Restraint and Seclusion

Autistic students are more likely than other students to be restrained and secluded in school. These harmful disciplinary approaches traumatize and injure students each year, including right here in Montgomery County, MD. For more information, watch a recording of the xMinds webinar Restraint and Seclusion: What Parents of Autistic Children Should Know, presented by Guy Stephens, founder and executive director of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR). (Click here for a Spanish translation of the webinar.)

You'll learn about the danger of these approaches; find out about trauma-informed, neuroscience-aligned alternatives; and get the facts on the limited circumstances in which restraint and seclusion are allowed in Maryland schools. You'll also learn how to stand up for child's rights if they are being restrained or secluded. To help you advocate for your child and find alternatives to restraint and seclusion, AASR recommends the following resources:

General Resources

• Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint seeks to inform changes in policy and practice to reduce and eliminate the use of punitive discipline in schools.

• Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) is Maryland’s designated Protection & Advocacy agency. DRM provides free legal services to Marylanders of any age with all types of disabilities.

• Maryland Coalition of Families advocates to improve systems that impact individuals with behavioral challenges.

• U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights works to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation’s schools.

Parent Training Resources

• The Parents’ Place of Maryland offers information, resources, and trainings to support families of children with disabilities and special healthcare needs.

• Council of Parents Attorneys and Advocates protects and enforces the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families. 

Alternate Approaches

• Ukeru is a cutting-edge, trauma-informed crisis-training program that offers a physical alternative to restraints and seclusion. 

• Collaborative & Proactive Solutions is an evidence-based model of psychosocial treatment developed by Ross Greene, Ph.D., designed to improve children’s behavior and their relationships with their caregivers, and reduce or eliminate discipline referrals, suspensions, restraints, and seclusions in schools.

Useful Forms/Documents for Protecting Students’ Rights

• No Consent Letter – A general “No Consent Letter,” requesting a school to not employ seclusion, restraint, or corporal punishment against your child. Maryland public schools may not seclude students as a matter of state law (since 2022), but private schools may still use the method, with limits.

• Special Education State Complaint Form – For filing with the Maryland State Department of Education for violations under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

• U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Complaint Form – For filing complaints at the federal level with the Department of Education, claiming discrimination based on disability; sex or gender; age; or race, color, national origin, ethnicity, or ancestry.

• U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division Violation Report – For filing at the federal level with the DOJ to report a violation against discrimination. Disability status is a protected class under relevant federal statutes.

Books for Further Reference

• Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children's Behavioral Challenges, by Mona Delahooke, Ph.D.

• Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline, by Lori L. Desautels, Ph.D.

• Lost at School: Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them, by Ross W. Greene, Ph.D.