Restraint Tactics Overused on ADHD and LD Students

A federal ban is being sought on physical restraint methods in schools, which are often used on children with attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities.

Educators' use of restraint holds and other methods to subdue students they deem disruptive, many of whom have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities, has been blamed for injury or death of many students in recent years. Now groups are pushing for a federal ban on certain tactics.

Properly done, restraint involves using precise holds, often with the hands or arms, to subdue and calm someone. Students in such circumstances also are sometimes put in so-called seclusion rooms.

In a report last month, the Government Accountability Office said it found hundreds of allegations of school-related "death and abuse" since 1990, the vast majority involving children with disabilities.

In Washington, the effort to limit the use of such techniques is being championed by Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Source: The Wall Street Journal