Why Do They Restrain Me? Autism and Restraints

As a child growing up and attending public school Zack was often forced to be restrained and tied down to his desk. Zack's teachers did not know how to handle Zack's meltdowns and were not properly trained in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Zack shares his story of what it felt like to be restrained and how it made his meltdowns worse. This book is an example of bullying in the public school system. Zack would often come home with marks on his arms and legs from where the teachers and special education staff had to hold him down and restrain him. Zack shares how all he needed was time to be alone. He needed the school to allow him to go out into the hallway or find a place in a quiet corner in order to calm down. Zack's mother would often argue with the school system on how to best treat Zack's meltdowns. The school system did not want anything to do with it. The school's approach was to restrain Zack until his mother was able to get there and pick him up. The School system often would let Zack loose before his mother arrived in the classroom to pick him up. While she knew that the school was using the restraints she had no idea how often they were using them because Zack did not communicate that to her until one evening he came home from school with cuts, scratches, and bruises all over his arms and legs. Zack and his mother get into a fight with the school system over the use of restraints. This series will cover some of the long-lasting effects that Zack suffers due to being restrained so much in school including post-traumatic stress disorder. Zack shares everything he wishes the school system and his teachers knew about him and how restraints effected him. If you have a child with autism this is an excellent book to read and help you advocate for your child.