Restraining Students With Special Needs

[Eeyores Butterfly]

There was a story on Headline News today about the use of restraint and isolation rooms with special needs children. I guess Congress is having a hearing with testimony from parents whose children were injured or killed while being restrained or isolated. They are talking about making soem very strict legal regulations on the use of such tactics with special needs children.

I admittedly hav mixed feelings on this. My gut reaction is that injuries/deaths from restraint or isolation are very few and far between. In the cases cited the restraint/isolation were obviously not being done properly. Furthermore, in every district I know of in order to restrain you must be certified in non violent restraint methods, which it sounds like people in many of these cases were not.

I start as a Life Skills teacher in the fall, and part of my job requirements include being restraint certified. I know that I will most likely have to use it. Unfortunately, some children with special needs do become very aggressive, it can be in the nature of the disability. I have seen restraint used one time. In that case the child was frustrated and literally banging his head against the table with a lot of force. It was either restrain or allow the child to hurt himself.

Sometimes kids will try to run out of the classroom/building. Sometimes kids become very aggressive to themselves (like the example quoted above) or to others. I can still remember when they moved the BD classroom to my elementary school and being put on lockdown because a child threw a teacher across the room. When a child becomes violent, sometimes the use of non violent restraint is necessary in order to protect them and those around them. Nobody wants to do it, but sometimes there just aren't any options.

I'm worried that if they pass these laws it will only result in teachers being unable to use restraint when a child is overly aggressive. These cases appear to be few and far between. When that happens, the people in question need to be fired. Passing a law does not seem to be the answe. It seems like every time they pass a low, it makes things worse (NCLB anyone?) I know it sounds good on paper, but I'm worried about the ramifications that such a law would have on children in these situations.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I can see both sides of the arguement. I'm a mom of 2 special needs kids, but we are very lucky that they are not violent. In fact, my oldest has tried to protect his teacher when another child tried to hit her. I agree that there are some who can become violent and can hurt someone or themselves. In that case, something needs to be done to protect everyone involved.

How did the injuries/deaths occur to the kids who were being restrained? That's not acceptable either. Maybe we need to re-examine the methods used to restrain?

 

[Disney Doll]

Restraining is so taboo now in health care. And unfortunately, sometimes it's necessary. And yes, if properly monitored, restraints can be a helpful way to control behavior to prevent self-injury.

As a nurse, I can't restrain people. I also can't let them fall. Depending on the shift I work, I could be caring for anywhere from 4-10 patients. We have bed alarms now...if someone is trying to get out of bed, the alarm goes off. It doesn't stop them from getting out but alerts you to the fact that they are getting out. The problem is, if I am in a room assisting another unsteady patient and a bed alarm goes off elsewhere, I can't leave the person I am assisting who is unsteady to go and assist the other person who is unsteady. So it's a Catch-22. Hopefully a co-worker is available and hears the alarm and runs, but it is not always faesible to think a co-worker may be available...they have their assignment too and may be in the same predicament I am in. And a fall, especially in an elderly person, is just as life-threatening....

A belt restraint, in those cases, would not allow the patient to get to the point of being out of bed. Of course, the patients who are restrained have to be carefully monitored and restraints should be a last resort intervention, after trying all the other things we can do....

 

[maelstrom]

I would not physically restrain someone *just* because they're special needs, of course, but if someone is becoming a danger to themselves or others, physical restraint may be necessary, special needs or not. Unfortunately, I'm sure the use of restraints is abused, which brings about laws such as this one. This type of law is great to prevent the abuse and misuse of restraints. But what if someone really does need to be restrained because they're becoming a danger to themselves or others. Restraints are a necessary evil, in my opinion.

My mother used to be a nurse in a psychiatric facility, and she worked with adult patients who were both physically and mentally handicapped, many of whom had been in a psychiatric facility since childhood. Sometimes, restraint was necessary. My mother *has* put someone in a straightjacket. The facility that my mother worked in was very old. In one building's basement, you could see where there used to be shackles on the wall. Shackles! No wonder the place is so haunted (apparently, Ghost Hunters considered doing a show there; it's closed now).

 

[The Mystery Machine]

You are damned if you do and damned if you don't. Honestly it depends on the teacher and the facility.

In the other post about it, while water spraying is not harmful and could help, it will depend on the person doing the water spraying.

If they are stressed, exhausted, child in question is fearful of person, etc...they could go overboard. Same with the burrito method. That concerned me more than the water method to be honest in that particular case. If the kid is out of control multiple times a day it will lead to total burnout on the caregiver and my gut feeling is that is where they are at this point.

Serious frustration can lead to making mistakes, even though they may not be intentional, you know?

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I can see both sides of the arguement. I'm a mom of 2 special needs kids, but we are very lucky that they are not violent. In fact, my oldest has tried to protect his teacher when another child tried to hit her. I agree that there are some who can become violent and can hurt someone or themselves. In that case, something needs to be done to protect everyone involved.

How did the injuries/deaths occur to the kids who were being restrained? That's not acceptable either. Maybe we need to re-examine the methods used to restrain?

The only one they actually talked about (other than the vague "injuries and deaths have occurred) was a child who was restrained face down on the floor while the teacher sat on him even after he said he couldn't breathe. I'm pretty sure that kind of restraint is not taught during restraint certification classes.

I have no problem with requiring that somebody be certified before restraining a child. That only makes sense to me as it keeps you and the child from being hurt. I also wouldn't mind laws that outline specific punishments for injuries/deaths that occur when restraint is used improperly. But I would hate to see them put down so many restrictions that it leaves teachers up a creek. A child could do serious damage to themselves or others while you wait for the police to come.

I agree that it is a damned if you do/damned if you don't. If you restrain a child people get up in arms and will sue, but if you don't and they hurt themselves or others while you wait for police people get up in arms and sue.

 

[LisaZee]

I have gone through restraint training and have actually had to physically restrain kids before (I have a social work degree and used to work in group homes.)

It's never an easy decision to restrain, and never one you're really ready for the first time you have to do it. I always used to wonder how I would know when was time, and I always knew. It was frightening for both myself and the child/teenager. I never walked away from a restraint feeling good.

But I'd hate to know what would have happened if I had been unable or prevented from being able to physically restrain. I don't know. Having done it - I see both the need and opportunity for misuse. If I were still in the field I'm not sure how I'd feel about it now...