Category: Story
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I Am a Seclusion Survivor, Or Am I A Casualty?
I think restrainers and secluders think they’re referring to the adjective form, but as someone who has been locked alone and afraid in a seclusion cell, I’d say it felt more like the noun. Except, by erasing me in a closet, it told me I was anything BUT “valuable.” It felt more like all the…
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A letter regarding Powhatan, Virginia’s restraint and seclusion policy
The story that follows is an email that Alexander J. Campbell wrote and sent regarding the restraint and seclusion policy being proposed in Powhatan, Virginia. I hope this email finds you well. I am writing this tonight with grave concern and fear regarding the future of our school system. The truth is when I originally…
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Sitting in silence in the seclusion room
Today’s guest author is Greg Santucci. Greg is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist and founder of Power Play Pediatric Therapy. A Graduate of Penn State (BS, Exercise and Sport Science) and Thomas Jefferson University (MS, Occupational Therapy), prior to opening Power Play in 2006, Greg was the Director of two large pediatric practices in New Jersey.…
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It means that you’ve gotten it all wrong
Andy stood stone cold still and looked around; then he started to ask me questions. “Miss Claudia, what’s this?” “What’s this? What’s this used for? Can you show me this book? Look how far we can see!”, he exclaimed as he stood looking out over the Port of Los Angeles with its huge cargo cranes…
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Changing my lens on Oppositional Defiant Disorder
I have struggled with letting go of my viewing lens for my youngest son; I seem to have seen him as oppositional (and subsequently then push him to be defiant) since he was about a year old. We recently went to his first real optometry appointment because he advocated his need for glasses (it was…
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Tips for a Successful I.E.P Meeting
You arrive at the school and check-in. A secretary escorts you to the conference room. You enter to find a group of people already seated around a long rectangular conference table. Some of the individuals you recognize but some you do not. You take a seat and your child’s teacher says “let’s get started.” You…
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Is your child being restrained or locked in a room at school? A plea to New Brunswick’s Candidates – 2020 Election
In an era where global protests continue as a result of the inhumane treatment that led to the death of Mr. George Floyd at the hands of Police, similar Restraints, and Seclusions that equate to solitary confinement, continue to happen to children in schools in New Brunswick. Restraint and Seclusion room practices against even our…
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The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: Insights from a reader
Today John will share some of his thoughts on the book The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Dr. Bruce D. Perry and Maia Szalavitz.
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How Seclusion and Restraint came to be Outlawed in New Zealand
Once upon a time a child was locked in a closet in a Miramar school in the Capital, Wellington, of a small realm, New Zealand at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The child said “I’ll be good, I’ll be good”, but, alas, to no avail. A group of 3,000 autistics, students, parents, educational professionals,…
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Finding your voice and finding your people
My experience with the special needs community started with volunteer work when I was sixteen. I started working for a company that helped special needs children and their families deal with the difficulties of navigating the school system. I left that work for a while, and as it turns out my path led me to…