I often read the Age online, as I am now living in Wellington. As you know I have been involved with education and people with a disability for over 15 years. Here is my take on the distressing news of bad behaviour and violence in the classroom.
Read more here:
Northland schools face suspending high needs kid
I think we must be careful to distinguish between children with special needs who have behaviour issues and the general student. Corporal punishment is anathema to learning for any student, and totally abhorrent for a student with special learning needs.
We have already had the debate about seclusion rooms, perhaps seen as a mild form of punishment by some, and we have agreed that they are absolutely unacceptable. The fact that Special Education has dedicated staff (psychologists, RTLBs and SENCOs) and a range of interventions that often do not prove effective is the major concern for me, and this is what David Wales, MoE's national director for learning support, urgently needs to address.
Why don't these expensive clinical approaches work?
