Autism Controversy in Olympia School District...

[mollidog]

There has been some recent controversy in our school district surrounding the use of the "safety spaces" in the all-autistic classrooms (there is one in Jimmy's preschool classroom, for example). Here is a link to a story the Olympian did about this issue last week

Comments

V2.0 After spell check

[gaelfarce]

I agree that the 'box' shouldn't be used as punishment. I also believe a room where the student cannot hurt themselves or others can be very useful for students with communication and emotional concerns. At times the Least Restrictive Environment for a child with a BD IEP is physical containment until they move past the anger and can communicate.

Teachers cannot physically restrain a child very much before they move into a space where they can get their asses sued off if there is an injury. If a kid is having a rough time an injury even a minor as bruising will happen and be documented. Every child has the right to Free and Appropriate Public Education but SPED teachers aren't miracle workers and there is a legitimate need for restraint because you can't just ask some students to go outside and chill out.

I also don't agree that if a child acts out then they should be locked up. If it is episodic in nature and can mostly be managed then locking them up violates the FAPE requirement. I don't think it's so much an expose on the system as it is on the widely varying needs for the broadly defined "special education" department. If it is a systemic and abusive use of a cool down room then sure look into that and prosecute as needed.

A note on demoralizing the teachers. There are hundreds of positions statewide for SPED. I enjoyed my time in my SPED practica but I'll be damned if I deal with the overbearing, patronizing, and byzantine legal and district requirements. I honestly think that the funds used for classes for SPED should be contracted out to specialists so the kids get what they need from private practice. The attempt at 'one size fits none' special education programs have failed because each child is too unique.

Re: V2.0 After spell check

[mollidog]

I like your idea of contracting out for private services for SPED with one addition - that the SPED students have at least some of their time spent with typical peers. Segregating SPED students into a special school or solely to private practice for all their educational needs seems too reminiscient of how minorities were treated in the educational system prior to the civil rights movement. And with autistic children in particular, exposure to typical peers is essentially the only way for them to gain social skills, something they are grossly lacking. Up in King County, if a school is unable to provide FAPE for a SPED student, they send the kid to the Children's Institute for Learning Differences (a private SPED school - very expensive) on Mercer Island. But the kid is still brought into regular school as much as possible for exposure to typical peers.

For sure teachers shouldn't be expected to physically restrain students. Heck, when I worked in mental health, even we supposed "specialists" weren't allowed to restrain out-of-control clients, and those were adults. We had to call the police, and that's what I think schools should have to do - either call the parent or the police if a child is out of control. No boxes, no restraining. I am sure that being a SPED teacher (or any teacher, for that matter) isn't easy, but neither are a lot of jobs. Just like you chose to do, those who don't like it or the rules it encompasses should simply not apply. I appreciate what they do, but also don't feel sorry for them for this reason.

In the case of what's going on here in Olympia, the rooms were originally designed for the exact purpose you've described - a quiet place where the student could go (sometimes with the teacher's strong encouragement) to calm down. However, none of the current students that I know of have such over the top behavior problems that simply calling the parent wouldn't work. And the teachers are still choosing to lock them in the room against their will. It's not working, either - the students get more riled up, not calmer.