5 year old on the spectrum
Hi! I am looking for some advice/support regarding a new(ish) student of mine and some combative behaviors.
This student started a few weeks ago and is extremely unregulated in the morning. Completely normal, he is new and this is expected. He comes off the bus happy, but everyday as soon as he enters the classroom he begins to throw toys, books, anything he can get his hands on. He also is targeting adults in the classroom. Scratching our faces, pulling chunks of hair out, kicking, and hitting. I am working very hard to build a relationship with this student because I know that will solve some of this problem. I do feel like I am making progress in gaining his trust but we still have a long way to go.
However, he is endangering other students in the class and other staff members. I know restraints are absolute last resort, and I never EVER want to restrain a child. But at what point is it necessary? We always use every regulation technique we have. I am told by admin he is allowed to throw toys and hit us because he’s small it “doesn’t hurt”. We also are not allowed to block hits or kicks because we could hurt the child.
I am trained with handle with care training and this is not how i remember the training being explained. I am just looking for support and possible legality of this all? Any advice is appreciated!