The topic I chose is the use of restraint in a classroom as a punishment technique. This article http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2009/07/07/students-suffer-abusive-restraint-gao-says.html explains why restraint is not always a good idea.
I agree with the article. Restraint is not a necessary classroom technique. The examples in the article are obviously extreme and would hopefully never happen under normal circumstances yet it has happened. I myself have found that there are times when the situation is made far worse by physically preventing the child from doing something, such as running away. I attempted to hold the student back because running away is a large ordeal, the police have to be called in and the student was terrified of the police which would exacerbate the situation. My restraint angered him so much that he began throwing items at me as well as flipping a table towards me and making motions as though about to strike me. All of this could have been avoided if I had let him leave the classroom. Later I learned that he was afraid to leave the campus and would walk around outside until he cooled off. If I had just let him go I could have saved myself a few bruises and could have talked to him calmly outside.
I also agree that children should not be strapped into or onto anything. One of the students I work with has a disability that has held his IQ at about 18 months so, naturally, he acts like an 18 month old. When he came to our school a chair, that also looked like an electric chair, soon followed. It was used at his old school to prevent him from scooting away from the table when it was time to work. We did not like the look of the chair and soon got rid of it. Now the boy can sit for 20 minutes on his own.
The question I have about this issue is should restraint be used at all in the classroom? I feel that if it is completely outlawed then any form of restraint will be outlawed including restraint that can prevent injury to the student or other students. The teacher could potentially be prosecuted for protecting one student from another. I feel that the law could go too far yet, some restrictions should be made to prevent injury, physically as well as mentally, to the students. It would be my opinion that dangerous holds, such as those in the prone position, be outlawed but mild holds in the sitting or standing, such as holding the hands to the side, only be used in extreme circumstances in which harm will certainly come to an individual.
What do you think? Should restraint be used at all? If so what kinds and under what circumstances. If you do not think restraint should be used, why?
I do not believe that restraints should ever be used with children, whether they have disabilities or not. I worked in an orphanage in Romania for four months where these types of restraints were used consistently and daily. It was horrifying to me and unfortunately I could not do anything about it. I would spend a great deal of my time with one child in particular who was always strapped down in his wheelchair. I would take him out everyday and hold him, tickle him and help him learn to move his limbs. He had been strapped down since a young child and now is 10 years old and does not know how to move his limbs. It was so horrible to me. But after time I realized that as I helped and held him he would move more often and his muscles were more relaxed (which still was not saying much). I feel very strongly that restraints are not ok and we need to do more in order to prevent this from happening in schools and orphanages all around the world.
ReplyDeleteI think that physical restraint is unacceptable and can cause physical and emotional damage to the student. I understand that avoiding any use of physical restraint will necessitate immense patience and motivation on the part of the teacher, but I believe that our effort is worth the safety, both emotionally and physically, of the child. In cases where the child is completely out of control and is about to hurt themselves, the teacher, or another student, then physical restraint is okay only to the point where people are no longer in danger. By being physically restrained students will inevitably feel overpowered, helpless, and like they have no control. Consequently, they are not learning anything valuable by being restrained other than the teacher is going to control them. I think the negative effects far outweigh any positive effects and teachers need to be patient and understanding with their students as they try to teach and instill different ways of dealing with emotion.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the article that restraints such as chairs and other such technologies should never be used in the classroom. That would be treating real people like animals and not like the human being that they really are. I love that the article replaces restraints with positive reinforcement. One of the teachers I have volunteered for taught the other aides and myself about what scientists call mirroring or mimicking cells. These scientists say that all of us have these cells which tell us to mimic or mirror what those around us do. This means that if I feel angry, those around me are more prone to feel angry or if I feel happy those around me are more prone to feel happy as well. This article also proves that point. When the teachers used physical restraint, in my opinion it's also considered physical violence, the students were then also prone to use physical violence back at them. I agree wholeheartedly with positive reinforcement. However, I can also see that there may be times where a student is out of control and could possibly harm either themselves or another/other student/s. For instance, I have a friend who works at the State Mental Hospital as a counselor. She was stabbed in the neck with a pen by one of her clients. Also, my fiance works with people with disabilities and is taught types of restraints she can use in extreme cases. However, these restraints are just using her legs, arms, and/or hands not a chair or other such technology. For instance, while driving, if the person with a disability tries to grab the wheel, she knows how to keep their hands and arms away so that they don't get in a car accident. Only in these kinds of incidences, emergencies if you will, should any sort of physical restraints be implemented, but only the sorts of physical restraints in which I use my body to keep someone from doing harm. These physical restraints should only be implemented in EXTREME and RARE cases.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the article and do not think that confining restraints are acceptable. Just like the article states using restraints can result in emotional trauma, physical injury, or even death. To me it seems obvious why restraints should not be used. One of the reasons this article gives for teachers using restraints is a lack of experience. I know there are certain restraints taught to teachers and paraprofessionals that can help them if they are in danger because of one of their students. Those restraints used are because of experience, but when a teacher straps somebody down it is because of inexperinece. Furthermore, I don't think restraining children will prevent any problems, but just make the student more aggressive. I don't think restraints are a proper way to deal with students who are acting out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up, all through elementary school there were forms sent home at the beginning of the year for parents to sign. One of them was consent to allow physical punishment and restraint by teachers if they felt it was necessary. Although I do not know if any of my teachers would have ever taken advantage of this consent to discipline me, my mother was very adamant that she would never sign this form. I am grateful, after reading this article that she was so firm in her stance against physical restraint or discipline in the classroom. I did not realize how widespread and prominent a technique it has become. I agree that no physical restraints or punishment should be used in the classroom by a teacher. If a child is out of hand I believe that another person, perhaps law enforcement or security officers, should be in charge of any physical restraints. No teacher should have to become physical in any way with a student. The teacher’s job is to educate, and when discipline reaches a level that requires physical contact it is out of a teacher’s job description and should not be their responsibility. In most school situations students do not need this type of punishment. There are other techniques that can and should be used.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s incredible that those types of restraints have been used in the classroom. Restraints, unless used to assist a child in sitting up or standing, should never be used. Teachers should know better and should be trained in how to handle a child. There are always other ways to stop a child from doing something. Like the article said, some teachers just don’t try other methods first, and that is a huge mistake. Teachers need to control their tempers and have patience, have a pedagogy for each child, and most problems could probably be solved in a much easier and quicker fashion. I can’t see how restraining a child would help, at least not for a very long time, because forcing a child into a chair or a closet are things that would only escalate the emotions and problems until they eventually gave up. It’s so sad that so many children have been literally emotionally scarred for life because teachers weren’t competent enough to deal with a problem.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are definetly times to use restraint, but for the most part restraint is not necessary. I believe that if the student puts himself or anyone else in danger by doing something that there is strong cause to be restrained. If the only danger is that the class will be disrupted then there is no reason to restrain. Many other methods are far more effective in the learning process. Like the boy in the chair, students can learn by being trusted with responsibility. Students should feel secure in the classroom wether they are making right or wrong choices. This security feeling in a child is more important than keeping the classroom in the most strict order possible.
ReplyDeleteThere is a major difference between using restraining techniques to keep a child from abusing themselves and others, and using restraints to punish a child for misbehavior. The latter is wrong and should never be used in any case. It just doesn't seem humane or ethical. I have seen straps for children who continually hit themselves though, and think that in this case, it may be an only option. These children don't know the harm they are inflicting on themselves and could eventually do their bodies very serious damage. I believe in cases where a child acts out violently towards other students, it is okay to use mild restraining techniques for the safety of others, however, the restraints mentioned in the article were outrageous and I was shocked to read how inappropriate the teacher's reacted.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this article and do not believe that restraints should be used against any student, with or without disabilities. This article stated that restraints can cause physical, mental, and emotional problems due to the traumatic experience that can happen. I do think that there is a difference between using restraints to protect the child and others around it and using restraints as a way punish a student for often times, things they cannot control. At Oakridge, Dr. Kay has told me about a student that when he gets upset he endangers himself, the faculty, and students. Instead of using restraints on him, Dr. Kay has developed a solution using huge love sacs/ bean bags that help to calm the student down and prevent any kind of abuse. I believe that teachers need to take more time in learning different strategies when students become out of hand, that do not cause a traumatic experience.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in nearly all cases physical restraint is completely unnecessary. Unless the student is endangering themselves or others, then physical restraint is not acceptable. It will take much more patience and dilligence from the teacher in order to control the classroom without this tactic but that is completely worth avoiding the possible emotional or physical trauma that comes with physical restraint. The special education classroom is all about relationships of trust, and as soon as a teacher crosses the line of physically restraining their students, that trust is breached. It is best to keep calm and collected in order to diffuse the situation.
ReplyDeleteI think that physical restraint sometimes will have to be used but it should be the very last option. I normally believe that if we give into negative behavior and create a show for the whole world to see that is what the student wants. most of the time when this kind of thing happens it is because the student wants attention and they don't care if it is negative attention or positive attention. If we give negative attention through restraint then I think the behavior will continue but if we ignore the negative behavior and reinforce the positive behaviors I think the positive behaviors will continue. Of course there will be times when we can't ignore the situation and restraint needs to be used. I think in that case it should never be something that would hurt the student. Also, anything that we do we need to make sure it is ok with the parents and that we have discussed the problem with them. Again i think restraint is necessary but should be a last resort.
ReplyDelete