Despite Rules, Restraint and Seclusion Problem Persists in Iowa Schools

In 2008, new regulations took effect in the state of Iowa limiting the use of restraint and seclusion in schools. The regulations determine how and under what circumstances students can be restrained, how long a student can be locked up into a time-out room, and specifically state that seclusion and restraint cannot be used as [...]

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Autistic Student Denied Education, Loses Court Battle

Recently, an autistic man in the UK lost a court case over his lack of education when he was rtwelve. During that time, his former school could not deal with his behavior problems. They expelled him, and left him without education for eighteen months before another school was found that would take him. Now, A., [...]

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Seclusion Again and the Need for Individualized Educational Planning

On Twitter, I saw a tiny news clipping about an autistic child pulled out of a New Brunswick school. I didn’t pay much attention even though I was curious why a child being pulled out of school would make the news. Now, Harold L. Doherty of Facing Autism in New Brunswick comments on the story. [...]

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$5 Million Settlement in Abuse of Autistic Students

In a federal lawsuit concerning an abusive former special education teacher in Pennsylvania, a $5 million settlement has been reached. Seven autistic children were badly abused by their teacher, Susan Wzorek, between 2001 and 2003. The abuse included hitting, pulling hair, and duct taping children onto chairs. What I find most alarming about this story, [...]

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Autistic Teen Charged with Assault, Disorderly Conduct

Via Terri over at Barriers, Brigdes and Books comes news that an autistic teen was charged with assault and disorderly conduct a few weeks ago, after he became physically aggressive when there were four fire drills in one morning at his school. We do not know whether an appropriate behavior intervention plan was in place, [...]

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House Approves Bill Limiting Restraint and Seclusion in Schools

Good news: according to an article in the Washington Post, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act. I wrote about the bill last December. I’m hoping for this bill to pass the Senate, too, because non-emergency and dangerous restraint and seclusion really needs to stop.

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Boy Charged with Assault for Fighting Back to Restraint

I just found out about a case of an autistic boy charged with assault for fighting back when teachers tried to restrain him. You may consider it logical that someone who presumably exhibits physical aggression, would be charged with assault, except if you’re in a legal system like mine, where the boy’s age (11) would [...]

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Prevent Harmful Seclusion and Restraint in Schools

Yesterday, I was sent several E-mails alerting me to the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act, that is being introduced in the U.S. congress. I was too overloaded to look up the text of the proposed bill, and even today when I thought I’d found it through this NPR blog post, it turned [...]

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Sense and Nonsense of Treatment and Educational Plans

Recently, there’s a lot of discussion about Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) on one of the mailing lists I belong to. This discussion used to make me jealous, because, in the Netherlands, educational programming for students with disabilities may formally be based on a plan, but the plan is rarely followed and often, the student or [...]

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Comments on the Use of Time-Out Rooms in Schools

I just read the umpteenth story about the use of a time-out room in schools in the United States. It’s about the Isabel Loeffler case again, the girl who was locked up in a time-out room for over three hours. I have no clue whether time-out can legally be used on children in the Netherlands. [...]

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