story
"We're asking (Education) Minister (Michelle) Courchesne to implement a legal framework to regulate how these children are handled."

Sounds like there isn't a legal framework to protect autistic kids from abuse??

We talked to someone who worked as a teacher aide there and she said sometimes kids were kept restrained for hours. So my wife has contacted the ministry and they are looking into it.

In addition could I recommend a formal letter from your respective autism body as that would be perceived as "stakeholder feedback" particularly if there is to be a review of the discipline measures framed in guidelines or statutes relating to kids with disabilities. In the case of a formal review the national government would normally be expected to contact the specific Autism national body for feedback.

Hi everyone! Just thought I'd say hello. My 3 year old son is just diagnosed as ASD - the specialist implied that the term Aspergers was out of vogue, otherwise he'd use it. However my son has significant language/communication delays (according to the SLT - although he talks plenty, he is not clear) so it seems that he is more classical than Aspie.

We only got the diagnosis last week, and are waiting for SLT and OT appointments. Getting a bit frustrated and hating being in limbo at the moment - we had a very bad day today, and I got so cross with him, when he probably didn't intend to be 'naughty'. But I cannot get it through his head that when I am trying to get his 5 month old sister to sleep, he has to either be quiet or go elsewhere in the house.

Any suggestions for that particular problem? Telling him clearly and repeatedly to go downstairs didn't work, nor to use his inside voice (he whispered for one sentence, then went back to talking normally). In the end I picked him up and carried him down, and shut the stairgate behind me. Of course he had a meltdown

One observation I made with my daughter was she liked consistency so if she had a particular daily routine (say in the afternoon) then she would likely seek to replicate it for comfort.

I think you will have to structure a routine for your son around your 5 month old's sleeping patterns. When she is sleeping then do a specific little song or sequence of instructions that denote he is now going to be quiet (i.e. hold a finger to your lips saying shhh). Perhaps walk with him holding his hands while singing. Secondly find a activity he likes doing that doesn't make noise, set this up far from your daughter's bedroom. If you are desperate then open a packet of chocolates or ice-cream when she sleeps. If you connect this activity/s to coincide with your daughter's sleep time then it will minimize the chance of his having a meltdown. He may be happy to comply after 2-3 sleep events.