What a sad story My friend took her daughters out of a local public elementary school quite a few years ago. One of the girls had a boy in her class that would throw desks around and do other harmful and dangerous things. The school would put this kid in a dark closet to calm him down, I guess. This whole situation made my friend's daughter very anxious. She said she couldn't learn nor concentrate. She hated going to school. My friend now has her daughters attending a Catholic school.
One of my autistic children was put in those rooms. It didn't help and it sometimes escalated his behavior. The main cause of his behaviors getting to that point were the staff not following the steps clearly laid out in his IEP, his Functional Behavior Assessment and subsequent Behavior Intervention Plan. That and the inclusion at all cost mentality is a large reason why our kids are homeschooled. We wanted our kids in self contained classrooms but we were refused. They simply could not handle the stimulation of a regular ed classroom. Peggy
Time out in a seperate room can have advantages, and IF the child is being posing a danger to himself or to other children, sometimes something this drastic CAN be a help. However, it should be set up with a one-way window, where an adult can watch the child the WHOLE TIME he are there, to be sure he does not do any harm to himself. There's so much potential for abuse!
I agree but the rooms had no windows and there was no observation of the students (here) unless the aide/teacher/etc was in the room with the student. I don't think the rooms would be needed as much if the system would realize that inclusion is NOT best for every child. My kids could have probably gradually been mainstreamed but it's 'against policy'. It was like throwing them in the deep end of the pool and penalizing them cause they didn't turn into Micheal Phelps. We took this very seriously with my son - we tried medication, behavior modification, counseling, etc. This was literally something he could not control. Now that my kids are home I'd rather never send them back to what I consider a broken system. I didn't think it was fair to my son or the other kids in the class either. It was disruptive and totally avoidable if they had placed him in the right (self contained) enviroment (IMO). A year or so ago they had the bright idea to mainstream every child - regardless of ability. Needless to say, it's not working really well for some of the kids.
Pdally, my background is special ed, so I know what you're saying. Yes, mainstreaming works for SOME kids. Inclusion works for SOME kids. But, just like everything else in education, NOTHING works for EVERY kid. The whole purpose of an IEP was to INDIVIDUALIZE educational program. Mainstreaming or inclusion across the board is a bad idea for both the special needs kids, and the "regular" ones.
#1 As SOON as I started reading the article I knew the kid had to have been on psych drugs. Young kids just don't kill themselves! Unless they are on psych drugs. They parents should be suing the drug companies...I betcha a lot of money that he was on psych drugs. Kids as young as 9 and under have killed themselves by hanging while being on the drugs. The article didn't say, but he had been diagnosed with depression so I'm guessing he was being drugged. #2 Those rooms are cruel and inhumane. I subbed at a school that had one. I refused to teach at that school again. But the room is not the reason he killed himself, the psych drugs are. If you're curious about other young kids who have killed themselves on psych drugs, watch this.
Ok - I got 1/2 way through the article - finding out the kid was diagnosed as depressed in Kinder...... And the parents say they don't recognize the kid in the reports... UMMMMM...... where was ANY communication from the school to the parents telling them that he was kicking and punching classmates?? Doesn't anyone else find that communication was seriously lacking? I can understand a point with special ed.... my good friend is a special ed teacher in CO and had a roller blade thrown at her at recess (apparently some of the kids are residences and left their toys outside)..... but a room like a jail cell and no adult watching?
All school systems aren't good at communication. My middle son's personality changed completely in 1st grade. I knew it was bullying but the school flat out lied and told me it was not - he was just a behavior problem. Then the bully assaulted my son's best friend and was charged (by the parents - not the school) with assault. The school still refused to admit the unchecked bullying was the problem with my son. My autistic son who had documented problems with communication. I am only speaking for the system my son's no longer attend. It seemed to me they found it easier to stuff my kids in a room such as this rather than follow the IEP or the FBA's or the BIP's we spent hours formulating. It was very frustrating and I am VERY glad my kids do not have to be in that situation any longer. That being said I do not believe full inclusion of all students is in the best interest of anyone. But it is what it is. Peggy
