Featured Article: Abbie's Story

In late January of 1999 I gave a of a video of my child showing school staff using dangerous and painful physical restraints on Abbie to the Barnstable Police Detective Reed Hall. . Abbie was restrained violently for not sitting in her chair, not blowing her nose and not getting off the floor when instructed to by the teacher. She was being subjected to these methods for being non compliant with the teaching staff. Abbie only hit and or pushed the teachers when they became physical with her but was not being a danger to herself or others. The fact that these teaching staff would use the type of forceful restraint technique (which included pain compliance holds, wrist twists, half and full nelson and take downs) as shown on the video we felt rose to the level of child abuse and assault and battery. The investigation went on until March 23, 1999 and we were told that the police were dismissing the case since it was some sort of protocol or method used on children with autism. I was not given any further information on why they would come up with this sort of excuse for dismissing the case.