Ken Schram: It's a padded cell for kids
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The isolation room.
A handful of state school districts use them, including Longview.
The state doesn't know how many such rooms there are because they are regulated by the individual school district.
The isolation room is described as a place where special needs students can be placed so that they're not a danger to themselves or others; a place where they can calm down.
In effect, we're talking about a padded cell.
Controversy erupted after a photo of such a room in Longview was recently put on Facebook.
I've heard school officials - even some parents - defending use of these rooms, saying that they are in the best interest of an out of control special needs child.
I've also heard some parents they were used simply as a disciplinary measure.
What I've not heard about is whether there have been controlled trials to determine their effectiveness.
What I've not heard about are the ethical discussions that surely took place before these rooms were established.
What I've not heard about is the training that teachers undergo to determine if and when a child should be placed in an isolation room.
What I haven't heard is whether parents of special needs children have been told their kids may be put in a padded cell.
And until we hear about all that, I don't think any district has any business using them.
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Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also connect with Ken on Facebook.
A handful of state school districts use them, including Longview.
The state doesn't know how many such rooms there are because they are regulated by the individual school district.
The isolation room is described as a place where special needs students can be placed so that they're not a danger to themselves or others; a place where they can calm down.
In effect, we're talking about a padded cell.
Controversy erupted after a photo of such a room in Longview was recently put on Facebook.
I've heard school officials - even some parents - defending use of these rooms, saying that they are in the best interest of an out of control special needs child.
I've also heard some parents they were used simply as a disciplinary measure.
What I've not heard about is whether there have been controlled trials to determine their effectiveness.
What I've not heard about are the ethical discussions that surely took place before these rooms were established.
What I've not heard about is the training that teachers undergo to determine if and when a child should be placed in an isolation room.
What I haven't heard is whether parents of special needs children have been told their kids may be put in a padded cell.
And until we hear about all that, I don't think any district has any business using them.
---
Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also connect with Ken on Facebook.
Ken, you should baby-sit a few "special needs" children while trying to teach a classroom full of students. I believe it would open your eyes to societies attempt to integrate children with severe mental issues into classrooms. What would be your option to keep the other children safe AND control the problem child? Handcuffs, duct tape to a chair? Â
Ken- how many hours and days have YOU soent working with a special needs child? A child with full blown autism? Until you have spend more than 7 days straight with one you have no idea how badly an isolation room is needed. The ONLY problem I have with the isolation room pictured was that the floor isn't padded. I have spent days and hours with special needs children (I have one myself) and I wish every parent had the money and ability to build an room like this.  I worked with a family once who had a padded room for their autistic children, it was the best thing I have ever seen. Nefore they built a small padded room one of their children was taken to the hospital at least once a month for a head injury, he would bang his head on the floor, table, walls, even the windows when he was upset, causing him to knock himself out and cut his head open- in the 5 years they have had this room only twice have they had to go to the local ER for this. One of the boys spends quite a bit of time in this room because so many of the normal every day sounds upsets him, he will go into the room by himself and "rock" himself until he is calm.  There is nothing wrong with an isolation room, as long as the parents know it is being used and are ok with it. Â
 @MomOf2 Wasn't there just a HUGE fuss recently about parents who locked their kid in the bedroom (called a "cage" because they used a door made out of wire fencing material) and authorities threw the parents in jail and put the child into foster care? And another HUGE fuss about parents who "chained" their daughter to a piece of furniture at night (apparently using a leather ankle strap or the like) to keep her from wondering around at night, and authorities charged, convicted and sentenced the parents to more than a decade in prison each and placed the girl with a grandmother - whereupon she got loose at night and a neighbor kidnapped, raped and killed the child in the wee hours of the morning?
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Seems to be some SERIOUS double standards at work here!
The kids you're talking about don't need to be in a public elementary school. They need 'special' help. There is no reason to imprison a person without due process. When did we stop believing in basic human rights?
Seriously? These kids have every right to be in school. You are ignorant.Â
We put people in padded cells all the time. What does age have to do with it?
Many middle aged folks have the mentality of children. It's ok for a 40 y/o with a 10 y/o mentality to be padded, but not a 10 y/o?
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It's a time out Ken, not a mental hospital. Where do you draw the line?
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That's okay Ken, we can just call the police and they can TAZE the little brat as the situation at that point will have only escalated...
These same rooms helped in our Mental health facilities inside our prisons, until someones feelers got hurt. They are now closed and off limits,we now man the ill offender with around the clock cutody supervision and nurses we're talking one on one...hmm. sounds like a economical and appropriate fix to a non problem of descalating the mentally ill from harming themselves or others.
Most of the time, the students go into the room without being asked because it's a calming environment for them. The door is never shut in most situations. If the child is in the room and stays there, then the door is open. There are also rules about how long a forced timeout is held. And every time it's used, it's documented. The threshold for EBD students is very high for getting "in trouble" for doing things mainstream students would be expelled for doing. I think the problem is the average person who reads these types of articles isn't aware of the rules pertaining to these rooms. This is a good reason people are shooting off comments about something they know little or nothing about. Students are mandated to go to school. No student left behind may ring a bell. There are violent children and one of the only ways to keep them and teachers safe is to have these rooms. Schools can't force a parent or guardian to have their child take medication that may alleviate the problem, which in a lot of these cases, would help the child. If anyone has ever had a chair whiz by their head, they might understand the use of these rooms. Unless you have another solution, I'd do some research on federal education laws.
 @jelisized What is the purpose of the door then?  Why does it even have a lock on it?
 @keri555 The children can use the room if they want. If they go in on their own, then there's no reason to lock the door. It's a quiet and calming area for them. I thought I explained that. It's no different than any other quiet area for them. Most of the time the child will go in there on their own and when they're ready to talk, the teacher will go in and talk to them and they'll figure out the cause of the problem and what they can do to resolve it in the future. There is nothing sinister about these rooms like everyone is trying to paint it with a broad brush.
@jelisized
I do know my federal education law. I used to know it very well, but it has been yeas since I found reading the RCWs to be a preferred activity.  I also recommend looking at what the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts and the Association for Applied Behavior Analysis International position statments are.  They have both put out position statements. Â
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Also look at the Right to Effective Behavioral Treatment (ABAI webpage).  It is an AWESOME article.  It states that a client has the right to a COMPETENT behavior analyst.  I believe that a competent behavior analyst should be overseeing a program BEFORE a seclusion room is considered.  I do not believe you can truely say that less restrictive interventions have failed unless a competent behavior analyst is overseeing and closely monitoring the program.  I believe that if you are using a seclusion room then it is IMPERATIVE that a very competent behavior analyst is developing and monitoring it.  They should make sure if the program followes the BACB ethical guidelines. Â
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http://www.apbahome.net/Support%20for%20APBA%20Pos%20Stmt%20-%20Restraint%20&%20Seclusion.pdf
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http://www.abainternational.org/ABA/taskforce_positionstatements.asp
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 @jelisized Hi jelisized, If a child is going into the room independently, then they are using the seclusion room illegally.  This is not the purpose of the room and it should not be used this way.  There should be a different place that a child should be able to go and calm down.  Somewhere with a couch or beanbag. Â
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Each school or district implement the rooms differently.  Some schools may lock the door, some dont, some have specific time limits.  The state does not even know how many schools have them!  One school may use it very differently than another school.
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My issue is that there may be laws around the use of these rooms, but I believe that some teachers use it inappropriately.  We are hearing stories come out right now.  A perfect example of obvious abuse of the room is the General Ed Kindergarten teacher in ID.  She forgot a REGULAR ed kindergartner in a seclusion room and left school.  She left him in the dark and by the time his parents went to the school looking for him, he had peed himself. Â
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Like you said students are mandated to go to school.  Therefore, they are forced to be subjected to things like seclusion rooms. I also can't (and won't) force parents to medicate children.  And I have worked with many parents who have tried all sorts of medications.  They have tried 6,7,8 different meds at a time.  It is not my job to recommend or really discuss meds.  I document the med and med changes and behavioral data.  It is only a doctor's (or qualified professional) and the parent's job to make decisions around medication. Â
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Why is it okay for a school to use a seclusion room when a parent is not allowed to? Â As a behavior analyst, I am not allowed to use something like this. Â I don't remember being in a situation where I thought, I wish I had a small room to lock him/her in. Â
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I do understand the feeling of a child becoming violent and have spring into action. Â Quickly assessing the dangerous items around them and moving items away. Â Moving myself to a safe distance that I can begin deescalating the child. Â
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Until you have been hit, strangled, pushed, hair pulled out by roots ect due to attempting to either protect another or protect the one out of control, you could never understand the situations that make a room like this so important. Decrease stimuli is sometimes the best thing to help de-escalate a person, but they need to be in a safe environment and everyone else needs to be safe.
 @Julie Decreasing stimuli and a seclusion room are not the same thing.  There are many ways to decreases stimuli.  Also if a child is angry, we should give them appropriate ways to get their feelings out.  The child has the right to be angry.  You can give them a pillow to punch or scream in.  Bean bags to throw against the wall.  These behaviors can be slowly shaped and reinforced.  We could also teach ways to calm down.  For example, getting under a dark blanket.  That is an easy way to decrease stimuli. Â
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I have dealt with many agressive behaviors. Â I learned years ago and 60 lb child could hang by my hair. Â What did I do? Â I wore a ponytail every time I saw him after that. Â
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My first week of student teaching, I felt like I walked into preschool UFC training.  I understand what this is like.  I was told by the district that if I could teach that classroom then I could teach anything.  The classroom did have a deescalation room, but it was used as storage.  It used to make me nervous when I had to go in it because there was no door handle on the inside, just a flat circle metal plate. Â
I name GLENN WOLFF I have am 22 year old daughter with Autism when she was 11 years old she tried to take a knife to her self and us her parents the padded room is good for the student and staff because of how strong the student gets when they are angry when my daughter was in school the staff used a strait-jacket now at age 22 she puts a lot of clothes on her body to calm herself down
@None Can you get a wet suit for your daughter? I have worked with autistic children and adults and was told by a parent that used a wet suit on her son how much it helped him. It works the same way layering clothes does but can be done before going into a situation you and your daughter know will be stressful.Â
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 @None I am really glad your daughter found an appropriate way to calm herself down.  If she continued to rely on a straight jacked, then her life would be very restricted.  Can she talk?  I would be interested in her point of view.  I think it is valuable to ask people who have experienced these procedures. Â
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What state were you in? Â I have never heard of a school using a straight jacket before.
I'm sorry that YOU personally have not been handed the answers to all of these questions. How dare the state or any district approve any action without inviting YOU into the discussion first. But that doesn't mean they don't have answers. Maybe good answers. Well thought out and researched answers. Perhaps a little research on your end will help you out a bit... I'll bet you could simply ask around your office...
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I volunteered in a school that had an EBD classroom (Emotionally or Behaviorally Disabled... aka Special Education). They had a room like this. One day I saw one of these students working quietly in a work area just outside his classroom. He seemed content and positively engaged in the work. The teacher pointed to the next problem and said, "Great! Now try this one." The student jumped up, yelled, grabbed a chair and threw it at some computers nearby. Then he grabbed one of the keyboards that had fallen to the floor and went at the teacher. Immediately, another teacher (or teacher's aide?) came out to help. Radios were on, calling the front office. The student was swearing and lunging at the teachers, hit one of them in the shoulder with the keyboard before he threw it at the other one and missed. They tried talking to him to calm him down but even I could see that that approach was futile as he was swearing and talking in incoherent sentences, acting as though he were somewhere else with different people. It was very apparent that he had some sort of terrible mental illness. He then took some broken plastic and went to cut himself. That was when the teachers moved in, "disarmed him" (one of them got a small cut in the process), restrained him and guided him into the little room.
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It was all very disturbing but at that moment I was glad the room was there. The student was big and obviously mentally ill and most definitely violent. What if teachers couldn't touch him to restrain him? What if there was no safe place for him to de-escalate where he couldn't hurt others or find other materials to harm himself until his guardians or security arrived? More students could have been at risk.
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It shouldn't be used as a punishment. But from what I saw, it served as a good place to keep everybody safe until more help could arrive and the student could calm down and come back to reality.
Would it be more acceptable if there was a nice comfy padded chair in there? Maybe some stuffed animals? Barney music playing?
 @BobDobbs ohhhh no, they want this as punishment. and we wonder why soooo many have mental problems? could it be how we treat mental problems? how, who can see this as a healthy way to deal with a human?dont see nanny 911 carrying a padded cell get it together at home, i as a teacher would not want this on me
@maggie112 @BobDobbs This is not used as a punishment! The whole purpose of a room like this is remove all stimualtion so the person can calm down. A chair or music or stuffed animals etc could prevent them from calming down.Â
People keep stating that more training is needed but we are trained ad nauseam, whether through the 4-5 years it takes to earn a teaching degree or the additional 1-2 years for a MA. Training only get you so far when a child erupts out of the blue endangering him/herself or others. We are extremely limited on what we can and cannot do. By law we are required to educate all children who come through our doors. We need more support and options not less.
 @thebigteacher Hi thebigteacher, How many classes did you take specifically in behavior analysis and positive behavior interventions?  In school, did you learn how to complete a functional assessment or write a positive behavior support plan?  Did you really learn how to assess and understand the functions of behaviors?  Did you learn the ethical practices to use behavior analysis?  Ethical use of ABA is so important!  Some schools do. For example, at Gonzaga University a student with a BA in Special Education has to take 2 classes- Applied Behavior Analysis and Classroom Management.  Their other classes are deeply rooted in ABA.  Many schools are not this way.  I was trying to explain differential reinforcement to someone who just received their Master's in Special Education from the UW.  This is a very basic behavior principal! Â
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What education did the paraeducators receive?  How much !:! hands on training do they receive?  WHen a child escalates, does the teacher immediately support the aide or does the aide/aides usually handle it themselves.  Who is in charge of letting the child out of the room?  Who decides they are ready?
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I do think you need more support and options.  I believe there should be many more positive options available.  I choose my clients, but they are ones that end up in these types of rooms.  Some have  aged out of school but were in seclusion rooms growing up.  By law, I don't think I  have the option to use such restrictive procedures, nor should I recommend a parent does it.  These are off the table for me.  And yes, i have been hit, bitten, scratched, and had things thrown at me.  I consider it part of my job, I chose to work with children who really need help.  I love it! It is an incredible feeling when you teach a child to self advocate and tell you what they need instead of acting out.  Yes I know there will always be outbursts, but I don't need an isolation box to calm the person down. Â
 @Teresa  @thebigteacher Teresa, holding a degree in psychology myself, I have to ask you why you think elementary teachers need to have such specialized training? Why does a school have to spend so much time and money on a child who obviously needs to be somewhere that is equipped to handle them. I am all for mainstreaming until that mainstreamed child is a threat to the safety of the other students and the staff, and when they are taking up resources that need to be spent on the kids who are there to learn. Mainstreaming works up to a point, and then we need to stop being so politically correct and come to terms with the fact that MANY of these kids needs to be in a school that is equipped to A) handle their outbursts B) has cognitive behavioral therapists and/or play therapists on site and C) can teach them skills they will REALLY use in their adult lives.
 @k_did Right on...
 @k_did  @thebigteacher More importantly, ALL of the things I listed (functional assessment and positive behavior supports) are part of a child's IEP when a seclusion room is considered. Â
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Using functional assessments and positive behavior supports would also mean they would need to know how to ethically use the principals of applied behavior analysis.  If they are not then, that is scary.  There are very very good reasons that behavior analysts continuously discuss and contemplate ethical issues.Â
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Developing,  implement, and oversee behavior plans are PART OF A TEACHERS JOB DESCRIPTION / EXPECTATIONS. Â
The issue at hand is seclusion rooms.  I am assuming that if a school believes the child requires access to a seclusion room, then they are not mainstreamed.  If they are, it is only for a class or two and with a lot of supports.  Also, the school should have carefully chosen general ed time based on the child's strengths, sensory issues, behaviors, etc. Â
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I do believe that the teachers who are work in classrooms, which children with extreemly challenging behaviors, should recieive speciialized training. Â I belive that the self contained classroom should be set up to "A) handle their outbursts B) has cognitive behavioral therapists and/or play therapists on site and C) can teach them skills they will REALLY use in their adult lives."
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Most children are forced to go to school because homeschool is not appropriate and/or an option.  They also have the RIGHT to a free and appropriate public education.  They also have the right to learn how to advocate for themselves and calm themselves down in a socially appropriate way (not a small room).
 @Teresa BASped, BAEd, BSSoc, MAEd. 45 credits Sped + 27 SBD (it is no longer called severely behaviorally disordered). I currently hold 165 credits beyond my MA. I am published. My MA was through Gonzaga after which I was invited to join the Prometheus Society and pursue my PHD (even with a partial scholarship I could not justify the expense) . I sort of know what I'm talking about and I never condoned "the box".
 @Willow  @thebigteacher Hi Willow, I am not sure what you mean by "students with issues like these."  I don't know off the top of my head.  I bet google could tell you the percent of children enrolled in Special Education each year.  I am not sure how specific they get.  I think you can look at each category (e.g. autism or multiple disabilities). I would be interested in knowing the number of special education students who have an aversive therapy plan. Â
 @thebigteacher  @Teresa I'm curious if there are more students with issues like this than there used to be?
 @Teresa I try and I'm still at it. The Feds, State and the Districts don't really care about the problems and sure as hell don't want to pay for it.
 @thebigteacher Wow you have quite the education.  I assume SBD is now EBD.  I hope you can go out and share you knowledge on how to help children with challenging behaviors.  What is your career now?
Ken, did you even listen to the story on Komo 4 radio, the folks you work for? Go back, listen to it, and you will answer many of your own questions. Perhaps you tuned it out because it was presented from a conservative view.
The Autism Society of WA has come out with a policy statement-
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"We oppose the use of seclusion rooms for any purpose. Experience has shown that the potential for inappropriate and abusive use of these rooms is so detrimental to studentâs welfare that any value experienced by some students is far outweighed by the harm done to a substantial number of others."
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Please read it and email ASW if you have any questions. Â
http://www.autismsocietyofwa.org/2012/11/asw-issues-policy-statement-on-restraint-and-seclusion/
My grandson has autism. My daughter has basically said if someone did this to her son it would be the last thing they ever did. Only a professional in special needs children should oversee this type of treatment. Putting someone in isolation like this can be very scarring and the damage would last a lifetime.
 @GimmaPam I have a friend that started a Master's program and 10 months later she was teaching a Behaviorally Impaired class.  She never took a behavior class in college.  Yet she was considered "highly qualified."
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If schools had more Board Certified Behavior Analysts, it would really help.  Behavior classes are not readily available in Master's of Teaching in Special Ed programs.  Also BCBA's have strict ethics they must follow and a place to report them (BACB website).  Many "behavior analysts" don't have to follow ethical guidelines.  Hopefully they do, but there is no standards deciding who is qualified to develop behavior plans with children with very challenging behavior.  The closet thing we have is the BCBA. Â
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Quite frankly Ken, I don't think they have any business using them period! Basically this is their way of not handling and taking care of a situation themselves. Basically, it's like "okay this kid's acting up, we ain't gonna talk to them or deal with this in a humane way, let's just lock them up!"
 @Zoso The kids aren't "acting up." They are mentally disabled. In some cases, they literally have no self control over their behavior.Â
 @lakeview Quite frankly, without more info, we don't know what exactly they're doing with these, as Ken pointed out.
 @Gimmer  @Zoso  @lakeview Wait, what? People can't ask questions?
 @Gimmer If I remember correctly from the other story, there was some peoblem with a kid where they decided to throw him in there. I also seem to recall that they're required to have parental permission, yet in this case, the parent was not notified and the kid was scared and didn't understand what was going on. I think that qualifies as abuse right there.
 @Zoso By your original statement, you've already stated your judgement of a situation that you clearly do not understand. No logical argument is going to be satisfactory rejoinder to, "Basically this is their way of not handling and taking care of a situation themselves."  And there are plenty of other folks on this thread that have explained the value in these booths for the right kids at the appropriate times.
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If there is abuse, please, address the abuse. Â But do not take away this tool that provides a genuine comfort for those special needs kiddos.
 @Gimmer You haven't convinced me otherwise since you clearly can't come back with a logical argument.
 @Gimmer  @GimmaPam Sorry, I also have a SUPER dry sense of humor and I have to be careful when writing.  My biggest personal goal in this whole thing is that the teachers and aides get the training and support they need.  Moreover, learn and rely on preventative and positive strategies.  In turn, the children get their needs met. Â
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If we should take the "box" out or not is a VERY tricky question for me.  I strongly believe that people have the right to an effective treatment.  That may mean aversives are required.  But as a BCBA, I also strongly believe that I need to show that MANY positive interventions have been implemented correctly and the DATA shows that they are not effective.  I also look at other things (e.g. health and saftey).  A behavior that MAY need an aversive plan is pica (eating non food items).  Eating something like glass is very dangerous therefore aversives MAY be required.  Aversive make me super uncomfortable due to my ethics. Â
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Also, to be effective it has to decrease the FUTURE probability of the behavior.  Therefore, a seclusion room is not a long term strategy. They should stop using it as soon as possible.Â
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Should seclusion rooms be taken out of schools?  I do believe that most teachers and paraeducators are NOT qualified to be developing and monitoring programs that include a seclusion room.  It really takes someone with training and experience.  Furthermore, I believe that allowing these types of interventions to be used changes their mindset.  Once you take it off the table, people really focus on the prevention strategies.  I guess I feel like the chance of abuse is great enough that they should not be in public schools.  Even if only a small percentage of children are affected. Â
 @GimmaPam That was my point! You missed my sarcasm (sorry -- translation is always lost in the interwebs).  You nailed it exactly -- not all children with ASD are the same!  And his teachers have obviously worked out something different with him.  No judgement here -- just asking for you to withhold it likewise for special educators, parents, and kiddos for which this works.
Don't be so judgemental. Not all children with Autism are the same. Thank God my grandson is high functioning. He does have melt-downs, has decided to leave school to find his mom for no particular reason and tells his mom he loves her in burps. Every day is an adventure. Fortunately the Tucson school district has their programs that work. Attention, not isolation. BTY, the day he tried to leave school, he didn't get far. They pay attention. And he lost a couple privileges for a while, but it was a lesson learned and remembered.
 @GimmaPam So, what you're saying is your grandson is severely autistic and has the occasional outbursts; capable of lashing out and/or throwing things?  And he has such an option worked into his IEP?
Gimmer, quite frankly, I do know.
 @Zoso  @lakeview Quite frankly, both you (Zoso) and Ken don't know what you're talking about. I wish you both would quietly excuse yourselves from a subject of which you are utterly ignorant.  Unless you care to regale us with stories about your experience with special needs kiddos? Please, do tell.