A mother has removed her autistic son from a school where she alleges he was restrained in a chair “like an animal” and the matter has been reported to the police.
The mother, who wants to be identified only by her first name Deirdre, withdrew her son Harry over ongoing conflict with the school.
Harry in the chair the family disapprove of at Knockavoe School
Autism Eye can identify the school the child attended for the first time as Knockavoe School & Resource Centre, in Strabane, Northern Ireland.
The mother reports that details emerged after the school sent pictures to Harry’s family as part of a class report.
‘Restrained in a chair’
She describes the images as showing him being restrained in a chair with what appear to be straps around his waist and feet.
She has said he was in the chair for learning, playing and feeding.
The boy, who is now seven, was five years old at the time of the alleged incidents between September 2016 and June 2017.
Harry can drop to the floor or run when he does not want to co-operate. As he is non-verbal he struggles to communicate in other ways.
Complaints to social services and police
Deirdre reports complaining to social services to consider whether the incident was “physical abuse”. Harry’s family say that the matter has also been reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Deirdre says the chair was designed for children who need to be elevated to the right position. Her son does not have these needs, she said.
He is now at home while the family look for another school. They say the incidents left him anxious and suffering panic attacks.
Both Knockavoe School and Northern Ireland’s Department of Education declined to comment.
Related:
- Dad demands tougher laws on restraint
- Legal plan to protect our schoolchildren
- Nine in ten disabled children restrained
Published: 24 March 2019
