Multiple districts — Cedar Springs is one of several Kent County districts embracing a restraint-free crisis-management tactic for safely de-escalating aggressive student behavior in the classroom.
The Ukeru method — new to the county as of this year, and named after the Japanese word meaning “to receive” — was developed by Grafton Integrated Health Network. It pairs the use of deflection pads with calming language and training materials focusing on trauma-informed care.
The goal is to equip educators with the tools to diffuse and deter self-injurious or aggressive behaviors among students, said Montelle Curtis, speech language pathologist and regional autism program coach at Cedar Springs.
Curtis has been leading Ukeru trainings for district staff, and she’s a fan of the method.
“It’s a restraint-free approach to managing students who are in crisis,” Curtis said, emphasizing that while the practice might come into play most often in special-education classrooms, it’s not limited to that setting.
“These moments of crisis can be for a child who maybe isn’t a special education student, but might have a trauma history.”
‘We’re trying to comfort the child rather than trying to get control of a potentially scary, dangerous situation.’
— Montelle Curtis, speech language pathologist and regional autism program coach
Integrating Trauma-informed Care
One of the key elements of the method is an extensive presentation on brain research that’s included in the training. Educators learn about what the developing brain does in moments of crisis and the impact of trauma on the brain.
Training sessions then move onto physical skills, including how to use the deflection pads to block blows without laying hands on or confining a student in any way, Curtis said. Educators learn a “movable stance” to adopt while using the pads, which are exclusively for keeping a teacher and other students safe.
“You’re never holding the Ukeru pads and moving toward a student. It’s always a backward movement,” said Curtis.
She said the Ukeru method is a valuable tool in the ongoing shift away from seclusion and restraint tactics.
“What Ukeru does is it gives more options,” Curtis said. “It’s all about how to respond in a way that’s going to reduce the likelihood of needing to take an approach that would end up needing to be an emergency restraint or emergency seclusion, which we want to avoid at all costs.”
Technique Yields Results
Though the technique is new to Kent County, it’s already yielding positive results at Cedar Springs, Curtis said.
“I’ve been in special education for 21 years and it’s such a relief to have the Ukeru pads available,” she said. “In my experience, it has certainly allowed us to stay safe while a student de-escalates.”
She said the success of the method is a positive sign for the future of behavior interventions, and that its popularity is indicative of growth in the world of special education.
“When a child or any individual is triggered … and they’re starting to demonstrate behaviors that aren’t safe, we want to shift away from trying to control and shift toward trying to comfort,” Curtis said. “That’s where using the Ukeru pads — and just giving a child space — is kind of one of the foundational shifts.
“We’re not going to try to move too fast. We’re trying to comfort the child rather than trying to get control of a potentially scary, dangerous situation.”
Training For Other Districts
Other area districts are in the process of implementing the method, said Abbey Mix, supervisor of specialized programming and instructional supports at Kent ISD.
Kent ISD launched training sessions for local districts’ Ukeru trainers in January, with 19 of the 20 districts in the service area participating.
“Each local district is rolling out staff training on different timelines, leading to varying stages of implementation across the county,” Mix said.
Sparta Area Schools will start its training in January 2025.
“We are choosing to train our staff in Ukeru to add to our de-escalation strategies,” said Erin Kavanagh, Sparta’s director of student services.
Kavanagh explained that the district’s reasons for implementing the practice are in line with those of Cedar Springs.
“We wanted to pursue this training because it is trauma-informed, does not utilize restraints, and the body of research shows the decrease in use of seclusion and restraints in schools that utilize this strategy,” she said, stressing that district staff members are eager to get started.
“Our teachers are asking for trauma-informed strategies to implement in the classroom and we are excited to bring this to the classroom level.”
Mix, at Kent ISD, noted that the Ukeru method is meant to complement, not replace, existing crisis management strategies.
“We are optimistic about a future where the need for traditional crisis management techniques is significantly reduced,” she said.
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