Let's start with the ugly and uglier than this, you cannot get. The Government Accountability Office has revealed in a shocking report that hundreds of kids are abused every year at school. Some have even been died as a result of this punishment. It seems that special needs kids (severe ADHD and or autism) are more at risk and there have been reports of kids being locked up for hours without food. All this because they have severe behavior problems. But what sort of kids behaviour can justify this sort of cruel punishment.? Worse, there is no federal law on restraint and seclusion and state laws are a mixed bag and up to 19 states have no law at all in this regard.
Now for the bad and that is that the teachers in question are still teaching, maybe in another state. Moral of the story is that while these kids can disrupt a class and have to be dealt with, training needs to be given to teachers by qualified personnel so that they can handle it. Everyone knows (but not some teachers!) that rewarding good behaviors is the way to go and that bad behavior can be reduced. All the experts now say that behavior modification like this in both the classroom and at home is what gets results. Period. Although restraint is sometimes necessary to avoid other children getting hurt,locking up kids will not solve kids behavior problems.
What is the good that can come out of all this? If you have a kid who is ADHD or ODD or just has behavior problems, you will need to liaise with the teacher. There are thousands of dedicated, qualified teachers who do not use the above methods, thank goodness.
Ask her what behaviors are forbidden and what kind of good behavior is encouraged and what rewards systems are in place. You could also check to make sure that any disruptive behavior is not rewarded by sending the kid out which in many cases suits the kid as he hates the classroom so in a way, this is rewarding bad behavior! If the teacher's behavior plan fits in with your behavior modification program at home , all the better. It will ensure that there are no double standards.
Ask any educator or child health expert and all are now agreed that behavioral therapy is the best and most permanent way of solving kids behavior problems. If you have a system in place in your home, you will be well on the way to solving this problem and can look forward to a much happier and more serene family life.
Want to learn how to cope with kids behavior? Discover a whole new world in a behavior modification course.
Robert Locke is a Health enthusiast who specializes in Children's Health. He has written extensively on ADHD and Behavior Therapy.
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