Treatment of kids with Autism/Downs/etc. in schools.

[GeekyAlex]

I thought I'd make this thread seeing how I'm a very high functioning autistic person, and seeing this article on the local news where a kid had part of her finger severed because of the use of a seclusion room:

 

http://www.wthr.com/story/21946439/school-seclusion-rooms-are-focus-of-indiana-bill

 

Personally, I think they can do much better. Ever heard of the Judge Rotenburg Center? It's a school out in Massachusetts that is very controversial for using the same methods, such as holding down students, and using electric shock therapy. There's a video out on Youtube of security footage from the school, which I won't post here cause it's very shocking, the kid is yelling and screaming because of these therapies but they just don't stop. This is not the 1950's, where autism was classified under the same label as retardation, schizophrenia and other very serious disorders.... autistic people are sometimes very smart, sure some are unfortunately more significant, but many I know, including myself, are very bright and intelligent. What will we do instead of these therapies? I don't know, but what do you think?

[† Emotional Outlet]

The autism spectrum isn't something I'm very familiar with (sorry in advance in case I say anything problematic, I really don't know much), but given what I know about how people tend to react to people who aren't neurotypical, whether it's due to mental illness or something like autism... and that I know there's an issue with people infantalising and condescending those on the autism spectrum, leading to some less than positive feelings about the fact that the autism ribbon is a series of primary coloured puzzle pieces...

 

Basically that even if those on the spectrum are not, by today's standards, on the same level as mental retardation or schizophrenia (and very rightly so), a lot of people still think they are on some level and thus feel uneasy. Much as people think that depression is something you can just "get over" and think that schizophrenia is the same as dissociative identity disorder (or that multiple personality disorder is still a thing, for that matter).

 

There's a lot of stigma associated with not being neurotypical, and that's definitely getting in the way of people coming up with effective therapies that don't involve just sweeping them under the rug so as not to inconvenience others. I think we need to get past the stigma and discomfort so we can actually come up with something useful and beneficial for everyone involved. What that actually entails other than continuing to dispel myths and allow people to be heard, however, I don't really know!

 

One of my favourite blog writers is autistic and almost always has some fascinating insight, so I can definitely attest to the fact that high functioning people with autism exist, but I don't know if everyone realises that. Admissions of autism seem to lead to, as previously mentioned, condescension and dehumanising. I don't know what it's like in real life and I'm probably lucky for that, given how bad people can be on the Internet.

 

But yeah, I really don't know a lot about the topic! I'm inclined to ask about your experience, but if you're not comfortable with that, I can find resources on my own, haha. Most of the social justice circles I travel don't really deal with ableism outside of the realm of sexism and racism. u-u So if you have any starting points for me, I'm open to suggestions!

[Dark_Angel13]

I'm not completely familiar with this either but I agree with you that very high functioning people like yourself and another I know don't need electro shock therapy or to be restrained and basically broken. Depending on where you lie in the spectrum with autism is generally how functional you are as a human being or at least that's how I see it, so wether you have like full blown autism or aspergers for example, both sort of dif ends of the scale.

 

 

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. The diagnostic criteria require that symptoms become apparent before a child is three years old.^[2] Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood.^[3] It is one of three recognized disorders in the autism spectrum (ASDs), the other two being Asperger syndrome, which lacks delays in cognitive development and language, and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (commonly abbreviated as PDD-NOS), which is diagnosed when the full set of criteria for autism or Asperger syndrome are not met.^[4]

 

The above is from a wikipedia page on autism and is where I went to find out more info about it a while back because of certain circumstances at the time. I dont think its right to lock away people and do horrible things to them in the hope these "therapies" with somehow help them when surely all it does is scar them for life and leave them ending up bouncing from asylum to asylum or as they call them therapy centres... I think there are much better ways to help these people instead of doing stupid shit like some doctors seem to be doing.

 

Keep in mind idk much about all this so I could just be talking out my ass right now but yeah, to sum up what I was trying to say. It's wrong how some of those people are treated and I see no problems with it in society, I mean sure if you need watching then thats what you need but it doesnt mean they need to be outcast and send to therapy centres and shit.

[AxelVIII]

I have Aspergers Syndrome for one, which is on the high functioning side of the Autistic spectrum, and I know that people like us don't need to be broken as a type of therapy. Hell, when it comes to schools, for example, if a student has Aspergers, he/she will seem intelligent, and look as if they knew what they were doing, little known to the school, they are actually having a harder time than it seems. It's doesn't matter what side of the spectrum you're on,  you should have someone asking you if you need help, or need to talk. If there is any therapy I have learned of it is give the person in question, not some sort of electro-shock, hypnotic kind of therapy, but give them something they enjoy doing for an extended amount of time, ask them if they need help with anything, and give them someone to talk to, that's the best support I can think of.

 

Sorry if this has no relation to the subject at hand, part of my problem is skipping important/forgotten pieces.lol.

Edited April 12, 2013 by AxelVIII

[lemmingllama]

I thought I'd make this thread seeing how I'm a very high functioning autistic person, and seeing this article on the local news where a kid had part of her finger severed because of the use of a seclusion room:

 

http://www.wthr.com/story/21946439/school-seclusion-rooms-are-focus-of-indiana-bill

 

Personally, I think they can do much better. Ever heard of the Judge Rotenburg Center? It's a school out in Massachusetts that is very controversial for using the same methods, such as holding down students, and using electric shock therapy. There's a video out on Youtube of security footage from the school, which I won't post here cause it's very shocking, the kid is yelling and screaming because of these therapies but they just don't stop. This is not the 1950's, where autism was classified under the same label as retardation, schizophrenia and other very serious disorders.... autistic people are sometimes very smart, sure some are unfortunately more significant, but many I know, including myself, are very bright and intelligent. What will we do instead of these therapies? I don't know, but what do you think?

 

Just to comment, electric shock therapy has been made to be completely humane in this day and age. It involves sedating the patient beforehand and a witness must be present to insure that the treatment goes well. Also it has been proven to help extreme cases of depression and mania. So although I am not condoning them forcing it onto people with autism, it could potentially help their condition.

 

Of course, autism isnt necessarily a bad thing. My brother has aspergers syndrome, and all it did was make him care less about appearances and become one of the best programmers I know.

 

And to the article posted, those rooms are occasionally necessary for when a child is out of control. Keep in mind that these are extreme cases where the children could hurt themselves or others, so restraining them in a padded room until they calm down will be more helpful than harmful. Plus it will improve the learning conditions for the other students

[AxelVIII]

I thought I'd make this thread seeing how I'm a very high functioning autistic person, and seeing this article on the local news where a kid had part of her finger severed because of the use of a seclusion room:

 

http://www.wthr.com/story/21946439/school-seclusion-rooms-are-focus-of-indiana-bill

 

Personally, I think they can do much better. Ever heard of the Judge Rotenburg Center? It's a school out in Massachusetts that is very controversial for using the same methods, such as holding down students, and using electric shock therapy. There's a video out on Youtube of security footage from the school, which I won't post here cause it's very shocking, the kid is yelling and screaming because of these therapies but they just don't stop. This is not the 1950's, where autism was classified under the same label as retardation, schizophrenia and other very serious disorders.... autistic people are sometimes very smart, sure some are unfortunately more significant, but many I know, including myself, are very bright and intelligent. What will we do instead of these therapies? I don't know, but what do you think?

 

Just to comment, electric shock therapy has been made to be completely humane in this day and age. It involves sedating the patient beforehand and a witness must be present to insure that the treatment goes well. Also it has been proven to help extreme cases of depression and mania. So although I am not condoning them forcing it onto people with autism, it could potentially help their condition.

 

Of course, autism isnt necessarily a bad thing. My brother has aspergers syndrome, and all it did was make him care less about appearances and become one of the best programmers I know.

 

And to the article posted, those rooms are occasionally necessary for when a child is out of control. Keep in mind that these are extreme cases where the children could hurt themselves or others, so restraining them in a padded room until they calm down will be more helpful than harmful. Plus it will improve the learning conditions for the other students

 

 

I agree that it MAY be humane, but that doesn't mean that it's completely safe. I had a doctor suggest that to me, and he said 8/10 the procedure goes without problems or lasting effects, and I'm not in the right state to be put through that, so we said no.

 

And I understand and agree that putting someone who may be a danger in solitary is a reasonable act. Sometimes you need to take away everything a person can hurt/injure with, and let them calm down.

[† Emotional Outlet]

Part of the issue, I think, is that there's the distinct possibility of them locking up children who don't actually pose a threat to others and are only locked up because they are inconvenient and make people uncomfortable. People have been locked up before for no reason--like this man who was left in solitary for almost two years. He wasn't even given a hearing or allowed to see a judge. They just threw him into solitary and said, "Welp, we're done for the day!"

 

When we have things like Oppositional Defiant Disorder--which has a list of symptoms that sound like every single teenager (and some adults) in the universe--it's not hard to imagine that people who don't want to deal with problematic children would jump at the first chance to push them aside.

 

Not to mention, hey, this kid lost a finger to a door and teachers have used duct tape to restrain children. Something needs to change.