Offbeat

Rant

Violent, Special Needs Children, In YOUR Neighborhood School

Posted 20 months ago|13 comments|1,215 views
Was Hannibal a Special Child?
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Did you know that your child might be attending school with another child that should be under constant supervision or in restraints? Maybe you do know it and maybe this child does have an attendant, but did you know that the attendant is prevented from restraining the "special" child unless they actually make a move to attack another person? Did you know that the restraint methods that the attendant can use is limited to the absolute minimum and that this might not be enough?

There are children in our public schools that should not be there. They should be in special care facilities that are designed and equipped to manage these children, the ones with brain injuries or defects that prevent them from being able to control their impulses, which cause them to strike out with intent to injure anyone within range of their hands, feet, teeth, or even head.

Why are they not there? Why are they allowed (if not forced) to attend public school? Why are the other parents not told of the true danger their child is subjected to everyday that one of these "special" children are in attendance? Why are the tax payers forced to pay for attendants for each and every "special" child when these children can be placed in group facilities at reduced cost and the danger to other children be reduced to normal levels?

Lots of questions, very few answers; I know there are many out there with the answers, let's hear them.
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COMMENTS
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
20 months ago: FAPE- Free Appropriate Public Education

The law states that every child must be in attendance of either a public or private or home school until the age of sixteen. I think it goes without saying that the people in charge of our public schools lost the meaning of the word "appropriate" long ago.

Most parents of disturbed or violent children are unwilling to admit that their child is the problem. It's always the other children or staff that brings out the bad in their child. Therefore they demand their entitlement to free day care guaranteed by law, freeing themselves of the responsibility for 9 hours each day.
20 months ago: True. Especially the free day care part. Law says that the child must attend for a certain number of hours each week and many parents use that as justification to not send them to a facility that can manage them. The danger to other students is quite high because of the limited restraint methods the attendant can use.
markbyrn
markbyrn
 Moderator
20 months ago: When I was a youngster in Elementary school, we had a special needs child or what we called MR back in the day and the problem was rather the opposite. The 'normal' children were merciless in teasing him, mocking his behavior, and otherwise driving him into being an emotional wreck. As I recall, the most 'dangerous' students were not the disabled but the 'normal' able bodied bullies.
20 months ago: The "basic" mentally handicapped are usually not much of a problem, just depends on what part of the brain is damaged or failed to develop. The ones that have damage that prevents their brain from controlling their impulses and emotions are the ones that need more specialized care. A child with frontal lobe damage could be normal in most ways but have absolutely no ability to control their actions, hitting, biting, pushing, head butting and other violent outbursts are how they communicate they are upset, want something or don't like a person or what that person represents. Sometimes this is their only way to communicate as their speech may not have developed due to the damage or failed development of that brain area.

Bullies come in all shapes and sizes and unless the adults step in and teach young children that this way of treating their peers is not how they should behave, they will become older bullies and then adult bullies. They may appear to be the greatest kids in the world but once you turn your back, better have eyes in the back of your head!

Parents that ignore or make excuses for their children, either damaged or whole, are as much at fault as the child that knows better, or at least that we think knows better, our job as parents is to check and double check that aspect of our child's growing up. If our child is known to be damaged, it is our job to ensure that our child gets the care required and doesn't harm others.
Out Of The Box
Out Of The Box
 Moderator
20 months ago: That may have been the case with that particular youngster, and children can be cruel. But I don't think that if one of those children had physically attacked the the disabled student nothing would have been said. The normal students will also taunt and tease each other unmercifully, if you recall.
It's reasoning like that that has reduced our schools to LRE politically correct guerrilla warfare zones.

We've been programmed over the past 50 years or so to give our children over to the state every day. Parents with children in dangerous situations need to recognize their rights, and stand up for their kids. Get involved in what is happening at your public school. If a child is a threat to your child's safety, start an action committee, and take action. Keep your children out of school, and inform the school administration of your concerns.
Paper Tiger
Paper Tiger
England
20 months ago: Hi Six

In England these special needs children are graded on how, or how not, intelligent they are. They are then put in classes being monitored closely. If they is an incident, the child is then re-assesed, then if need be, gets special treatment with likewise children.

I see by your rant picture you look a little confused, bad day?
20 months ago: Funny guy you are.... I've felt like Hannibal a few times in my life, just didn't act on my impulses. Actually there aren't a lot of free photos of "special" children in the act of being restrained or attacking another child so figured I'd just pick on that character as he is fictitious.

Here they are evaluated and classed before they get to mainstream school classes, pre-school, pre-Kindergarten and then Kindergarten, if they follow the normal flow that is. Some get there without any prior observance and then another child takes the brunt of their violent outburst. After that they are watched for further problems but still allowed to attend regular classes. Once a medical doctor or psychiatrist makes a diagnosis, then and only then can the state step in IF they haven't harmed another child. If an injury occurs, then other steps can be taken, but usually it's up to the parents of the other children to take legal action to force the state to do its job of protecting the students and the staff while the "special" child is at school. Unfortunately the current method of assigning/hiring a personal attendant for each child has so many limitations in how they can control the child that they become another person that can be injured. And the cost is taken out of the local schools budget for teachers which hurt the other children due to larger classes and no money for needed materials.
Paper Tiger
Paper Tiger
England
20 months ago: That's very complicated, surly there should be an element of common sense in the process?
20 months ago: Common sense: Parents know that child is brain damaged and want the best for them so they do what they can at home and teach the child that there will be some form of punishment for each and every violent act. Child reaches school age and parents work with state services to put child in a program where their violent acts can be controled, even if it means child is institutionalized for many years.

Real life: Parents know that child is brain damaged and look for any way to get child out of house so parents can get a break but not lose welfare or other income child's presence brings to the family (SSI). By law, child is required to go to school, by law school must provide all services child requires without cost to parents other than taxes everyone else pays. By law, child must attend x hours of school each week. Services provided include special classes in addition to mainstream classes all other students attend. An attendant who cannot physically harm the child while trying to keep child from beating the crap out of other students, stealing their food, clothes, toys, schoolwork. Attendant is limited to self-defense that does not harm the child, even though that same child just headbutted senseless another school employee, bit three or more other children, punched in the face a few more, kicked every child and adult within reach, spat on anyone and anything within reach, diliberately pissed in their pants so the attendant would have to get close enough to help change them that the child could scratch the employee and tossed their milk carton against the wall just to make a mess. Parents excuse for poor behavior, tummy ache that school didn't treat with a tums (not legal to give non-perscription meds, even OTC's without doctors instructions, and even then it's risky, parents permission does not count). (Scenario is culumnative since begining of this school year, except the headbutt, pissing, scratching and hitting, that was one day within 4 hours).
20 months ago: How about some stats on all of these school districts with their own police departments.

Do the make more calls for internal (students) or external (non-students)?

Why does a school district need it's own police force?
20 months ago: School districts with police departments? WTF? None that I know of. Dragging the police into this is not really part of the solution. It is an option that the other parents and the school's staff can use, but not the best solution as the police do not want to lock up elementary age school children even if they are violent toward their fellow classmates. It just doesn't solve the problem other than the immediate one. This needs to be solved at a higher level, one that takes this type of situation out of the classroom.
English Lion
English Lion
18 months ago: i thought i would share a little something that happened to my sister in the uk.
My sister has a son with aspergers syndrome a type of autism.
her son was assessed by the local education authority and dr's.
The medical evidence showed what he had but the education authority classed he wasnt disabled enough to go to a special needs school.
There were 5 "normal" schools in there local area and all 5 refused to take him becouse of the potential trouble he could cause.
This meant that he had to be driven to another school 10 miles away every day to goto school as another school assessed him and agreed to take him.
Granted the teaching assistant spends quite a bit of time with him on certain subjects but maths he is a genious at.
the values,relationships and even friends he has made and i think it is quite ironic that he has not once caused a problem in the school but if they didnt find a school to take him look at what he could of missed out on.
I think the whole system should be looked at as i know people would be worried,i would be worried,everyone wants their child safe at school,
but everyone deserves the chance to learn.
Novagirl
Novagirl
Woodbridge, VA
8 months ago: I have to add, that I work in Daycare, older kids. We have a child that I consider dangerous, as she has destroyed classrooms, assaulted other children (punching, throwing items at them etc, hitting one in the head with the metal seatbelt) to the point that we've had to evacuate the classroom to ensure the safety of the other kids. She's flipped tables, pulled down cabinets, assaulted a staff member. Every day that she is present I find myself fearful for the safety of the other kids.
I honestly have to say that I would not allow my child to be exposed to any other child like that. Especially since in school or daycare environments the right to defend themselves seems to be taken away.
To make matters worse, while she's had these explosions the other children have this look of fear on their faces, which is just unacceptable, they shouldn't be afraid of daycare or school.

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