A Facebook Folly

Before the Mercer County incident, a Facebook exchange missed the sensitivity and awareness marker by a light year. 

A Facebook post perpetuated a stereotypical perception our society holds of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities:   I don’t care if you lick the windows, take the special bus or occasionally fall over, you hang in there Sunshine you’re special.  Recognizing the intention wasn’t to be hurtful, the Wall post nonetheless demonstrates the thoughtless, insensitive things people say to be funny at the expense of individuals with developmental disabilities.  A Google search revealed this quote as a popular t-shirt and greeting card for purchase.  This Facebook post generated an additional comment:  “with crayons and a helmet, maybe.”

Committed to advocacy, I decided to respectfully raise awareness to this attitude and behavior which demeans, diminishes, and disrespects individuals with developmental disabilities.  With a gentle apologetic opening, I explained these individuals aren’t a joke but victims of Shaken Baby Syndrome, hypoxia, epileptic seizures, and severe head injuries.  Despite some mild defensiveness, my point was made and an apology offered.  Things could have, should have ended there.  Unfortunately, it didn’t.

Another Facebooker announced she worked with special needs kids and thought the quote was funny, as if her job provided the credential to deem it a “thumbs up.”  She commented how one of her kids screams all day and she thinks about taking him for a “for a long walk off a short pier!!”  She further explained it takes a lot of patience, but sometimes she doesn’t have it, especially on that day when “I got popped.”  She had to count to twenty because her fist was clenched in a reflex motion to hit “the kid” but didn’t because she knew “she couldn’t do that.”

I wonder how the parents of these children would feel about these comments.  I have no doubt it requires great patience, that it’s frustrating and stressful work, and there are days when patience runs thin, tempting a knee-jerk reaction to lash back.  I’m unsure what upset me more:  the utter insensitivity within the comments, or the individual’s rationale for not hitting the child verses recognizing s/he is a defenseless, vulnerable child.

Some children and adults with disabilities cannot express their feelings the same way you and I do.  I’ve witnessed our staff compassionately, patiently, and respectfully manage emotional upset with redirection; it involved no clenched fists, no hard feelings towards the individual or defensiveness.  Anyone taking personally such behavior from an individual, especially a child, with intellectual and developmental disabilities lacks the very understanding of those disabilities of those they serve, and perhaps, needs to consider a new career.  Perhaps teachers and their assistants need greater training to understand the behaviors of those with special needs and how to effectively redirect their students’ behaviors.  If teachers are overwhelmed, perhaps more staff is needed and more training on coping skills to prevent burnout.  Stress and burnout are major precursors to the abuse and maltreatment of those vulnerable in our society.

I made one final comment on this Facebook thread to clarify my point is about showing respect and compassion for people who’ve lived a history in the face of discrimination, and who have been the butt of jokes in the name of light-heartedness.  

The sister of a former Campus resident once eloquently shared with our staff:  “I hope that you . . . . truly understanding what a tremendously important job that you have; when you are tired, weary, frustrated – I would suggest that you try to put yourself in their position, and really try to imagine what it would be for you to live . . . . . . . in their body, mind and spirit.”

In the Next Blog Entry: Unconditional Love and Care - “I remember this experience whenever I see the DSPs supporting our clients.  Could I do this for another human being that isn’t my mother?  I honestly don’t know, but. . . .”

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“The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.” ~Mason Cooley
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To Bag or Not to Bag

Recently in the news, Mercer County Intermediate School in Kentucky came under fire for an incident in which a teacher’s aide placed a child diagnosed with autism into a “duffle-like” bag filled with balls for unruly behavior in class.  According to the child’s mother, she was summoned by the school to get her son because he was “acting up” and upon arrival found him in the hall, stuffed into the tied bag, head and all.  After demanding his release, upon which the aide struggled to loosen the knot of the bag, the mother was told by school officials this was not the first time her child had been put into the bag.

I’m not a therapist, nor am I an educator of children, but I have enough intelligence, never mind common sense, to know that stuffing a child with or without special needs into a duffel-like drawstring-tied bag full of balls is wrong.  Supposedly the bag is a therapy bag, and the teacher’s aide admitted they’ve used it as punishment with this child in previous incidents.  Our professionals who work with our Kelly Autism Program (WFC-KAP) are not aware of a “therapy bag” where an entire child, head included, is placed into it.  I also understand from WFC-KAP that punishment is not a therapeutic practice, especially for children diagnosed along the autism spectrum.

This news report stirred controversial discussion, prompting an online petition calling for better training and increased awareness of those working with children who have special needs in Mercer County.  Children diagnosed along the autism spectrum require supportive sensory alternatives in the management of their environment and behaviors.  The methods of behavior management used in our WFC-KAP’s afterschool program involve positive reinforcement and redirection along with limited negative reinforcement.  I’ve watched it effectively used in my observations of the afterschool program.

Is it Mercer County’s practice to stuff any misbehaving child into a bag?  Children diagnosed with autism deserve no less respect than a child without a disability. They require behavior modification, a process which identifies a behavior in need of changing, then asking the child how s/he wishes to change it when the unacceptable behavior occurs, and what positive result the child wants to reinforce the new behavior.  This process empowers the child in making his or her own behavioral choice, and with consistent application on the part of the adult, the child shifts the modified behavior into an appropriate behavior s/he uses in everyday life.  Our WFC-KAP program director says it takes a child diagnosed with autism approximately 214 repetitions to integrate the new behavior.  I watched this process during my observation of a WFC-KAP class, and the parents of those in the program remark on the results from this consistent approach.  This process puts the students and families in control of the behavior modification, giving the child a choice, never for punishment of any kind.

Anyone diagnosed along the autism spectrum, or with an intellectual and/or developmental disability requires special needs, greater patience, and compassion from those who work closely with them, whether they are direct support providers, therapists, volunteers, medical staff, special education teachers, teacher aides, parents . . . . . the list goes on.

The president of the Mercer County Education Association, Wilma Thomas, stated, “. . . putting special needs children in bags is not unheard of in certain cases . .  .” and “if it is at that school, that is an appropriate method of restraint.”  Our WFC-KAP program director states she’s never heard of this method being used as a form of restraint, also noting her certification training taught that one only restrains when the child is a danger to himself or others.

Time will tell what really happened, as this Mercer County mother is understandably upset and pursuing the matter further with an attorney.  What concerns me is the seemingly lack of respect shown for her concerns and that of her child by the Mercer County School Board.  This impression was further cemented by Ms. Thomas’ request of the Board, “I challenge you to support our schools; do not allow them to be targets of disrespect or rumor.”

In the Next Blog Entry: No Bagging Kids Here!  – “. . . . after enrolling Beau, his parents talk about the remarkable improvements of his social and behavioral skills, noting behavioral problems in social and academic settings have dramatically dropped.“

We want to hear from you!  Please share your responses and comments by clicking below on “Comment” – you may post them anonymously or using your gmail.com profile name.

“The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.” ~Mason Cooley
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Blog content is copyrighted property of Wendell Foster’s Campus for Development Disabilities and Carolyn Smith Ferber and/or other blog authors).  Content may be used, duplicated or reprinted only with the expressed authorization of the Wendell Foster’s Campus.  Permission for use, duplication or reprints may be made to wfcampus.org@gmail.com.