# Meltdowns, biting and big feelings in child care and kindergarten: what staff can do

> A meltdown is an involuntary reaction to overwhelm, not misbehaviour, and biting or hitting is often a young child's way of communicating a need. In the moment, keep everyone safe, use few words, give space and stay calm. Afterwards, help the child recover without punishment, write down what happened and plan with the family. Never use isolation or restraint as a punishment or a routine response, and follow your province's rules on restraint.

- Canonical page: https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/guides/meltdowns-in-child-care-and-school
- Publisher: Rocks Make Pebbles (https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca)
- Topic: For child care and schools
- Applies to: Canada
- Last updated: October 1, 2026. Checked against sources: October 1, 2026
- Professional review: Not yet reviewed (waiting for review by a registered psychologist, registered occupational therapist, registered early childhood educator and autistic adult)
- Drafted with the help of AI tools and checked against the sources listed below. Editorial policy: https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/editorial-policy

## Key points

- Behaviour is communication: a meltdown is overwhelm, not misbehaviour, and biting often says something a child can't yet put into words.
- Prevent first: plan with the family, act on early signs, keep the day predictable and teach an easy way to ask for a break.
- During a meltdown, keep everyone safe, say very little, give space, move other children away and stay calm yourself.
- Afterwards, help the child recover and reconnect without punishment, then record what happened before, during and after.
- Avoid time-out, isolation, ignoring distress, removing outdoor time and routine restraint: they can backfire, break the rules or cause harm.
- Rules differ: Alberta child care bans restraint, Ontario and B.C. child care limit it, and Ontario schools rely on board policies.

## What is a meltdown, and what is the child telling you?

A [meltdown](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#meltdown) is an involuntary reaction to being completely overwhelmed, not misbehaviour or a choice. A [shutdown](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#shutdown) is the quieter version: the child freezes, goes silent or seems hard to reach. Everyday distress, such as covering ears, pacing or hiding, often comes first. Our parent guide on [meltdowns, tantrums and shutdowns](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/guides/meltdowns-tantrums-and-shutdowns) explains the differences.

All of these are communication. B.C.'s Behaviour in the Early Years Position Statement for child care professionals "reflects the understanding that behaviour is communication" ([Government of B.C. and CanAssist, 2023](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/family-and-social-supports/child-care/info-partners-prov/inclusive-child-care/behaviour_early_years_position_statement.pdf)). Ontario's early years pedagogy asks educators to "look for the root cause of behaviour" rather than reprimand ([How Does Learning Happen?](https://files.ontario.ca/edu-how-does-learning-happen-en-2021-03-23.pdf)).

## What sets off distress in child care and kindergarten?

Group settings stack up what overwhelms many autistic children: noise, crowds, waiting, changes and constant demands. The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) lists difficulty understanding or expressing needs, pain, noise and lighting, and changes in routine among things that make challenging behaviour more likely ([CPS 2019](https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/asd-post-diagnostic-management)).

| Trigger | What can help |
|---|---|
| Noise and crowded circle time | A quieter spot, a seat at the edge, noise-reducing headphones the child chooses |
| Transitions, such as clean-up | A picture of what comes next, and time to finish |
| Waiting for a turn | Shorter waits and something to hold |
| Not understanding or being understood | Pictures, signs or [AAC](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#aac) all day, and fewer words |
| Hunger, tiredness or pain | Snacks, rest and a word with the family |

Some children hold it together all day by hiding their difficulties, which is called [masking](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#masking). Research in young children is limited. At recess, autistic girls in one study "appeared to mask their social challenges" ([Dean et al. 2017](https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316671845)). In 733 autistic children and teens, more camouflaging predicted more anxiety, depression and physical complaints ([Ross et al. 2023](https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2859)).

> **Evidence check:** "After-school restraint collapse", holding it together at school and falling apart at home, is a practice term, not a research finding: a search of [Europe PMC](https://europepmc.org/) on October 1, 2026 found no study of it. If a parent describes it, believe them and look at the day together.

## Why do young children bite or hit, and what should you do?

Biting and hitting are common in young children and often mean a child is overwhelmed, frustrated or can't yet say what they need. [HealthLink BC](https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthwise/biting) says "Most children younger than age 3 bite someone else at least once", most often "when many children are together, such as at daycare", and that children over 3 may bite when they "feel powerless or scared". For an autistic child, a bite may replace words like "stop" or "go away". Understanding the reason is not accepting the harm: the B.C. position statement says positive regard for every child "does not mean we condone or accept all behaviours and their impacts".

When a child bites or hits:

1. **Go to the hurt child first.** Move them away and comfort them, staying "within sight of the child who did the biting" ([MyHealth Alberta](https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=ad1696)).
2. **Use a few calm, firm words** with the child who bit, such as "Biting hurts. I'll help you." Skip lectures and forced apologies.
3. **Never bite back or punish physically,** as both provincial health services warn.
4. **Give first aid and tell both families,** following your policy on what you share. If a bite breaks the skin and bleeds, MyHealth Alberta says to call a doctor or nurse advice line. Licensed programs in B.C. must "immediately notify a parent or emergency contact" when a child is injured, and "aggressive or unusual behaviour" not assessed in a child's care plan is a reportable incident ([Child Care Licensing Regulation, s. 55 and Schedule H](https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/332_2007)).
5. **Look for the pattern,** and stay close at the times and places it happens.
6. **Teach another way to say it,** such as a sign or a "stop" card, and respond every time.

## How can you make meltdowns less likely?

Most of the work happens before a meltdown.

1. **Plan with the family.** Parents know their child best. Ask what upsets the child, what early signs look like and what calms them. Write it into the individualized support plan in Ontario child care, which must be developed in consultation with a parent ([O. Reg. 137/15, s. 52](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/150137)), the care plan in B.C. child care, or the [IEP](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#iep) (IPP in Alberta) at school. A [one-page profile](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/printables/one-page-profile) is a quick start.
2. **Act on early signs** such as more [stimming](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#stimming), covering ears, pacing or going quiet: drop demands, offer a break or move somewhere quieter.
3. **Make the day predictable** with a [visual schedule](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#visual-schedule) or [First-Then board](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#first-then-board). A warning alone may not be enough: a 2026 review of 19 experiments found "Advance notice alone was not effective" where the behaviour was a way to escape a demand, and support matched to the reason worked better ([Kim et al. 2026](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13053881/)).
4. **Offer real choices** with a [choice board](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#choice-board).
5. **Build in breaks and movement.** A calm-down area must be somewhere the child chooses to go and can always leave, never a punishment: see [visual schedules, First-Then boards and calm spaces](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/guides/visual-schedules-in-the-classroom).
6. **Teach an easy way to ask for help, a break or "stop",** such as a card, a sign or a button on the child's communication device. This is called functional communication training.

> **Try this:** Make a "break" card with the family, using the same picture at home. Practise when the child is calm, and honour it every time at first. A [calm choices board](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/printables/calm-choices-board) lets the child point to what they need.

## What should you do during a meltdown or shutdown?

During a meltdown, your job is to keep everyone safe and lower the pressure, not to stop it or teach a lesson. In [co-regulation](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#co-regulation), a calm adult lends the child their calm until the child can find their own. Ontario's College of Early Childhood Educators describes [RECEs](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#ece) who "co-regulate alongside children" ([College of ECE, 2017](https://www.college-ece.ca/en/Documents/Practice_Guideline_Supporting_Positive_Interactions_with_Children.pdf)).

1. **Make it safe.** Move other children and anything that could hurt, rather than moving the child.
2. **Clear the audience.** A second adult, such as an [EA](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#ea), takes the group elsewhere. Agree in advance how you call for help.
3. **Say very little.** "You're safe. I'm here" is enough. No questions or reasoning.
4. **Drop demands and don't argue.** Cleaning up and saying sorry can wait.
5. **Give space.** Stay close enough to keep the child safe, without crowding or touching unless the child wants comfort.
6. **Keep your voice slow and quiet** and your body relaxed.
7. **Wait.** Offer water, a comfort object or headphones without insisting.

In a shutdown, do the same more quietly, and don't press the child to answer.

> **Get help now:** Call 911 if anyone is seriously hurt or in danger, or a child has left the building and you can't find them, and follow your emergency procedures. If you think a child is being abused or neglected, follow your child protection policy and report it: "Every province and territory has a law that says any person who believes a child is being abused must report it" ([Justice Canada](https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/fv-vf/caw-mei/p13.html)).

## What helps after a meltdown, and how do you find the pattern?

After a meltdown, the child needs recovery and reconnection, not punishment. Learning from it comes later, with the family.

1. **Recover.** Offer quiet, a drink and something familiar, and don't rush the child back.
2. **Reconnect.** A friendly word or sitting together shows you're not angry.
3. **No punishment.** No lost outdoor time, treats or privileges: the child didn't choose this.
4. **Record it the same day.**

| Before | During | After |
|---|---|---|
| Time, place, people, what was asked or changed | What the child did, for how long, early signs | What helped, what made it worse, recovery time |

If meltdowns, biting or hitting keep happening, ask, with the family's agreement, for a [functional behaviour assessment](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#functional-behaviour-assessment) (FBA) to find out what the behaviour does for the child. The CPS says a trained behaviour specialist can help "identify reasons for disruptive behaviours (usually based on a functional behaviour assessment)" ([CPS 2019](https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/asd-post-diagnostic-management)), and B.C.'s school guidelines say FBAs are provided for students whose behaviour "impedes their learning or the learning of others" ([B.C. Ministry of Education, 2015](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/support/diverse-student-needs/physical-restraint-seclusion-guidelines.pdf)).

The FBA leads to a [positive behaviour support](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#positive-behaviour-support) plan written with the family: changes to the setting, skills to teach, such as asking for a break, and how adults will respond. It aims at the child's wellbeing, communication and safety, never compliance for its own sake or stopping harmless stims, which autistic adults describe as a way to "soothe or communicate intense emotions" ([Kapp et al. 2019](https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319829628)).

## What must you avoid, and what do the rules say?

Some responses make distress worse or break the rules.

### What to avoid, and why

- **Taking away outdoor time or play.** The American Academy of Pediatrics said in May 2026 that recess should be "never withheld for academic or punitive reasons" ([AAP 2026](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/news/Pages/AAP-recommends-school-recess-to-support-healthy-growth-and-academic-success.aspx)). Ontario child care centres must give children in care six hours or more at least two hours outdoors daily, weather permitting, unless a doctor or parent says otherwise in writing ([O. Reg. 137/15, s. 47](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/150137)).
- **Time-out and isolation.** Time-out can reward escape: in a 1977 study it increased an autistic 6-year-old's tantrums because she could stim during it ([Solnick et al. 1977](https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1977.10-415)).
- **Ignoring distress.** In 41 cases of treatment for self-injury, withholding what usually followed the behaviour (extinction, which includes planned ignoring) was followed by bursts or aggression in nearly half ([Lerman et al. 1999](https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1999.32-1)). You can say less while staying close.
- **Routine restraint.** A US government review found "hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and death" linked to restraint and seclusion of school children ([GAO 2009](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-09-719t-highlights.pdf)). In 10 cases it examined closely, children with disabilities were restrained or secluded "often in cases where they were not physically aggressive".
- **Shaming.** Among interactions that "violate the standards of the profession", Ontario's College of ECE lists "Restraining a child with clothing or tape" to move between activities and "Singling out, isolating or shaming a child in front of others" ([College of ECE, 2017](https://www.college-ece.ca/en/Documents/Practice_Guideline_Supporting_Positive_Interactions_with_Children.pdf)).

### The rules on restraint, confinement and seclusion

Restraint is never a punishment, and only staff trained and authorized under your rules should use it.

| Province | Licensed child care | Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Physical restraint only "as a last resort" to stop a child hurting themselves or others; no confining a child without adult supervision ([O. Reg. 137/15, s. 48](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/150137)) | No ministry policy found; "little or no provincial guidance" ([Community Living Ontario, 2025](https://communitylivingontario.ca/crisis-in-the-classroom-children-with-disabilities-isolated-held-down-sent-home/)): follow your school board's policy |
| British Columbia | No "confinement or physical restraint" unless authorized in the care plan, with restraints used only by staff trained in them and their alternatives; no unsupervised separation ([ss. 51 and 52](https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/332_2007)) | Guidelines (2015): only for "imminent danger of serious physical harm" when less restrictive steps fail; never as punishment; parents told that school day ([guidelines](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/support/diverse-student-needs/physical-restraint-seclusion-guidelines.pdf)) |
| Alberta | Bans "any form of physical restraint, confinement or isolation" ([AR 143/2008, Schedule 1, s. 3](https://kings-printer.alberta.ca/documents/Regs/2008_143.pdf)) | [Ministerial order](https://www.alberta.ca/seclusion-standards) since November 1, 2019: "a last resort" for "significant imminent danger of serious physical harm"; never to punish; trained staff only; parents told that school day ([standards](https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/ed-standards-for-seclusion-and-physical-restraint-in-alberta-schools.pdf)) |

In Ontario, behaviour doesn't cancel the [duty to accommodate](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#duty-to-accommodate): the Ontario Human Rights Commission says "All students with disabilities, even students whose behaviour is disruptive, are entitled to receive accommodation" ([OHRC 2018](https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-accessible-education-students-disabilities)). For sending a child home, see [sent home, excluded or on a modified day](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/guides/exclusions-and-modified-days).

> **Provinces and territories:** This guide covers Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta only. Elsewhere, ask your supervisor, licensing officer or principal which rules apply, and ask to see your board's or district's restraint and seclusion policy.

## What does the research say?

The best evidence supports finding the reason for a behaviour and changing what happens around it. Calming in the moment rests mostly on practice.

- **Function-based support: strong.** NCAEP's 2020 review counted functional behaviour assessment (21 studies) and functional communication training (31 studies) as evidence-based practices ([NCAEP 2020](https://ncaep.fpg.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/EBP-Report-2020.pdf)). Across 27 single-case studies of students with disabilities in inclusive schools, function-based support improved behaviour, especially after teacher-led assessments ([Walker et al. 2018](https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300717718350)).
- **Whole-class support: moderate, not autism-specific.** In a randomized trial with 40 preschool teachers and 494 children, those whose teachers had coaching in the Pyramid Model were rated as having better social skills and fewer challenging behaviours ([Hemmeter et al. 2016](https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121416653386)).
- **Co-regulation: limited.** A 2026 review called parent and child co-regulation "a key mechanism" in learning to manage emotions, but found research with young autistic children "remains limited" ([Northrup et al. 2026](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2025.07.1063)). Our Europe PMC search found no study testing calm-down corners.
- **Time-out, ignoring distress and restraint:** evidence of harm, as set out above.

## Where can staff and families get more help?

Ask early, before a crisis. Support never needs to wait for a diagnosis.

- **Ontario child care:** a resource consultant through Special Needs Resourcing, "at no additional cost to families / caregivers" ([Ontario funding guidelines, 2025](https://efis.fma.csc.gov.on.ca/faab/Child%20Care/2025/EN/Chapters/Chapter3.1_EN.pdf)).
- **B.C. child care:** Supported Child Development or Aboriginal Supported Child Development, where "A diagnosis is not required", and a free online Behaviour in the Early Years course ([ChildCareBC](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/caring-for-young-children/information-for-partners-providers/inclusive-child-care)).
- **Alberta child care:** the Inclusive Child Care Program offers on-site consultation, training and short-term funding, using the Pyramid Model ([Government of Alberta](https://www.alberta.ca/inclusive-child-care-program)).
- **Schools:** your [SERT](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/glossary#sert) or resource teacher, principal and school board special education or behaviour staff. In B.C., school staff reach [POPARD](https://autismoutreach.ca/services/), the provincial autism outreach program, through their district partner for consultation, training and functional behaviour assessments.
- **Families:** share our parent guides on [meltdowns, tantrums and shutdowns](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/guides/meltdowns-tantrums-and-shutdowns) and [feelings and calming](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/guides/feelings-and-calming). [Autism Ontario](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/where-to-get-help#autism-ontario), [ACT](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/where-to-get-help#act-autism-community-training) in B.C. and [Autism Society Alberta](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/ca/where-to-get-help#autism-society-alberta) support families.

## Questions staff ask

### What should I do when an autistic child has a meltdown in my class?

Keep everyone safe first: move other children and anything that could hurt, and have another adult take the group elsewhere if you can. Say very little, drop demands, give the child space and keep your own voice and body calm. Then wait for it to pass. Afterwards, help the child recover and reconnect without punishment, and write down what happened before, during and after so you and the family can look for patterns.

### What do I do when a child in my room bites another child?

Go to the hurt child first: comfort them and move them away, keeping the child who bit in sight. Use a few calm, firm words with the child who bit, and never bite back or punish physically. Give first aid and tell both families, following your program's policy on what you share. If a bite breaks the skin and bleeds, the family can call their doctor or a nurse advice line. Then look for patterns and teach another way to say stop.

### Are we allowed to restrain a child who is hurting others?

It depends on your province and setting, and restraint is never a punishment. Alberta's child care regulation bans any form of physical restraint, confinement or isolation. Ontario child care allows physical restraint only to stop a child hurting themselves or someone else, as a last resort, until the risk passes. In B.C. child care, it must be authorized in the child's care plan and used only by trained staff. Alberta and B.C. schools follow provincial standards or guidelines; in Ontario, check your school board's policy.

### Is time-out OK for an autistic child?

Time-out can backfire. In one study, time-out increased an autistic 6-year-old's tantrums because it let her escape and stim. Licensed child care also limits isolation: Ontario and B.C. ban separating or confining a child without adult supervision, and Alberta bans isolation. A calm-down space that the child chooses, and can always leave, is different. Focus instead on finding the reason for the behaviour and teaching an easier way to ask for a break.

### Why does a child seem fine at daycare but melt down at home?

Many autistic children work hard to cope in a group, sometimes hiding their difficulties, which is called masking, and then let the stress out at home where they feel safe. Research links masking to anxiety in autistic children and teens. People call this pattern after-school restraint collapse, but that is a term from practice, not a research finding. If a family tells you it happens, believe them and look together at what the day asks of the child.

### Can we have a calm-down corner in the classroom?

Yes, as long as it is somewhere the child chooses to go and can always leave. It should never be a punishment, a locked room or a place where a child is held. Stock it with things the child finds calming, and practise using it when the child is calm. We found no studies that test calm-down corners, so watch how the child responds and adjust. Our staff guide on visual schedules and calm spaces covers setting one up.

## Sources

1. [Behaviour in the Early Years Position Statement](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/family-and-social-supports/child-care/info-partners-prov/inclusive-child-care/behaviour_early_years_position_statement.pdf), Government of British Columbia (Ministry of Education and Child Care, with CanAssist), November 2023
2. [How Does Learning Happen? Ontario's Pedagogy for the Early Years](https://files.ontario.ca/edu-how-does-learning-happen-en-2021-03-23.pdf), Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014
3. [Post-diagnostic management and follow-up care for autism spectrum disorder (Ip, Zwaigenbaum and Brian)](https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/asd-post-diagnostic-management), Canadian Paediatric Society, October 24, 2019
4. [Dean, Harwood and Kasari (2017): gender differences in the social behaviours of autistic girls and boys at recess](https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316671845), Autism, 2017
5. [Ross, Grove and McAloon (2023): camouflaging and mental health in 733 autistic children and adolescents](https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2859), Autism Research, 2023
6. [Europe PMC research database](https://europepmc.org/), Europe PMC
7. [Biting](https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthwise/biting), HealthLink BC, October 20, 2022
8. [Learning about biting in children](https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=ad1696), MyHealth Alberta (Alberta Health Services), July 31, 2024
9. [Child Care Licensing Regulation, B.C. Reg. 332/2007 (current to September 22, 2026)](https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/332_2007), Government of British Columbia (BC Laws), September 22, 2026
10. [O. Reg. 137/15 under the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (version from July 1, 2026)](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/150137), Government of Ontario (e-Laws), July 1, 2026
11. [Kim et al. (2026): interventions for transition-related challenging behaviour in individuals with disabilities, a research synthesis and meta-analysis](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13053881/), Behavior Modification, via PubMed Central, 2026
12. [Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism (NCAEP report)](https://ncaep.fpg.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/EBP-Report-2020.pdf), National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice, 2020
13. [Practice Guideline: Supporting Positive Interactions with Children](https://www.college-ece.ca/en/Documents/Practice_Guideline_Supporting_Positive_Interactions_with_Children.pdf), College of Early Childhood Educators (Ontario), June 2017
14. [Child abuse is wrong: what can I do? How do I report abuse?](https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/fv-vf/caw-mei/p13.html), Department of Justice Canada
15. [Provincial Guidelines: Physical Restraint and Seclusion in School Settings](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/support/diverse-student-needs/physical-restraint-seclusion-guidelines.pdf), British Columbia Ministry of Education, June 3, 2015
16. [Kapp et al. (2019): autistic adults' views and experiences of stimming](https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319829628), Autism, 2019
17. [AAP supports school recess for healthy growth and academic success](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/news/Pages/AAP-recommends-school-recess-to-support-healthy-growth-and-academic-success.aspx), American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org), May 11, 2026
18. [Solnick, Rincover and Peterson (1977): some determinants of the reinforcing and punishing effects of timeout](https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1977.10-415), Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1977
19. [Lerman, Iwata and Wallace (1999): side effects of extinction, bursting and aggression during treatment of self-injury](https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1999.32-1), Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1999
20. [Seclusions and restraints: selected cases of death and abuse at public and private schools and treatment centers (GAO-09-719T, highlights)](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-09-719t-highlights.pdf), US Government Accountability Office, May 19, 2009
21. [Early Learning and Child Care Regulation, AR 143/2008 (consolidation current as of September 30, 2025)](https://kings-printer.alberta.ca/documents/Regs/2008_143.pdf), Alberta King's Printer, September 30, 2025
22. [Standards for the use of seclusion and physical restraint in schools (Ministerial Order #42/2019, effective November 1, 2019)](https://www.alberta.ca/seclusion-standards), Government of Alberta, November 1, 2019
23. [Standards for Seclusion and Physical Restraint in Alberta Schools (Ministerial Order #042/2019)](https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/ed-standards-for-seclusion-and-physical-restraint-in-alberta-schools.pdf), Government of Alberta, November 1, 2019
24. [Crisis in the classroom: children with disabilities isolated, held down and sent home](https://communitylivingontario.ca/crisis-in-the-classroom-children-with-disabilities-isolated-held-down-sent-home/), Community Living Ontario, April 23, 2025
25. [Policy on accessible education for students with disabilities](https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-accessible-education-students-disabilities), Ontario Human Rights Commission, March 2018
26. [Walker, Chung and Bonnet (2018): function-based intervention in inclusive school settings, a meta-analysis](https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300717718350), Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2018
27. [Hemmeter et al. (2016): evaluating the implementation of the Pyramid Model in early childhood classrooms](https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121416653386), Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 2016
28. [Northrup et al. (2026): review and developmental model of early childhood emotion regulation and co-regulation in autism](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2025.07.1063), Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2026
29. [Ontario Child Care and Early Years Funding Guidelines, Chapter 3, Division 1 (Special Needs Resourcing, s. 7.4)](https://efis.fma.csc.gov.on.ca/faab/Child%20Care/2025/EN/Chapters/Chapter3.1_EN.pdf), Ontario Ministry of Education, November 2025
30. [Inclusive child care (ChildCareBC)](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/caring-for-young-children/information-for-partners-providers/inclusive-child-care), Government of British Columbia, April 2, 2026
31. [Inclusive Child Care Program](https://www.alberta.ca/inclusive-child-care-program), Government of Alberta, July 30, 2026
32. [POPARD (Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders): services](https://autismoutreach.ca/services/), POPARD, Delta School District 37

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Our guides give general information for families in Canada. They are not medical, legal or financial advice. If you are worried about your child's health, contact your family doctor or pediatrician, or your provincial or territorial health line (8-1-1 in most places). In an emergency, call 911.