Students in special education are nearly twice as likely to be suspended in Texas, but that trend is starting to change in schools implementing a positive approach to discipline.
Recent Texas education records indicate that for every 100 students with disabilities there were nearly 56 in-school suspensions and 25 out-of-school suspensions in one academic year. Similar numbers for typically developing students hovered around 33 in-school suspensions and 12 out-of-school suspensions.
Advocates suggest that the high rate of discipline among special education students is often the result of built-up frustration on the part of educators who simply don’t know what to do with kids who present challenging behaviors.
However, in some schools that have started using a method known as “positive behavior supports,” staff say they’ve seen good results. At one middle school, officials credit the approach, which relies on setting clear expectations and rewarding appropriate behavior, for a 59 percent drop in disciplinary actions among special education students in just one year, reports The Texas Tribune. To read more click here.
“At one middle school, officials credit the approach, which relies on setting clear expectations and rewarding appropriate behavior, for a 59 percent drop in disciplinary actions among special education students in just one year”
See what happens when schools do their job?
In many cases, the problem is with the staff’s expectations and lack of understanding of the disabled. Many students on the autism spectrum have processing delays, making an immediate reply difficult, at best.
Take the case where the student is decoding the information to formulate an answer. If the teacher interrupts the process, it can add more delay. The real problem comes when the teacher decides that the student is willfully refusing to comply and labels them as defiant and oppositional. The student wants to do what they teacher wants, but is unable and continued prompting can frustrate the student to where they have a meltdown.