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Informal Removals Can Violate Federal Civil Rights Protections and Don’t Help Children
My child was informally removed from public school in 6th grade, 7th grade, and 8th grade. Each time, the decisions came from increasingly powerful school officials: initially, a school counselor, then the school principal, and eventually the head of special education. Initially, our concerns were for their mental health. However, formal removals in 9th grade…
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A Letter to Ellsworth School District
What follows is a letter we sent to the Superintendent and Board of Education for the Ellsworth School District in Maine. When community members share concerns related to the use of restraint and seclusion use in a school district we are always happy to reach out to see if we can help. That was the…
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Comments on the Mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection (ED-2024-SCC-0128)
The Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR) is grateful for the opportunity to respond to the request for information regarding mandatory civil rights data collection (ED-2024-SCC-0128). AASR is a national nonprofit organization and a community of over 30,000 parents, caregivers, self-advocates, educators, related professionals, and others working together to influence change in supporting children whose…
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Comprehensive Strategies for Fostering Cognitive and Emotional Growth in Trauma-Affected Children
Children placed in out-of-home care often face trauma and various adversities that significantly impact their cognitive, emotional, and social development. While trauma-informed practices offer a foundation, there is a growing need for targeted, long-term strategies that directly address cognitive challenges and foster recovery.
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Convince Your Supervisor that You Should Complete Our New Course “Restraint and Seclusion in Schools”
Would you like to complete our new online training course “Restraint and Seclusion in Schools: What Educators, Administrators, and Related Professionals Need to Know” but need to convince your supervisor? We’ve got you covered! Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint volunteer Trisha Thompson drafted a letter to help you convince whoever might need convincing.
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Accommodations Prepare Children for The Real World
October 2023 was very different from October 2024. My children were enrolled in public school in a small town in Connecticut, and we were all feeling miserable. My oldest son, Frankie, was in second grade and struggling tremendously. We had yet to have an IEP meeting after nearly two months of school. His anxiety was…
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Convince Your Supervisor that You Should Attend our Supporting All Brains Conference
Would you like to attend our upcoming Supporting All Brains conference but need to convince your supervisor? We’ve got you covered! Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint volunteer Trisha Thompson drafted a letter to help you convince whoever might need convincing.
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The Ripples of Trauma from Restraint and Seclusion
The result of children experiencing being restrained and secluded creates trauma responses in the brain. Any experience that the brain perceives as unsafe despite with whom, when, and where IS traumatic. The stress response in the lower part of the brain is designed for survival and it does not nor cannot delineate between perceived and…
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Be Curious and Dig Deeper
Struggles with non-preferred tasks. How many of us have read this sentence about our child? How many have written this sentence about a child we work with, or had it written about you? I heard this sentence in my son’s annual IEP (Individualized Education Plan) review meeting and am still kicking myself for not addressing…
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Trauma, Healing, and Positive Identity Development
We have come to realize that bullying is trauma. And many who are bullied or have been bullied have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Bullying can come from peers, but it can also come from a number of other sources, such as aids, teachers, and even the parents of peers. There are countless stories of…
