Can anyone tell me if there are laws against strapping a child in a "rifting chair" as punishment?

Question

My son just turned 5yrs old and attends Pre-K at our local elementary school. He is on the Autistic Spectrum. He currently has an IEP and has had one since age 3.

He has recently become more agressive at school (as apposed to the beginning of the year). I have expressed my concerns at several meetings about this chair and the negative impact that I feel this type of punishment is having on his behavior.

The bottom line is that the faculity is not properly trained nor do they have the experience is dealing with Autism.

Answer 1

A child who has IEP plan with emotional/behavioral problems is suppose to have a test done by the school called 'FBA' functional behaivor assesment'.

THe IEP team is suppose to meet to go over results of this testing and come up wiht a BIP  behavior intervention plan  with   POSITIVE strategies  to help him.

This chair is NOT positive. Make sure the FBA and BIP is done.

The teachers or whoever is working with your child is suppose to be highly trained and qualified in dealing with your childs problems. This is specified by federal law for special ed IDEA.

You can file formal state complaint with the state dept of education for this violation and the state should make the school get qualified people.

Answer 2

In the state of Pennsylvanian strapping a child into a chair is a form of restraint and it is illegal.  I have worked with many children on the spectrum.  And don't get me wrong, strapping those little guys into a chair on certain days might have made the day easier for me.....but as a certified teacher in the state of Pennsylvania, I know that I am not earning my paycheck if I resort to laziness versus attempting to discover the function of the behavior.  You need to insist that he is NEVER put in this chair.  He could throw himself back and end up falling backward and hitting his head.....especially if it is on wheels.  It sounds like the staff is at their wits end and I am sure they are doing the best they can with what they have.  BUT, someone has to go in there, stamp out the negative attitudes, and remind them why they are in this field in the first place.  It sounds like they also need a little positive reinforcement for making good choices with him as well.  Strapping him in the chair works for them but it is escalating the behavior TRUST ME.  Has anyone conducted a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) on him.  There is a reason he is challenging and I guarentee you he is challenging because he is trying to communicate his wants and needs.  For example, I am fearful of snakes.  If someone talks about wanting to show me their pet snake, I politely decline.  If they persist, I become more vocal in my expression of my feelings.  If my feelings/wants & needs are still disregarded and the person attempts to bring that snake into my visual field I am out the door running and screaming.  So, if we break this down, I expressed myself and no one accepted my feelings.  The situation escalated to the point of a full meltdown on my part.  All becuase people did not listen to me or recognize what I was trying to say.  I know my example is a long shot but I am trying to help you see that NO ONE is aggressive until they have to be.  It looks like your son knows that the only thing that works is this current behavior so it is an immediate "go to" place for him.  Please check with your local IU and see if you can get some consultation to the staff regarding his behavior.  Figuring out the function will make your life, his life, and the teams, life a lot easier.  He is not a bad boy.....it is just that noone knows what it is he wants.  The FBA will help you find that.  And promise me that you will NOT Tollerate anyone strapping him a chair.....completely unacceptable!!!!

Answer 3

This is a horrible type of punishment for any child...for a child on the Autism spectrum this is even worse.  Negative reinforcement will NOT help to decrease his aggression.  He needs to be taught using applied behaviour analysis (ABA). If they are not using this type of approach with your son you need to demand some answers.

Find a school that knows what they're doing.

Answer 4

I am curious, what is a rifting chair?  google turned up nothing.

Answer 5

Us codes 42 title    section 15009 is civil rights against abuse. Secondly Public law 106-402 civil law against abuse of the disabled. If he is misbehaving because of the frustration of the disability and that can be proven. Then they are punishing him for his disability and that is against the law both federal and state

Answer 6

change your kids school.

Answer 7

My daughter has autism and I greatly fear putting her into the special education system because the teachers are not trained to work with kids on the autism spectrum. This can be very dangerous and sometimes leads to abuse. I would be very wary of your son's teachers' lack of training in how to work with kids on the spectrum. My daughter's caseworker has informed me that legally the school district MUST do what the parent wishes. So if you are concerned about the rifting chair, which I certainly think you should be, tell the teachers and principal if necessary, to stop using that form of discipline immediately. This is your right. Physical restraints are very detrimental to children with autism and can really impede on your son's progress emotionally. Be firm with the district. You have to be his voice!! I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 8

I would guess you mean a Rifton Chair.  It is typically used for a couple of different reasons.  Sometimes to provide physical support for students who are unable to use regular chairs.  For those with significant attentional issues it may be used as the 'official' chair that indicates work time.  (when you sit at the table in this chair you are doing your work) Any strap used then serves as a 'reminder' that they should remain in the position for work not a restraint - and it should not be used as a restraint as in strapping them in for long periods of time.  Typically this is instructional time and staff should be attending or teaching the student.  For some activites like circle time - these chairs are frequently used (mostly without a belt) to indicate a students 'space'.  They are sturdy and don't tip over if a student rocks so that is another reason why they may be used.

For your particular situation I would suggest that you ask them how the chair is used - I can't imagine that anyone would use it as punishment - it just might look that way to you so ask.  See if you can visit and watch your child in the setting.  That may help you understand it's purpose, and use that way you can make positive suggestions and open communication.

RE: Aggression - I don't know what you are defining as agression but remember students on the spectrum can change behaviors and presenting conditions and some do so frequently.  The staff does have a responsibility to ensure the safety of themselves and other students - your child may not be in an appropriate setting for the currently presenting behaviors.  You don't indicate if he is on medication  - perhaps there is a side affect that is causing this.  You really need to team with the schools and his staff to work together.  

Here's what I would say.  "I know that jonny can be hard sometimes - when he gets that way at home I have found that -___ is helpful."  You need to work together - ASD is 24/7 you need to both employ common strategies for behaviors in order to maximize your childs potential.

Answer 9

http://www.rifton.com/products/sitting/t...

Answer 10

It's called Riften chair

It's a brand name for the type of chair you describe-it's not specifically made for restraint.  It's made to support proper sitting-the seatbelts are mainly for safety for children who do not have good sitting skills such as low muscle tone where they could lose their balance and fall out of the chair if theay reach too far-

There are various models of riften chairs-with and without wheels/footplates/table height/floor height, etc.

If retraint is to be used-it should be part of a formal written behavior plan approved my the school and the parent.  It is my feeling that using it for punishment is not appropriate for a child with autism and should be only used when there is an ongoing danger to the child or another person.

A positive support plan is generally the preferred approach-child is rewarded for not being aggressive instead of punished for aggression.  The child should be redirected to appropriate behavior.

The school could locate a 'calming room' where the child can be brought to be safe until his behavior can be redirected if the behavior persists-just make sure being brought to this room isn't a 'reward'-and teh child acts out so that he will be brought to the room because he likes it there.

The school should have a behaviorist on staff to support the classroom staff in developing an appropriate response to the behavior.

Schools don't necessarily have to do what the parent wants.  The laws vary by state.  There are some things they cannot do without the parents permission.

ABA is teh most widley accepted teaching method for autism.  Other methods are GreenSpan (DIR) and Miller as well as Sonrise-they all report some success.

Not every child with autism benefits from a full ABA program taht includes Discrete Trail Teaching, but parts of it such as Positive behavioral reinforcement can be used in any type of classroom

I have seen time out successfully used-but not when restraint is necessary-only when a child is able to understand and comply with the punishment.