Alan Rock was growing increasingly concerned for his nine-year-old son, Daniel, who diagnosed with autism. Daniel had initially made good progress in school, moving from a specialist autism unit to a general class. However, Alan noticed a regression in his son’s behaviour.
Describing the situation, Alan said, “Daniel didn’t want to attend school anymore. He would go to bed immediately after school and became reserved. Suddenly, he wasn’t the boy we knew.”
Daniel’s anxiety heightened, to the point he refused to enter the classroom. Instead, he would shut himself in the school bathrooms or latch onto railings, refusing to release his grip.
Alan decided to gift Daniel an Apple smartwatch, providing him the option to document his feelings during anxiety spells. The idea was for Daniel to express his emotions and discuss them with his father at home.
However, the following day, Daniel activated the recording feature on the watch as he approached his school, but forgot to turn it off. That evening, upon listening to the full recording, Alan felt a sense of impending doom.
Suddenly, everything made sense to Alan. “The shifts in his behaviour, his reluctance to be at school,” he said.
The recorded audio captured interactions between staff and Daniel as he resisted entering the class. It also picked up behind-the-scenes discussions about Daniel amongst staff members.
A staff member can be heard expressing frustration, “You’re squandering my time. We are going to have the entire class observe your behaviour…We can’t continue like this in the mornings. It’s quite embarrassing…”
The same staff member then threatened Daniel with the possibility of missing his Communion with his parents if he did not mend his behaviour, and also having to stay in school for the entire day. Daniel, interestingly, was on a shortened school schedule.
“See, your parents won’t be coming at noon anymore. I’m going to ask your mother not to fetch you until 2.40 pm, which means no more playtime in the hall. You will be heading directly to class.”
Towards the end, one staff member is requested to stay with Daniel and told to ‘ignore him’. Another suggested a change in their approach with Daniel, warning him that he wouldn’t like the shift.
Some school staff have made commendable efforts to encourage and boost morale for him at moments. Still, an overarching feeling of annoyance persists. As one individual stated, “Daniel, I know you’re capable of speaking. So what’s holding you back? Speak up, please – I can’t understand lip-reading,” they exclaimed. Another faculty member voiced a sympathetic statement for another person, noting, “It’s hard not to feel pity for them. What will they become in the future?”
One particular instance involved a mentally impaired boy diagnosed with autism, who was forced to wear a wetsuit at school in order to prevent faecal smearing – this was in defiance of his mother’s objections. Having heard the audio recording of these exchanges, Mr Rock promptly pulled his son out of school the succeeding day. He submitted an official complaint to the school and Tusla in quick succession, categorising these actions as tantamount to “emotional maltreatment”.
He also lodged an objection with the Irish Society for Behaviour Analysis because the school had adopted the approach of applied behavioural analysis to assist his son. After analysing the transcript, the society’s board of directors generated a report stating that a majority of the interactions with Daniel were deemed “unpleasant” and met the behavioural parameters for “verbal mistreatment”.
Rock is yet to receive any response from the school, while Tusla has determined that no “additional action was warranted”, as Daniel’s parents had reacted in a “defensive” manner. This body pointed out that a distinct behavioural pattern would have to be identified for any further investigation into emotional abuse to ensure progress.
The way pupils with complex needs are handled within the educational system became a focal point this week after a report was released by the Ombudsman for Children’s Office. One conspicuous case it shed light upon was that of a mentally disabled boy suffering from autism forced to don a wetsuit to school, against his mother’s will, to prevent faecal smearing.
Ryan, a non-verbal child, was “exceedingly distraught and clearly distressed” regarding being confined to a wetsuit and frequently displayed overt signs of anguish when going to school. In the wake of the ombudsman’s inquiry, the school offered an apology to Ryan and his mother, admitting its lack of policy in situations that demanded restraint. It has now integrated a fresh policy offering guidance for educators, encouraging reinforcement of positive behaviour over punitive measures.
According to an ombudsman report, establishing and adopting a policy has proven difficult for schools due to lack of guidelines from the Department of Education. Despite its overarching role in managing children’s residential care, the department does not provide comprehensive directions on handling challenging behaviour in schools, including the application of isolation and restraint techniques.
Earlier this year, Inclusion Ireland and AsIAm, organizations representing children diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and autism respectively, conducted a survey of over 400 parents of disabled children. They aimed to ascertain the scale at which these pupils experience seclusion or restraint as behavioural control measures. The results showed that 35% of children had experienced isolation, and restraint was reported in 27% of cases.
Parents revealed instances of extreme behaviour control techniques, from students being confined to rooms alone, to being physically dragged across school premises, or being held and lifted against their will. Some parents reported distressing instances, such as a child being forcibly pulled across a school corridor into a deemed ‘safe space’, and another, subjected to noise overstimulations when the teacher forcefully removed his hands from his ears.
Furthermore, one account shared how their daughter was bruised from being physically carried by her extremities into a sensory room and instructed she could not exit. While changing schools, a parent reported a significant transformation in their child’s demeanor and expressed relief.
Inclusion Ireland’s chief executive, Derval McDonagh, highlighted the damaging nature and the violation of rights presented by these treatment practices. She expressed significant concern over the Department of Education’s failure to release guidelines on comprehending and addressing challenging behaviour. McDonagh emphasized the urgency of the matter, given another school year has ended, marking five years since their report on seclusion and restraint was released. She feared the public is becoming numb to these shocking revelations and questioned what it would take for action to ensue.
Adam Harris, chief executive of AsIAm, commented that too often, children attempting to communicate their distress are unjustly penalized under the school’s behaviour codes.
We constantly receive reports from families who’ve had troubling encounters with seclusion and restraint tactics used in schools, according to our organisations. There’s a surprising lack of urgency despite many of these incidents undergoing thorough statutory examinations and proceedings, they explain.
The Department of Education indicates it is in the process of defining pertinent child-focused guidelines dealing with “concerning behaviours.” It is keen on promoting “a whole-school positive methodology,” prioritising prevention and early intervention strategies.
A training schedule that enables schools to better comprehend these behaviours and handle crises is anticipated to be shared once the rules have been officially released, presumably “prior to the upcoming academic year’s commencement.”
Teachers, burdened with maintaining a non-disruptive education for children, find managing problem behaviour one of the most difficult experiences. Meanwhile, management boards are obligated to ensure the school environment remains safe and healthy.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) points out several key areas requiring both financial injections and additional advice. These include early detection and intervention, guaranteed access to Special Needs Assistants in every class and teacher’s ongoing professional development.
INTO also urges the Department of Education to set up multidisciplinary teams within the school setting, deliver solid transition help, and guarantee sufficient cover when teachers are absent. They argue these measures are crucial in meeting the varied needs of pupils and fostering an inclusive education environment.
INTO secretary general, John Boyle, stated, the delivery of the long-awaited guidelines on problematic behaviours before the new term’s onset, together with an intensive support and training package, is crucial.
He added, “The government also needs to address the extensive waiting times for therapeutic services, ensure swift replacement of support service vacancies, and enhance the understanding and impementation of the behaviour of concern protocols.”
He further emphasised, “Enacting these measures will significantly enhance the support currently provided to our students with special educational needs, our teachers, and our schools.”
Meanwhile, Alan Rock shared that his son is doing remarkably well in his new school, describing it as, “a complete transformation.” However, he shared the “frightening” stories from other parents he interacts with via a Facebook group he established, lamenting that the only recourse appears to be lodging complaints with the school management boards.
He asserts that they lack autonomy and emphasises the necessity for an independent organisation to probe into these matters. Justifying the maltreatment of children is unequivocally unacceptable. Arguments are made suggesting that a staff member might be experiencing a tough day. But there’s no allowance for ‘rough days’ when you’re tasked with the care of children with extra needs. No reasons can pardon such behaviour.