GA.Autistic child handcuffed. Restraint free advocates none too happy

We’ll just keep repeating what we’ve been saying all along:

The few states that have gone to an unduly restrictive and inflexible policy have experienced a vast increase in the use of law enforcement to manage situations that previously were handled by teachers. 

Groups that were instrumental in effecting this change are now complaining that law enforcement is being used too frequently and students as young as 5 are being placed in handcuffs and students as young as 10 being subject to tasers. (See ACLU report http://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/aclu-white-paper-says-guidelines-needed-police-schools).

 

However if you unduly limit the  interventions teachers can use , handcuffs, law enforcement, increased prescriptions and use of psychotropic and other medications (see http://www.ssristories.com/index.php ) are what you are left with.

See story: Autistic boy had an outburst.  Teachers could not or would not hold him.  The school resource officers were called who put the child in handcuffs. Apparently parents think that police won’t put a child in handcuffs if he is a danger to self or others if there are mental health issues involved. 

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One Response to GA.Autistic child handcuffed. Restraint free advocates none too happy

  1. Terri says:

    Good points made here. But never forget: There are cruel caregivers out there who abuse self abusive or aggressive autistic individuals and then BLAME it on “technique”. Still other “caregivers” are too lazy to implement necessary pro-active interventions or other calming or care needed and use unnecessary restraints or holds or techinques so they don’t have to work with the autistic person. They may be too busy texting or watching a movie. They can’t be bothered with the intensive work it takes to actually help the autistic person. Overmedicating a patient is yet another way to restrain patients to AVOID helping patients in a more humane and dignified way.

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