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The use of ‘withdrawal rooms’ in schools with students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) came under public scrutiny this week, after it was revealed that children with ASD were sometimes being placed in isolation for extended periods after becoming extremely distressed (commonly referred to as a ‘meltdown’).
Here, Niamh Deane, a founder of Parent’s Against Isolation Rooms Ireland , writes about the controversial use of the rooms and – more generally – about the lack of proper training for teachers caring for children with ASD.
CHILDREN WITH AN Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis of any sort will need additional care and attention in school. While some of these children are able to attend mainstream schools, and some need specialised units, parents are finding that the level of care diagnosed children receive falls below the standard given for children without a diagnosis, and that even if a child is placed in a specialised school for their particular diagnosis this does not guarantee the child’s safety.
Here is the account from one parent who experienced problems regarding the treatment of their child in school:
Our child is non-verbal and could not tell us what had happened at school as he started coming home crying and when we found bruising around his groin we became very concerned. The school said everything was okay and the teachers said he was happy at school. We asked for an assessment and the behaviour therapist could not find anything wrong with his behaviour at home and asked the school to let her do a school-based assessment. It took a while for the school to give permission and she found that during the day our child’s glasses and communication cards would be removed as another child kept trying to play with them – this was their solution. We made the decision to remove our child from the school and within months his behaviour and speech improved. We are still looking for a suitable school placement.
Finding the right school for your child with a diagnosis can be frustrating and stressful; parents are finding that even the specialised school are selective about who they accept.
A parent recalled trying to find a placement:
When we were looking at school placements for our child I first went to my local school with an ASD unit to be told that they have no catchment policy and we had 50 children ahead of us. I started looking at all the units I could access, only to be told that some of the units were for ‘mild delays’ or that as my child has behavioural issues those units would not be suitable. We then applied to our local mainstream primary school to be told that our child would have a safety hazard and they had no placements.
When a child is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) the parents of the child are thrown into a world that, in general, they previously knew nothing about. It’s like everything in life – if you have not gone through it, you don’t fully understand what it is like. With this in mind, it’s easy enough to understand how a teacher who does not have a child diagnosed on the spectrum can find an autistic meltdown a little frightening at first.
Our teachers have an impossible job, with class sizes increasing and support services reduced. At the moment Ireland schools can apply for a grant to install what the Department of Education call a ‘safe space’, another term for this space is ‘isolation or withdrawal room’. These are intended to be safe places that autistic children can be brought into to become de-stimulated when they are experiencing a meltdown. They’re meant to be used as a last resort – and for very short periods of time.
However, accepted practices for these rooms are left up to each school’s board or management, and this has led to their misuse. Children are being left in a distressed state locked into isolation for hours at a time.
Charles O’Mahony, a lecturer in public law in NUI Galway, says that the restrictive use of interventions such as ‘withdrawal rooms’ raises a number of human rights issues:
“Ireland is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and it is expected that Ireland will ratify the Convention once the Assisted Decision-Making Bill 2013 replaces the archaic Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871. The UN Disability Convention guarantees the right to liberty of persons with disabilities and the use of “withdrawal rooms” raises questions about the right to liberty guaranteed in Article 14 of the Convention. The misuse of these ‘withdrawal rooms’ may also contravene the right to liberty as provided for by Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights and depending upon the circumstances of the case may contravene the Irish law on false imprisonment.”
These rooms are used in primary level schools and children as young as six have been placed into isolation as a result of inadequate training of all staff members involved. Young children need to know they are being listened to and are safe in school; placing primary level children into isolation will not only crush their self-esteem, but it can also lead to their physical harm during an attempt to place them in the room, and psychological harm at being placed in an environment not suitable to deal with the issue at hand. This can then lead to additional services needing to be used by the parents to help the child deal with the side-effects being placed in isolation.
Charles O’Mahony has suggested that the use of the rooms also interferes with a child’s right to an inclusive education:
“Secluding students with disabilities in “withdrawal rooms” is also at odds with the right to an inclusive education required by Article 24 of the UN Disability Convention. Indeed the provision of funding by the Government for “withdrawal rooms” may contravene the UN Convention in the first instance. The ongoing cuts by Government for teaching supports for children with disabilities is a corresponding concern, as the lack of support may be linked to the increased use of these restrictive practices. Cuts to funding undermine the Government’s own policy of mainstream education for children with disabilities and bolsters segregation and discrimination.”
Additional training for all teachers in how to help children who have a diagnosis – and specific training in how to help a child with an ASD – is sorely necessary at this point. Creating a space for the child within the class setting where they can go to when they are getting stressed is one option to help with ‘meltdowns’.
A simple and inexpensive solution is to have a soft space at the back of the classroom where the child can sit and re-direct their stress to an activity such as reading a book, building with lego, or colouring a picture. The key is distracting the child so they forget about what it was that caused them to be stressed.
Adam Harris, who has a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, and is a member of the NCSE Consultative Forumsays there’s “no doubt” that there’s a major discrepancy in the qualifications of teachers working in ASD units (who may just be general teachers) and the needs of some of the children in these units: “I think we need to look at training up all teachers in special education to a much higher degree at undergraduate level and also think we should look at mandatory post-grads for those working in ASD units… I think our focus should be on prevention – how our teachers should be equipped to reading the warning signs (as far as possible) and where things are going badly the steps to defuse a situation. I also think quiet rooms, fresh air and sensory rooms are very useful calming tools.”
Niamh Deane is a 32-year-old married full time mother and carer to her three children, two of whom have a diagnosis of an ASD. Committee member of the Special Needs Parent’s Association and the founder of Tabor Children’s Trust a charity working to provide a new Montessori primary school for children living with Asperger’s Syndrome or High Functioning Autism.
Some children with special needs just are not suited to a classroom of 30+ pupils.
They were in an asd unit
I don’t think this classroom had 30 plus children. From most reports, it had a lot of resources. We are not talking about a classroom with one teacher and 30 students. From what I’ve read, there were only 5 children in this class with a teacher and sna. That’s only what I’ve read though.
We would need far more details
5 children with 1 teacher and 1 sna may sound a lot, but what if one of the children has severe behavioural issues and “sets” off, it would take 2 adults to control that situation
WHat happens the other 4 children,
Yes Patrick, that would be about the norm with most asd units. Most I’ve checked have 6 children, one teacher and 2 SNA’s.
Maybe the children just aren’t suitable for mainstream classrooms, even with the best intentions in the world.
Stunned!
Fatray, you must have that post on copy/paste, and yet at no point have you acknowledged my point that these rooms are in asd units. Please for once answer, seeing as you’re so opposed to autistic children in mainstream, what is your argument regarding asd children in an asd unit?
You obviously haven’t read my comment below? Central thesis of social model of disability; change the environment to meet the persons needs. A room like this is not the social model.
Your the one with view that if that can’t fit in; exclude them. Not me!
These rooms are in asd units also but the people operating them are trained. Unfortunately some schools are not equipped or trained to deal with asd students, that is the reality. The idea of an isolation area may work in some cases but with packed classrooms there may not be the space and again teachers may not be able to calm the child down while controlling (never mind teaching) the rest of the students.
The only solution in the current system would be to force larger schools in a region to be trained and staffed to accept these children. I don’t think its fair to expect one teacher with two classes in a 3 teacher school to be able to handle students at the upper end of the asd spectrum. It’s also inefficient to increase the staff (and primary running cost) of such a school by 33%. I’m sure most parents would be glad to make an effort to transport children to larger schools if it meant better care, could be subsidised due to efficiency gained with less sna.
Don’t associate me with such dreadful comment.
My point is we have teachers stretched to full capacity.
Over full classrooms with Forgein nationals with little English.
My concern is for the autistic child and if he or she is in the best place for them.
Why is it that all I see in your comment is “put them somewhere else where the teachers and ‘normal’ children won’t be bothered by them”? Every child is different, and every asd child is different but they all have equal rights to education and care in the school system. Should non asd but perhaps badly behaved children also be sent elsewhere? What about a non asd but dyslexic child? Where exactly does the segregation end?
Please don’t attribute quotes to me that are not true.
I have said I feel we should properly financed schools for children with special differences.
In the best interest of the child now how the heck can you twist that into your lies ?
Still didn’t answer me fatray. And the decision of where any asd child is better off is dependant on the child, the parents, and the team of experts who make the recommendation. All of which know more on the subject than you.
So Fatray, you don’t want any child that you think of as not being “normal” in any mainstream education? Even foreign nationals now? Anyone else? Hair colour? Being too tall? Too small?
@ Patrick
I told told before never to argue with an idiot .
So with that thought ill respectively bid you a goodnight.
I did see your comment Patrick and his agenda is obviously commenting to provoke a heated debate, ab nothing to do with the topic and in this case his lack of knowledge becan to annoy him so started insulted .
What saddens me about these threads is it becomes obvious that the only people fighting for asd kids are their patents, the minority. It’s no wonder articles like this have to be written. I hope when my asd kids grow up the world is a more compassionate tolerant place then the opinions and attitudes I’ve experienced in the last week…. I too am out.
Night Fatray, sleep tight.
You all contribute to miss the point that these are autism units and not mainstream classrooms!!! None of the precious ‘neuro typical’ children are disturbed.
She also did point out that even though they are autism units, the teachers aren’t necessarily trained to work with kids on the spectrum.
Our country is fuked up and we let them do this to us! They care more about ‘investments’, our children are the biggest investment we will ever make! Something has to be done.
We should look at other European models for teachers and SNAs working in this area – they must do extra courses/work experience before working alongside kids with special needs. It’s not for every teacher…
Although not perfect the USA sets the car for autism ed, Europe is actually a fair way behind the evidence
The bar even
A simple litmus test here; if a child without ASD was to have a ‘meltdown’ would we isolate them through use of a locked room?
We may have difficulties with the UN Convention on Disabilities and we can quote all the disability law in western world. But if my children who don’t have ASD were offered a behavioural intervention like this, well you would have grounds to sue.
Yet for these parents to access inclusion policies in school we need to have exclusionary interventions.
Education system; teachers, poorly trained SNA and the Dept & Minister have probably left these citizens down cause at some level they are seen as less than a valued nuisance in our education system!
A typically developing child would probably be suspended, meaning total isolation from the school, no?
In fairness John, being suspended and “totally isolated from the school” means they’ll be at home. Not locked in a bare room in solitary confinement. Think I know which seems more humane.
That’s true, I just meant Aodhan’s litmus test isn’t a fair one, because you use different rules in mainstream and an ASD unit. If they’re used properly quiet rooms are meant to be a safety precaution and not a punishment. The only reason a person should be in such a room is if they’re physically at less risk in the room than out of it. That clearly isn’t the case in the schools in the article.
These arent quiet rooms or sensory rooms they are rooms with nothing in them usually but a padded floor . It is acceptable to lock any child in a padded cell becuase that is what they are. TO my knowledge to imprison someone against their will is unlawful .
But in fairness unless you are personally involved with autism you would not know all in entails and the systems you have to deal with .
In proper practise a child when overloaded should be directed with an SNA to a sensory room which is a chill out space with soft lighting and fidgets and cushions .
When a child has a meltdown it is because they are completely overwhelmed .Children on the spectrum dont have a filtering system functioning like people who arent on the spectrum .
The fact is that autism services and supporting services in Ireland are extremely underfunded
There is no national service for autism in Ireland instead it is pushed into what ever overloaded service is available ,As a result children who have autism often have only a token service with the HSE for occupational therpy and speech therapy to help them develop .If you cannot communicate it leads to other frustrations .
SNA traning in Ireland is generalised and alot do not get asd specfic training who are working in ASD units .Some ASD units do try and push for extra training.
Also in Ireland there is no legal obligation for teachers working in an ASD unit to have experience or training in the area .
The fact is that locking a child into an isolation room will have very traumatic effects and this is compunded by the fact that alot of kids who have asd have impaired language skills . So they cannot express themselves as well as their peers .This lack of language does not equate to lack of intellegence .But can you imagine not being able to find or know the language to express your anxieties or fears yet be aware of everything that is happening or not be in control of your own body when you have a meltdown .Because that is what happens .
The teachers involved just dont have the training to deal with the situation so it is not about blaming ut changing an atitude and education in how to deal with situations like these and adequate staffing levels .
Children who have a single diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder do not have intellectual deficits but usually they social and emotional development is not equal to their chronoloigical age
70% have ASD and may have a learning disability or intellectual disability
Parents who have a child with special needs deal with a hell of alot .We have all the things that regular parents have to and then the extra bits of having a child who needs more supports
Parents who have a child with autism are not looking for extras or special treatment for their child .They are looking for supports for that child that help to level the playing field a bit .I may not have explained myself properly .But I hope it has imparted some understanding
I think you make some good points but you are also generalising a bit. Any child can have a tantrum/meltdown/challenging behaviour for a variety of reasons. This may be to avoid something adersive or to get something rewarding. Every child is different and it’s vitally important to discover the triggers of cb and look at ways of dealing with that. For example the task may be too difficult, or maybe they have an ear ache etc. You cannot simply assume it’s sensory overload, that’s far too simplistic. Some children may also like the sensory room so much that they learn that when they exhibit cb they get to go there. Thus you are reinforcing the wrong behaviour and making the problem worse. Also you seem to have asd firmly categorised into neat boxes with percentage figures. Just wondering where that remarkable scientific research is because I havn’t come across it yet..
I have lived and worked with children/adults with autism and other special needs for over 25 years and we have never ever locked anybody in a room or isolated them in any way. If somebody chooses to withdraw from the group or needs support during a stressful event , we have training in how to support the person who is upset, to keep them and others safe , it never involves locking anybody in an isolation room . We wouldn’t even lock doors on a corridor or restrict people in any way. I’m appalled at this story.
Worried about some of the sweeping statements made in this article , does the author have evidence to back up her claims? While I don’t doubt that the incidents described in the article happened ,I don’t think it’s widespread practice.I have worked and volunteered in the area and have never seen treatment as described above in any setting I have witnessed .
If everyone could read the article from start to end this is happening in autistic classes , not mainstream, where the teachers are specifically training in dealing with asd and adhd. Turning the debate into a resources/mainstream argument is of no benefit. Mainstream classroom or autism unit/room this is abuse, end of.
Question are people willing to pay more taxes to have extra resources
They could take some of the 87 million wasted on irish water instead of increasing taxes. I don’t think we need to increase taxes to not lock up children for 5 hours a day, 3 days in a row.
Ok if your going to be stupid about it and not have a reasoned argument then go ahead, get all the thumbs up you want
What we clearly need is more resources to ensure that children aren’t locked up , that there is adequate teacher child ratio, 1 to 1 if necessary
What IM asking is are people willing to pay for this, I for one am
I wasn’t trying to make a stupid argument Philip. Two points, if the government stopped wasting money in unnecessary areas then it could be redirected into the areas where we need it. Now, obviously, this is not going to happen so in answer to your question, yes I would pay more taxes if it was certain that these taxes would go where they are needed. Again, unfortunately, this wouldn’t happen but I do believe that a better system is the Scandinavian model of higher taxes but much much better facilities for the people who live in their countries. Apologies if my first point came across as flippant, it wasn’t meant to be.
If you provide the right intervention early then it costs the state much much less in the long term. Early intervention reduces the need of a lifetime of care.
Spot on Jason, but tell that to the buerocrats who see education as a business and children as units, rather than seeing education as a complex process which needs to be properly resourced, especially for special needs children to progress. Ireland has the second lowest per capita spending on education in the whole of the OECD area, and the LOWEST per capita on special education.
it is time to treat all children equally in 2014
I have a psychology degree and experience working in a dedicated ABA school for children with autism. I’m no expert but I know that the very concept of an isolation room is flawed and will actually increase challenging behaviour in many cases. They talk about using the rooms to desensitize the children. I have no idea where that idea came from. We used sensory rooms, or areas as a nice reward after a period of work. But these areas were lovely chill out places the children loved and worked towards. It frustrates me when I have first hand experience of how well a child with autism can be educated if you know what you are doing.
Sorry no one should be allowed hold my children back , any problems them simply remove the problem
Remove the problem Jason? How exactly? Euthanasia perhaps? What a selfish and heartless viewpoint. Your attitude would soon change if you had a special needs baby, or one of your children developed special needs…
Sorry, that comment was for byrondenis…
I fear this is only the tip of the ice berg………………………………….the dept of education basically removed the trained staff, namely the behaviour analysts by forcing them into redundancy or down grading to SNA’s where they would not be allowed to teach or tutor the children. Instead we have in the main young inexperienced school teachers who are not equipped by training or life to handle children on the ASD.
I watched with pride, my wife work as a Behaviour analyst for over 10 years in this country and the lives she changed for the better, not only children but parents, in some cases being able to communicate with a child for the first time, I watched her travel to the UK to gain a Masters and be invited to conferences in the USA and Europe to present her research thesis.
And I have watched with disbelief as successive governments have aided the department of education in putting Ireland back into the dark ages re: the treatment of these children.
Any thought that they are saving pennies today will be washed away with the fortune in supports they will need when these children, who could have gained some independence with early and correct treatment, will need full time care as adults.
Sorry Bernie, but few teachers in ASD units in Ireland are specifically trained in dealing with ASD and ADHD, despite what you think. The SESS does provide some training courses for teachers, only if they are already working with ASD or ADHD. The longest of these is a five day TEACCH course.The remainder are 1 or 2 day courses, useful but insufficient. The main difficulty with ASD units is staffing. A unit gets the standard 1 teacher and two SNAs for six children. Some might say its sufficient but they should experience life in a unit where theree are six profoundly autistic children, one with ADHD as well, but all prone to tantrums due to the domino effect. Most of these places are simply classrooms in mainstream schools with no sensory room, withdrawal room, lifeskills area etc., Those facilities are only granted to units, i.e. in schools with two full ASD classes. While I think that no mainstream pupil, without any disability at all, should be left unsupervised in school at any time, I can definitely see how it could happen with ASD pupils in a unit. It all boils down to lack of supervisory personnel. I know of ASD units where staff eat their lunch “on the hoof” rather than leave each other under pressure to contain pupils. And unfortunately, in many cases, this is what it amounts too. strictly speaking SNAs are employed to cater solely for the physical care needs of pupils. One teacher cannot give individual tuition to six moderately or profoundly autistic children unless individual support in terms of SNAs is available for each child. If, for example, each of six moderate or profoundly autistic children were placed in separate mainstream classes, they would each get an SNA. Yet only one per three in an ASD class?
Your group would better direct its energies in lobbying the government than seeking to remove resources from schools who struggle daily to cope due to lack of both physical and human resources.
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