Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: On seclusion rooms

Brent Jackson

Fri, 04 Nov 2016 11:36:39 +1300

Listening to the radio the other day, it was obvious that most people still do not get it. A seclusion room could be useful for a child to get away, and have some quiet time (maybe the school library could be used for this). To my mind, the key question…

Bart Janssen

Fri, 04 Nov 2016 10:06:25 +1300

I also had the thought that maybe "seclusion rooms" were an attempt to help kids who were struggling with a noisy stressful environment.

But there are two key questions that really weren't addressed in most of the reporting –
Intent and Consent.

What was the intent, was it to calm…

Rosemary McDonald

Fri, 04 Nov 2016 01:14:57 +1300

sitting on her hands and convening a group

It's late, and brain read "convening" as "covening"...and in popped, almost appropriately, this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o50DnsD8YTA

By the pricking of my thumbs...

Hilary Stace

Thu, 03 Nov 2016 21:31:23 +1300

Some do. Depends on lots of things.

Sacha

Thu, 03 Nov 2016 19:45:02 +1300

And another earlier complaint about solitary confinement to Parata.

Ms Flight says she's furious. "When I heard it I said, 'she's lying'. My reaction is anger, sadness and frustration."

1 NEWS asked the minister if she recalled sending the letter, she said she didn't. "What I meant was in respect…

Sacha

Thu, 03 Nov 2016 19:18:48 +1300

Parata twisting and turning over what solitary confinement rooms are called, and John Campbell simply isn't having it. Outstanding.

Rosemary McDonald

Thu, 03 Nov 2016 10:24:46 +1300

Great minds :)

Heh!

My significant other was whining about having to listen to constant doom and gloom on Natrad this morning while he was having his obligatory couple of hours on his back before being folded into his wheelchair for the day.

"Why didn't they pick up the story…

Sacha

Thu, 03 Nov 2016 10:02:43 +1300

Great minds :)

Rosemary McDonald

Wed, 02 Nov 2016 17:50:02 +1300

Boom! We crossed in the ether. (You can delete mine....as long as it goes up somewhere, I'm content. :-) )

Sacha

Wed, 02 Nov 2016 16:12:45 +1300

What a good school experience looks like: http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/inspire-me/86000127/principals-letter-leaves-family-with-autistic-son-speechless

linger

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 07:55:21 +1300

Don’t even need to re-cast it – what typically follows “secluded” is bad enough. Trawl through the top hits for “took him to a secluded spot” and there’s violent assault, murder, or rape on almost every page. (The same search with “her” yields much the same results.)

Hilary Stace

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 07:43:19 +1300

Paul Gibson, Disability Rights Commissioner. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/316489/students'-safety-at-seclusion-room-schools-questioned
Worrying that a suspect school is being secretive about all this which reflects badly on the Principal and board. Facebook parents' groups have examples of it happening in schools across the country. The Principal is often the one putting the child in the seclusion…

Sacha

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 06:45:22 +1300

the reluctance of the individual to be secluded

imprisoned, perhaps

Tom Johnson

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 22:47:35 +1300

A seclusion room is a cupboard with a window. It is a really nasty business for child and enforcer. Also the reluctance of the individual to be secluded means the achievement of said task is sometimes quite physical.

Rosemary McDonald

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 18:14:06 +1300

A seclusion room is not a safe, quiet time out space.

That's why I put 'seclusion' in inverted commas!

A "quiet time out space", not locked, with close supervision/support....fine.

Sometimes, the world is too much with us...how much harder to cope with the world if it is difficult, if not…

Hilary Stace

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 18:02:28 +1300

There was a lot wrong with the Miramar situation. Locked room, distressed child, no consultation with parents or community that this was one of their behaviour interventions (which became in effect a punishment), nothing on IEP about its use or why and for how long. Then neither the principal or…

Rosemary McDonald

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 17:25:22 +1300

...the ministry and its minister are in danger of erring in the the other direction.

Baby out with the bathwater...again?

Thanks Russell...listening to this story unfold (via Natrad, whilst out in the wilderness) Peter and I were concerned we may be the only ones who thought that 'seclusion rooms', properly…

Tom Johnson

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 14:33:40 +1300

The teacher aide spends most of the time with the pupil. The experts spend very little time with the individual yet they talk like it's the other way round. We need to make working in this sector a real profession with solid fulltime pay, training and systems.

Mainstreaming young students…

Hilary Stace

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 12:08:04 +1300

Astute teachers and teacher aides can tell when a situation is escalating. Many (even young ) kids can be taught to self-identify, and to self-regulate to an extent perhaps with some visual aids. Some carry flash cards (eg on a lanyard) to indicate stress levels rising and the next steps…

Russell Brown

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 11:24:32 +1300

One of the autistic students at the school I teach at was often ‘calmed’ by being squished in a folded foam mattress by his Teacher Aide. I hate to think what anybody observing that thought.

Sounds like a good sort of squeeze machine to me.

Hilary Stace

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 10:36:16 +1300

This is not a new situation and has been a reality for schools for ever. A school should have policies and practices for such circumstances. One child in the class could be sent to find the responsible adult who can help. It can be an authority figure like the principal…

Sacha

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 10:24:39 +1300

There are no other adults to help.

Under-resourcing, yes.

Ianmac

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 10:21:29 +1300

Imagine this. A teacher has a class of 30 nine year olds. One of them becomes angry and hysterical. The class although upset do not make things worse but the class program grinds to a halt. There are no other adults to help.
What can the teacher do with an…

Kerry Annett

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 22:11:04 +1300

One of the autistic students at the school I teach at was often 'calmed' by being squished in a folded foam mattress by his Teacher Aide. I hate to think what anybody observing that thought. Although I in no way condone what the teachers and teacher aides at Miramar Central…

Fraser Rolfe

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 21:22:51 +1300

Another element that I find troubling is that this kerfuffle affects a group that has been the target of various 'hunts' down the ages. Teacher Aides are often women, in the fullness of their years, and prepared/obliged to do difficult work for minimal pay, without much 'voice'. Society at large…

Russell Brown

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 19:37:41 +1300

All this is part of piece, isn’t it? The abysmal failure of the New Zealand educational system to adopt progressive ways of recognising, teaching and funding students with needs different to the great mass.

Our system does well for kids in the middle. Some schools – to their cost –…

Ian Dalziel

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 15:40:37 +1300

a “green room”
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2089062-green-light-found-to-ease-the-pain-of-migraine/

nic.wise

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 14:02:49 +1300

@russell,

Even the phrase "sensory deprivation room" sounds a bit grim: it's not as if there is no sensory stimulation, just a lot less of it. Even the darkness is relevant – some autistic people find fluourescent lighting aggravating.

Not sure I'm on the spectrum (or not enough to really…

Hebe

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 12:59:23 +1300

My hearts bleeds for those parents and caregivers of children with severe needs.

My two sons…

Russell Brown

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 12:14:42 +1300

I believe that was the theory at the time.

There is a reason that the place where people gather their thoughts before going on stage or on screen is called a "green room".

Vivid

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 11:41:45 +1300

I believe that was the theory at the time.

Dean Wallis

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 11:41:11 +1300

I've encountered public 'servants' like that in other areas, yes. Amazing how much harm one poorly-managed misguided person can do.

Hekia Parata?

Helga

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 11:24:05 +1300

The words 'locked' and 'fire' in close conjunction are terrifying....

Sacha

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 11:15:00 +1300

red walls

that'll calm you down.

Vivid

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 11:13:11 +1300

The high school I went to in Christchurch in the 1980's had one of these rooms. No windows, red walls, locked door. I spent hours locked in there. They had it built after a fire in one of those two story 60's blocks. It was about 6 foot square.

Sacha

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 11:10:15 +1300

I’ve worried often about the harm this person has inflicted on other families.

I've encountered public 'servants' like that in other areas, yes. Amazing how much harm one poorly-managed misguided person can do.

Russell Brown

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 11:07:26 +1300

how little our education system has done to educate itself about the needs of autistic students. It disgusts me.

As I’ve noted here before, we had to push back against some awful ignorance on the part of one “specialist” in the system. She was convinced the issue was behavioural and…

Sacha

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 10:57:23 +1300

Is the door unlocked?

If the door even has a lock, let's remove it from its hinges pronto.

This whole thing is a concrete representation of how little our education system has done to educate itself about the needs of autistic students. It disgusts me.

Public Address

Mon, 24 Oct 2016 10:57:23 +1300

Discussion from blog post.