First Grader In Handcuffs?

Posted on February 12, 2010 
Filed Under Parenting

What do you think? I don’t know what to make of it all. I’ve followed this story with some real curiosity. A Florida first grade student had an angry outburst so disruptive that the local sheriff’s office actually handcuffed her and drove her away in a squad car. The next day, this same six year-old student was once again out of control, and was subsequently removed from the school and admitted to a mental health facility for evaluation. Her parents maintain she has no mental illness and only suffers from a “temper problem.”

It seems obvious that there’s something going on behind the scenes that we don’t yet know. This isn’t typical behavior for a first grader. As a parent of a special needs child, I wonder if little Haley might have an undiagnosed condition which leads to these outbursts. Thinking back, before we really knew what we were dealing with in our son’s erratic behavior (autism spectrum disorder) we had to deal with some pretty intense and physical tantrums, so I’d be curious if this girl might have an undiagnosed special need.

It is reported that she had a history of behavioral issues, and that the school was trying to work with the parents, so it is likely that things have escalated over time. I don’t want to take sides here, but it does seem rather extreme to take a six year-old child off the school premises in handcuffs, and also to commit the child to a facility – both actions apparently taken without parental involvement. Still, what is a school to do with such physical expressions of rage? What would you do if you were in the classroom witnessing this kind of outburst?

I’m sympathetic to everyone involved, and hope that the parents and school officials will be able to work together in correctly identifying the real issues – and that eventually they can help this young girl with what is, at the least, an “temper problem.” Haley obviously needs some sort of intervention.

If you have an angry child that you’re trying to deal with, here’s an article offering some common-sense ways to approach the situation and find solutions. And here’s a conversation with a psychologist offering insights about how you as a parent can cope with an angry child; his book has much more information for parents.

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