Mother Finds Autistic Son In Handcuffs At School

Local 6 Houston TX ^ | 11/12/02 | Staff

[Skooz]

STORY

Mother Finds Autistic Son In Handcuffs At School

School, Mother To Meet Tuesday

Posted: 11:32 a.m. EST November 12, 2002

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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	Hear More Of What Happened In Class

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Spiff]

You get what you freakin' pay for, lady. If you can't afford home or private school, you shouldn't complain about the welfare schools. When you take a handout you either say thank you or you shut up.

I may sound cold, but that is the situation.

[apologist]

I have a gifted child and a "special needs" child. I can boost the education of my gifted child. I am not trained and educated in helping my special ed child.

With extra help, my daughter will be a productive member of society. If left alone, she would be a drain on society her entire life.

Thank you for taking the time to post this. As a father of a nine year old boy who falls in this category I can appreciate the desires of some parents to see their kids mainstreamed... yet as someone generally conservative-minded, I can also see how some would perceive this as another "liberal statist mandate"... which may have some truth to it, but it's not the entire picture.

When I was in high-school some twenty odd years ago, and kids like this were kept completely separate, it was a common occurence for one of "their" buses to pull up and see the usual idiots making fun of the "retards". Striving for some level of integration in school has, I believe, resulted in kids being more compassionate towards those of severely lesser abilities. I'm not saying all special needs kids should be 100% mainstreamed - that's foolish - but, for example, our elementary school tries to mainstream difficult children at some level of minimum disruption - perhaps music classes, phys ed, lunch times, whatever.

My wifes friend has a sister, about 45, with Down's Syndrome, who spends her entire life in her bedroom in her folks house, watching TV, because the mindset some time ago was that most of these people were hopeless cases who should be institutionalized, and hidden from view until then. Her parents will likely not live much longer, God knows what's going to happen to her, without any developed skills whatsoever.

We're fortunate enough that we're in the position to homeschool our son, but we still pay a good amount of money every year on various professional help. Many families are not as fortunate, cannot homeschool this type of child nor afford the services that may help. And people who are not in this situation have little idea of how incredibly trying it is just taking care of a child like this, let alone trying to educate/socialize one. I know many, many families in these circumstances for which public assistance and education is a godsend.... they're not out to "milk the government", they're just trying to get help.

As a conservative, I think most people should try to be as self-sufficient as they can... as a Christian father of a special needs kid, I also see a place for publically helping some who are nearly helpless.

[Flint]

I doubt teachers work Sundays.

You are so wrong that it hurts.

[lepton]

That's really an inaccurate statement. Schools do get "special ed funding," yes. But the funds are woefully inadequate to handle the volume. Courts, state legislatures and Congress have mandated that "special needs" children MUST be served. But they do NOT mandate or provide the funding required.

...And another thing: Ever seen what parents go through once their kid has been put on the "special needs" list? One is always on it, even if proven to be a mistake. There was an article on FR last year about a kid who was being homeschooled, and improved five grade levels over the course of two years, but because she wouldn't allow the Social Services and special help people (who created a disruptive environment) in, they forced her to put him back in the school system that had been failing him.

Special Needs funding may be poor compensation for the worst cases, but many systems bloat the numbers with simply underperforming kids to receive the extra funding.

[Skooz]

I doubt teachers work Sundays.

My wife (a teacher) works every Sunday.

[Illbay]

Pretty funny! Thanks for the lift!

[lepton]

If an adult can't subdue an 8 year old without using handcuffs or drugs, they aren't much of an adult...

At age 6, I could lift a standing 220 pound person off the floor, and at age 7, I took the paddle away from a teacher and hit her back with it (mistake). There's obviously a wide range of 8 year olds, and teachers in physical capability.

[Skooz]

LOL! Thanks for that post.

I especially like the "I think it's printed on the bottom."

[pepsionice]

This is a major problem with kids today with problems like this. You set them up in a real class environment and pretend that they are totally normal and nothing special...and the truth is that its exactly the opposite. They need special attention and care in the school. If you don't ask for the care or get that understanding from the management....then you are going to have problems like this.

[luckystarmom]

My son will excell no matter what money is used on him.

My daughter will not function in society if the money is not spent on her.

I think I'd rather have the money spent on helping kids function in society.

[luckystarmom]

Actually, most teachers are required to go to some sort of training during the summer, and they are usually only off around 2 months. In California, school is out in the middle of June and the teachers stay a week or 2 longer. Then school starts the end of August, and the teachers have to be there a few weeks before school starts.

[Flint]

My wife had 6 weeks break from school this past summer. Keep in mind that she is being paid for 9 months work. You do the math.

[laker_dad]

I can understand your point of view, considering your situation. However, I would prefer that the tax dollars collected from ALL home owners be used to benefit the entire student population fairly. If you have to spend extra dollars for 5% of the population at one end of the bell curve, you should spend an equal amount on the 5% at the other end, IMHO.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

I also have a child in gifted program and the other is "special needs."

I am learning how to work with both. My wife and I started working with them as soon as we realized what was happening. We have worked very hard at getting them what they needed. My oldest is in a program that challenges him to do his best and our youngest is getting what he needs to be in line with his peers.
The best resource we have found so far is Dr. Stanley Turecki's book "The Difficult Child"
Both are very stressful on their mother. Understanding and coping with the individual needs of each child are extremely important to getting them what they need to excel either into a mainstream class or beyond. "Difficult" children are not out of the range of normal and some late talkers have exceptional minds. They are just different and WE need to adjust OUR techniques if we are to be effective teachers. Isn't teaching a child how to become a good adult is a parent's job?
Problem is, not very many teachers want to work that hard and not too many parents know what to do. It is very difficult for parents to know what to do if they desire to work at it.
Quite a lot of these problems are hereditary and if the parent's situation was mishandled, there is a good chance they still have the same needs as the children.
It is a lot easier to just label the kid Autistic and write him off than to look a little deeper at them and ourselves to see what is going on and adjust.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

I guess that means you would rather leave some children left behind and forget about the next Stephen Hawking who may be out there.

[laker_dad]

I guess that means you would rather leave some children left behind and forget about the next Stephen Hawking who may be out there.

What? I can't remember saying that!

[luckystarmom]

I think you are right about a lot of the parents of special ed kids have problems also.

The hard part is knowing what is best for your child. Even my husband and I disagree about what to do with our children. I don't personally know of one child (or parent of child) that has speech problems as severe as my daughter. There is an online group, but that is very different than having someone next door to talk to. It makes it very difficult to figure out how to handle situations like discipline.

I'll have to read that book. I haven't read it. Thanks for the recommendation.

I feel very sad for the children whose parents will not or cannot help them.

I actually do think my daughter will be okay. She may not go to college, but I really think she may. If not, then I will help her find something else productive to do.

I have a friend that I've known since we were 7 years old. She has severe handicapping arthritis, and she is legally blind. She has other problems with her kidneys, and I don't know what else. Well, she was always an honor roll student, and ended up going to college and getting a master's degree in speech therapy. She is now married. I haven't talked to her in a few years because she is in Texas and I am in Califoria. I know that she (and her mother) have been an inspiration to me, and I know the money the schools spent on her were well worth it.

[vnix]

you're absolutely right. This is the kind of shit that I hate to see happen. This school district just wants the money. It really goes to show how interested they really are when it comes to educating our children.

[AZHSer]

Sorry, but you are wrong.(at least in AZ) My homeschool son has received speech therapy at the public school for 3 years. They are required to offer services to all students. Some over-zealous disticts might try to use disabilities to force you back in to the public school but that hasn't been the case here. Sierra Vista Public Schools even sent therapists to our homeschool support group to offer testing and additional services. No strings attached.

[summer]

Illbay, thank you for you heartfelt defense of good teachers everywhere. Many people have no idea how hard some teachers work.