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The use of physical restraints and seclusion has become a pressing national public health issue. Such procedures have caught the attention of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress' investigative arm, after tragedies like the recent death of an adorable 7-year old girl in a treatment program. NPR and the AP News just ran feature stories on this very issue that we thought you might be interested in listening to or reading by clicking the links above.
More compassionate, humane and effective care for challenging kids is possible. At Think:Kids we are paving the way by changing how adults understand and help challenging kids. While unfortunately sometimes the use of restraints and seclusion is necessary, frequent use of such procedures typically results from an outdated understanding of what underlies challenging behavior. Such interventions are based on conventional wisdom that views maladaptive behavior as attention seeking, willful and manipulative. Flowing from this perspective, reward and punishment procedures are typically applied to teach these kids that they must behave appropriately and to provide them with the motivation to do so. Not only do reward and punishment programs not teach these kids the skills they lack but they can also make matters worse - leading to an increase in challenging behavior and the need for restraints and seclusion.
At Think:Kids we have a very different idea about what's getting in these kids way and how to help. Research in the neurosciences conducted in the past 30 years, suggests that challenging kids are lacking crucial thinking skills essential for managing frustration, demands for flexibility and problem solving. Our approach focuses on teaching these skills. In homes, schools and treatment facilities our evidence-based model has led to dramatic improvements in behavior and reductions in both the use of seclusion and restraints and staff injury. In some cases, facilities have been able to completely eliminate the use of these dangerous procedures entirely. Read about our successes in our blog.
Through our current training and support initiatives, we have found that most adults working with challenging kids are eager to learn new and more effective ways to help. No one likes having to restrain a child or lock them in a seclusion room. The good news is that we have proven alternatives. The time has come for government to make sure training in evidence-based approaches becomes a priority for schools and treatment programs everywhere.
The GAO is working hard on the investigation they must complete for Chairman George Miller of the House Education and Labor Committee. Please take a few moments to contact Representative George Miller to urge the government to make sure training in alternative approaches becomes a priority. To contact Representative George Miller, please click here to complete and submit the email form and help us advocate for more compassionate and effective care of children with behavioral challenges.
Your emails will help save lives!
With gratitude,
All of us at Think:Kids
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