What do you think about police handcuffing 9 year old (LIP)

mrsolsen2000

Here is the link : https://news.sympatico.ca/oped/coffee-talk/toronto_cops_handcuff_9-year-old_following_tantrum/16d79769

I think on one hand the protection of the other kids has to be taken into account. This worries me personally because Dh has aspergers and it seems there is so much negative stuff in the news lately about it.

Really not sure what I think but my gut says the situation could have been handled better by everyone. Sounds like no-one was hurt so that is good. What is your opinion?

edited to say gut not guy lol!

chicsub

I have worked with adjudicated youth and we never put them in handcuffs, ever.  And trust me, these kids/teens could get pretty violent.  The cops probably just don't know how to handle these situations, but that's not an excuse either.

ETA:  I think they brought up a good point about the teachers being trained to handle these situations as well.  There are many holds/restraints that they can learn vs. having the cops step in.  I still remember one boy in my grade school getting taken away by the cops and it is traumatizing for all the kids involved and sends the wrong message.  I know people will probably say that teachers shouldn't have to worry about their safety like that, but on the other hand I feel like it comes with the territory of working with kids.  Or they should at least have some teachers in the building that are capable of doing so since I know it's not practical for all teachers to have the ability to do so.  

JessesGirl&MackenziesMom

I think that some very poor decisions were made, including but not beginning with the handcuffs. It shouldn't have escalated to this.  :-(

kls621

I think the officers need some additional training. My sister works with special needs adults and youth. There are holds that they are taught that will not cause harm to the child, but will contain them and keep them from hurting themselves or others.

It also sounds that either the parents need to find a daycare that can handle their child's special needs better or the daycare teachers also need some additional training in how to diffuse this type of situation in the future.

On the other hand, we don't know exactly what was happening when the officers arrived. If others were in immediate danger then the officers had to make a decision, if they did not have the training to contain the child then handcuffs may have been what they thought was the only option . They should use this experience to ask for additional training so should an incident like this occur again they will be better prepared.

I think there were a lot of mistakes made, but I don't know that you can fault any one person.

mrsolsen2000

I agree, I think there could have been a lot done to prevent it escalating to this point. That kid will always be known as the kid who got cuffed by the police. All his future teachers will have this preconceived notion of him and it could affect how they treat him. Overall could have been handled much better.

chicsub

I distinctly remember in 5th grade that a boy in our class was handcuffed by the cops.  There is a huge difference in handcuffs vs. a restraining hold and most children will equate handcuffs with criminals/bad guys. This is one reason this was not done in the detention center I worked at.  It just sends the wrong message and is not just a fleeting moment that will be brushed aside in kids' minds.

PBugMom

Not everyone with Asperger's (high functioning autism, right?) is violent - we have a friend with Asperger's and he's a really mellow guy (just gets intense about certain topics like sports). As someone who was removed from public school at about that age after being physically attacked by a classmate without any provocation, I agree with the statement that: A child of nine years is capable of hurting themselves and others.The boy's parents need to reconsider if a daycare is the right place for their son if he can cause this level of disruption, two police calls and the risk of injuries to others. That doesn't mean he should be shunned or kept away from all others, but it means he should get extra help with anger to prevent a repeat incident. But I also fail to see how a responsible daycare would accept a child with Asperger's if none of the staff were trained to de-escalate and control without police assistance.

nekorayne

PBugMom:

Not everyone with Asperger's (high functioning autism, right?) is violent - we have a friend with Asperger's and he's a really mellow guy (just gets intense about certain topics like sports).

My DH has Aspergers as well and is VERY far from violent, in fact he is overly sweet and gentle.. Like your friend he can get passionate about  things like pp said Not sports, lol he hates sports. But geeky stuff such as nerdy video games, art, and music. It is just overly talkative and excited, different because he is such a quite man!

I could see the asbergurs being connected perhaps if he got overly frustrated? The fact is that like all of us kids/adults with asbergurs can handle things differently! I know DH said that as a kid (sometimes even now, but especially then) it could be frustrating for him. DH is such a quite guy that he never had the issue with showing the frustration like this, instead he walked circles. MIL said they had a  huge circle where the grass would not grow from him walking in circles every day. He still does this if stressed. Different people handle things differently

I am curious about the other recent negative aspergers related news you mentioned...links?  I think it is really misunderstood

Not sure hoiw I feel about the handcuffs....maybe I need to know more

Sharon21

As a Mother of a child with Aspergers I am completely 100% okay with the way they handled the situation. My DD that has Aspergers is actually the same age as this boy. She doesn't get violent when she is frustrated but sometimes she will clench her fists or pinch herself. It is a very difficult situation because Aspies don't rationalize things like everyone else so sometimes it is very difficult to try to diffuse situations. 

Also to all of you who keep saying they should have restrained him another way and they (the cops) aren't trained properly in restraint techniques. I would just like to tell you that you are completely off base! Most children with Aspergers DO NOT like to be touched, especially by people they are not familiar with. If the cops had tried to restrain that child by any other means I am almost certain that would have only escalated the situation. I am sure those officers are well trained in restraint techniques, it is kinda the essence of their job. I think using handcuffs was the best option given the situation.