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Shortened school days for autistic students
Many parents of children with autism have to deal with the fact that their child's school often calls them at work because their child was having a meltdown at school. They often demand that the parents come and get the child immediately and take them home. This often results in shortened school days for extended periods of time as school administrators claim they do not have the resources to deal with the child's behavior, putting the safety of staff and other students at risk. This practice is not in accordance with the Education Act, the Act on People with...
Shortened school days for autistic students
Many parents of children with autism have to deal with the fact that their child's school often calls them at work because their child was having a meltdown at school. They often demand that the parents come and get the child immediately and take them home. This often results in shortened school days for extended periods of time as school administrators claim they do not have the resources to deal with the child's behavior, putting the safety of staff and other students at risk.
This practice is not consistent with the Education Act, the Persons with Disabilities Act or the Human Rights Code.
Shortened school days or part-time attendance should be a plan agreed upon by both parents and the school and must only benefit the student - to meet the student's needs - and not due to a lack of resources at the school. An example of this would be if the student was medically fragile and could not physically complete a full day of school. Another example is when the student attends another program such as IBI part-time or gradually transitions from the IBI program to a full school day. It would be acceptable for the school to call the parent to take the child home if the child is sick. However, if the child has had a day of "bad behavior" or multiple days of "bad behavior" due to meltdowns, it is not acceptable for the child to be suspended from school informally or formally, even if this aggressive behavior is likely a symptom of the disability (in this case, autism).
How can this be addressed? Be proactive. Request the development and implementation of a behavioral intervention or safety plan. It should contain the following:
- Eine Beschreibung des Verhaltens des Schülers.
- Eine Liste von Auslösern oder Faktoren, die Angst oder Unruhe verursachen können und zu besorgniserregendem Verhalten führen.
- Strategien und Anpassungen, einschließlich des Grads der Unterstützung, die vorhanden sein müssen, um das Auftreten von Angstzuständen oder Unruhe zu verringern.
- Anzeichen dafür würden darauf hinweisen, dass die Angst oder Unruhe zunimmt.
- Maßnahmen, die von den Mitarbeitern sofort ergriffen werden müssen, wenn ein unsicheres Verhalten auftritt, z. B.: Schüler von Gleichaltrigen trennen, Schüler aus der Situation entfernen, zusätzliche Hilfe anfordern usw.
- Wie Sie reagieren, wenn das Verhalten beendet ist, z. B.: Dokumentation, Berichterstattung an die Eltern, Überprüfung des Plans – was hat funktioniert, was nicht, was muss geändert werden
- Eine Liste häufiger falscher Antworten des Personals während und nach dem Verhalten, die das Verhalten aufrechterhalten oder verschlechtern können (z. B. das Senden des Kindes nach Hause).
- Programmziele, die in das IEP aufgenommen werden sollen und zu einer Verringerung der Angst führen würden, z. B. in den Bereichen Kommunikation, sensorische Integration und soziale Kompetenzen.
If this plan is developed and implemented as quickly as possible when the child with autism begins a new placement in school, suspensions and shortened school days can be avoided.
Inspired by Karen A. Robinson