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Mother Finds Autistic Son In Handcuffs At School
Local 6 Houston TX ^ | 11/12/02 | Staff

Posted on 11/13/2002 4:05:49 AM PST by Skooz

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STORY

Mother Finds Autistic Son In Handcuffs At School

School, Mother To Meet Tuesday

HOUSTON -- A Houston-area mother who went to pick up her 8-year-old son at school said that she found him handcuffed and lying face down in his classroom in northwest Harris County.

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The incident happened Monday at Haude Elementary School in Spring, Texas.

Lisa Calvin told Houston's KPRC-TV that she is upset after seeing her son, Adam, who is autistic and functions at a 5-year-old level, in handcuffs.

"It felt like some kind of freak show," Calvin said. "I could hear him begging. He was saying, 'please take these off' and he was crying. When I saw him on the floor, he was soaked in sweat."

Calvin said that her son was handcuffed by a Klein Independent School District police officer after having a tantrum.

"I heard the cop tell him, 'Boy, when you calm down, I'll take these off of you.' (It was) what he was saying when I was coming down the hall," Calvin said.

School district officials released a statement saying, "There was a situation at school in which a student was out of control. The situation was of such concern, that there were teachers, teacher assistants, and administrators that were injured due to the behavior. The options for the school district to control a child are limited. Restraint is one of them."

School officials said that Adam was handcuffed for just a brief period -- about two to three minutes -- and that the district does not use corporal punishment on special-education students.

The school suspended Adam for a day.

"(I've) questioned their ability to deal with him and they've told me that they're perfectly capable of handling a child with autism," Calvin said.

Calvin said that what she and her son experienced was fear and inexperience.

"If I go to work and I'm half-an-hour away or I'm on the other side of town, how long will they leave him handcuffed? Will he just stay in handcuffs until I can get there to pick him up? Or will they just go ahead and have them take him to jail?" she asked.

Calvin and school officials are expected to meet Tuesday to discuss whether Adam will return to school.

Copyright 2002 by local6.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: autism; schools
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1 posted on 11/13/2002 4:05:49 AM PST by Skooz
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Comment #2 Removed by Moderator

To: Takkli
There was a local kid who was sat on by a teacher until he calmed down. He died. No charges were filed.
3 posted on 11/13/2002 4:29:32 AM PST by TxBec
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To: Skooz
Calvin said that what she and her son experienced was fear and inexperience

I wonder if this child was being "mainstreamed." The fashion for putting children with serious problems into regular classrooms often results in teachers and staff having to deal with kids that they have no idea how to handle. The kids are referred to as "special education" students, but they don't seem to be receiving much of the "special" part of it.

4 posted on 11/13/2002 4:38:24 AM PST by livius
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To: Skooz
"(I've) questioned their ability to deal with him and they've told me that they're perfectly capable of handling a child with autism," Calvin said."

. . .perfectly capable of dealing with autism; but they do not say 'how'. . .and we do not know if the question was ever asked by the parent; or explained by the school.

. . .do think special environments are needed for some 'special' children. School should not be an additional suffering.

5 posted on 11/13/2002 4:46:14 AM PST by cricket
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To: livius
I wouldn't send him back. She should try to get him out of there. It's only going to get worse. There are schools for autistic children with people who know how to handle them.

The only reason these schools want special ed kids is the funding they get. Who knows if it goes where it's supposed to.
6 posted on 11/13/2002 4:46:25 AM PST by ladylib
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To: livius
That's a good point. My wife is a teacher and has had some experience with that. It puts addtional stress on the school, the classroom, the student and the teacher with very dubious results.
7 posted on 11/13/2002 4:47:15 AM PST by Skooz
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To: Skooz
This is just state funded day care for a severely disabled child.

Some firemen I work with get payed 250$ a day to go sit in classrooms

with kids like this one and keep them occupied.

They even keep these kids over the summer!

8 posted on 11/13/2002 4:47:57 AM PST by DainBramage
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To: Skooz
Why would anyone think that an entire school should be disrupted by on out of control 8 year old? Should every one stand around while the kid tears up the place?
9 posted on 11/13/2002 4:53:24 AM PST by Flint
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To: livius
You nailed it - thos parents who insist on mainstreaming don't do their children any favors, and make life infinitely more difficult for the teachers and the others, all for little to no gain.
10 posted on 11/13/2002 4:55:34 AM PST by Chancellor Palpatine
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To: Flint
So handcuffing the child is the only solution?
11 posted on 11/13/2002 4:55:41 AM PST by Skooz
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To: ladylib
The only reason these schools want special ed kids is the funding they get.
And if they can't get "special ed kids" they'll make some.
Providing an Appropriate Education to Children with Attention Deficit Disorder
Both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provide coverage for children with ADD. When the disability adversely affects educational performance, eligibility for special education should be approached through the processes of IDEA.
Snip...Requires that an evaluation be done, without undue delay, to determine if the child has one or more of 13 specified disabling conditions and requires special education and related services.
12 posted on 11/13/2002 5:07:55 AM PST by philman_36
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To: DainBramage
What? They pay them $250 a day to do what? Babysit? What does the teacher do? What a waste. DO the taxpayers know about that??
THis kid needs to be in a special school...he must be disruptive to the other kids.
If I was one of these other parents, I'd be mad that this kid was causing problems and interrupting school classrooms.
13 posted on 11/13/2002 5:08:25 AM PST by Sungirl
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To: Skooz
So handcuffing the child is the only solution?

That or a straightjacket (ooops..outlawed) or put him in a rubber/padded room (allowed).

14 posted on 11/13/2002 5:10:50 AM PST by Sungirl
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To: Takkli
Did you ever try to handle a child out of control (autistic, or otherwise)? We have several autistic children on our middle school campus, one of whom I teach. (He does well.) Two years ago we had an autistic child who didn't like to be touched, by anyone, ever, not even other students. (So why, you might ask, was this student put into a crowded public school where he had to change classes every 70 minutes?) He frequently went on shrieking sprees. Frequently, these shrieking sprees (which didn't just disrupt the activities of other students-- it upset them on an emotional level), were often included his running throught the school, uncontrolled, shrieking. Do you see the problem? I don't know anything about this particular autistic child, but out-of-control children can terrorize. Ah, but they must be mainstreamed we are told by Washington, D. C., regardless of whether the education of others is disrupted.
15 posted on 11/13/2002 5:13:15 AM PST by Clara Lou
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To: Sungirl
Its worse than that, this child, and I think two others, have their own room and teacher...and fireman. He told me all they do is play board games and talk. During the summer they take him to the mall and the park. The fireman has begun to get attached to the child, and says he's very bright sometimes, but not often, and he gets violent occcasionally. 250$ is twice what the teachers make.

These reasoning behind the extra help is that the teachers can get hurt if the kids go nuts and jump them. The firemen had to go through a week of training and they showed them tapes of how the kids can hurt themselves and teachers.

16 posted on 11/13/2002 5:16:55 AM PST by DainBramage
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To: ladylib
I don't know how it is where you live, but our campus was designated to take autistic children as part of our student body. Campus teachers and administration had nothing to do with the decision. As for "the funding," big deal! All of that funding has to be spent on facilities for the students in the program. The disruption costs more than the funding can ever pay for, and the staff becomes bloated with inexperienced aides who have to deal with these students' unpredictable behavior.
17 posted on 11/13/2002 5:17:42 AM PST by Clara Lou
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To: DainBramage
That's disgusting. The mother gets free child care....and the taxpayers obviously don't know or don't care.
18 posted on 11/13/2002 5:19:01 AM PST by Sungirl
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To: Sungirl
I think its state law that every child be able to go to school. I think the whole thing is just a way to provide saftey for the teacher so a police officer doesn't have to "secure" the kid.
19 posted on 11/13/2002 5:21:24 AM PST by DainBramage
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To: Flint
Handcuffs are not the way to do it. They can be very painful - they are thin strips of metal. I know someone who wasn't resisting who ended up with scars from handcuffs. They are not for children.
20 posted on 11/13/2002 5:25:51 AM PST by I still care
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