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Behaviors Charts: Helpful Strategy or Harmful Practice?
We have many thoughts and ideas about behavior charts, most of which would not surprise our long-time readers. While perhaps well-intentioned, behavior charts can cause anxiety, shame, a loss of intrinsic motivation and can increase stress behaviors. I remember the frustration behavior charts caused my son and our family. He would come home from school…
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Unpacking “Do your best”: More Than Just Three Words
From a learning and brain science standpoint, “do your best” is a complex directive. The all too common classroom expectation of “do my best” is a staple in many classrooms. Yet, from perspectives grounded in learning science and brain mechanics, “do my best” is far from straightforward or clear, especially for neurodivergent learners.
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Elizabeth’s Story: You can’t be trauma-informed and cause trauma
Having a child with a disability or special needs comes with its own set of challenges and rewards. But for some of us parents, there is another looming fear, which is the fear that your child will be seriously injured or killed at school through the use of restraint or seclusion. In Pennsylvania, the PA…
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A Letter to the Burlington School District Board
My name is Brian Dalla Mura, and I am writing to express my deep concern and strong desire for the Burlington School District Board to establish a subcommittee dedicated to reviewing and revising its discipline and restraint and seclusion policies.
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The Real World Myth
Recently, one of my co-workers, a shift supervisor, asked our office manager if she could order a weighted stuffed animal and a swinging chair for her office for the children we serve. Many of the children we serve are from foster care and juvenile probation. Many have experienced trauma and suffer from anxiety, and some…
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There is No Shame in Growth
My very first job post-college was working in a residential center. The entire agency served kids across the spectrum. There was a locked subacute facility, a locked longer-term placement, a transition placement, and my cottage or “unit.” We had girls ranging in age, and our building was not locked. I applied for the position, not…
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Reducing and Eliminating Restraint in Residential Settings
If you are anything like me, you may have wanted to work with children and youth for a long time. I grew up knowing I would be working with children and youth in some capacity. I always thought it would be teaching, but here I am, a case manager who wants to advocate for the…
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A Last Resort?
Today, I want to share a more typical example of what we see leading to the use of restraint and seclusion – noncompliance. First, a trigger warning: what you are about to read will be difficult and upsetting. We will review an actual report, which we redacted to protect the victim’s identity. The report we…
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Why Restraint and Seclusion Should Be Federally Regulated
Federal data indicates in the United States, upwards of 100,000 students are restrained and secluded (R&S) every year in public schools. The purpose of R&S is to manage disruptive behavior and is intended to be used in situations that involve imminent danger of serious physical harm to the individual or others.
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I am a Disruptor
Some of you who have read my previous posts or listened to my live presentation may not be surprised, but I am no longer working in K12 education for the district in my county; this is not by choice. During my live event, Guy Stephens, founder, and director of Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint, referred…
