A little restraint
For many parents with autism, the ultimate goal is to have their children lead lives that are as ‘normalʼ as possible ― and that includes attending mainstream schools, where their child would be just like everyone else.
The problem is, many of these children are not like everyone else, and arenʼt treated that way. Yesterdayʼs New York Times ran a horrifying article chronicling a rising trend in schools of abusing children with special needs.
Maybe I am naïve, but I found myself gasping as I read it. Teachers are locking up children ― in one case, at least 31 times in one year ― holding children down, tying them to chairs, even accidentally suffocating them in their attempts to restrain them.
Perhaps itʼs unsurprising that these problems have surfaced: according to the article, the school system serves 600,000 more special education children than it did a decade ago. And has, I bet, not nearly the number of teachers with the skills needed to help those children.
But given that thatʼs the case, whatʼs the solution? Is enrolling children with autism or Asperger syndrome in a mainstream school really such a good idea? Or is it, perhaps, time to pull back?
Comments
I am not surprised to see this article coming to the forefront. It highlights the complexity and confusion of how to best help students with special management needs in the mainstream school setting. It likewise highlights the educational shortcomings of understanding the unique nature of these children's characteristics and needs. Regretfully, teachers in mainstream classrooms are not oriented or prepared to address different levels of behavior management with active positive interventions. Even 'Special Education' teachers have not been trained to contend with the challenges the broad spectrum of students with special needs present. Efforts are being made to advance the graduate level of special education with courses to focus on issues of working with students with ASDs, but it only the beginning of an answer to an immediate and serious need.