# When an autistic student is in distress: meltdowns, behavior plans and what to avoid

> When an autistic student is in distress, keep everyone safe, say very little, give space and stay calm and close, with no demands or punishment. A meltdown is an involuntary reaction to overwhelm, not misbehavior. Afterward, help the student recover and record what happened. With the family, a functional behavior assessment can show what the behavior communicates and shape a behavior plan that prevents triggers and teaches easier ways to ask for help.

- Canonical page: https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/meltdowns-in-the-classroom
- Publisher: Rocks Make Pebbles (https://rocksmakepebbles.com/)
- Topic: For child care, preschools and schools
- Applies to: United States
- Last updated: October 1, 2026. Checked against sources: October 1, 2026
- Professional review: Not yet reviewed (waiting for review by a licensed psychologist or BCBA, special education attorney or Parent Center staff and autistic adult)
- Drafted with the help of AI tools and checked against the sources listed below. Editorial policy: https://rocksmakepebbles.com/editorial-policy

## Key points

- A meltdown is involuntary overwhelm, not misbehavior. Ask what the student's behavior is telling you.
- Prevent first: plan with the family, spot early signs, keep the day predictable and teach a quick way to ask for a break.
- During distress: safety first, few words, space, one calm adult, fewer onlookers, and no demands or arguing.
- Afterward, help the student recover without punishment, record what happened, and write a behavior plan with the family.
- Avoid taking away recess, isolation, time-out, ignoring distress, and routine restraint or seclusion.
- Repeated send-homes can count as removals under federal guidance. States set most restraint and seclusion rules.

## What does distress look like in a young autistic student?

Distress can be loud or quiet. A [meltdown](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#meltdown) is an involuntary reaction to overwhelm, a [shutdown](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#shutdown) is a quieter one, and smaller signs, such as pacing, covering ears or refusing everything, often come first.

The Autism Society of America's 2025 guide for health professionals says a meltdown "is not a behavioral issue but a natural reaction when an individual's coping mechanisms are exceeded". It calls a shutdown "a less visible reaction to overwhelm" ([Autism Society](https://autismsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/AutismSociety_Autistic-Meltdowns-Shutdowns_2025-06V2F_Digital.pdf)). A student who freezes is not being defiant.

Behavior is communication: distress tells you something is too loud, too hard, too unclear or has gone on too long. Ask "what is this student telling us?", not "how do we make this stop?". Our parent guide, [meltdown, tantrum or shutdown?](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/meltdowns-tantrums-and-shutdowns), explains the differences for families.

> **Good to know:** Support never waits for a diagnosis, an IEP or an assessment: lower demands and add breaks now.

## What sets off distress at school?

Distress usually builds from several pressures at once. The [Autism Society](https://autismsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/AutismSociety_Autistic-Meltdowns-Shutdowns_2025-06V2F_Digital.pdf) lists triggers such as [sensory overload](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#sensory-overload), "communication difficulties or feeling misunderstood", "unfamiliar routines or unpredictability" and "social or emotional demands". In a classroom:

- **Noise and crowds:** the cafeteria, gym, assemblies, fire drills.
- **Change:** a substitute, a new schedule, stopping a favorite activity.
- **Communication:** long spoken instructions, or no quick way to say "help" or "stop".
- **Demands:** work that is too hard or too long, waiting, being told to make eye contact.
- **The body:** hunger, tiredness, needing the bathroom, pain or illness.

### Calm at school, distressed at home

Some autistic children hide their difficulties to fit in, called [masking](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#masking), and let the stress out at home. In 733 autistic children and teens aged 4 to 17, more camouflaging went with more anxiety, depression and physical complaints ([Ross et al. 2023](https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2859)). "After-school restraint collapse" is a practice term: we found no studies of it. If a family describes this, believe them, and look together at what the school day asks of the child.

## How can we prevent distress in the classroom?

Most of the work happens beforehand.

1. **Plan with the family.** Parents know the early signs and what helps. In a trial with 49 teachers, planning that began with a structured parent and teacher meeting, followed by coaching, led to large gains on young autistic students' goals ([Ruble et al. 2013](https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032003)).
2. **Learn the early signs,** such as pacing, covering ears, more [stimming](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#stimming) or going quiet, and agree what adults will do at each one.
3. **Make the day predictable** with a visual schedule and a first-then board, and pair every warning with what comes next.
4. **Offer choices and breaks** before they are needed: which task first, where to sit, a movement break.
5. **Teach a quick way to ask for help, a break or "stop",** such as a card, a sign or a button on the student's [AAC](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#aac) system, and honor it every time at first. This is functional communication training, which has strong research support (see below).

Our guide to [visual supports in the classroom](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/visual-supports-in-the-classroom) covers schedules and sensory set-up; parent guides cover [visual schedules](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/visual-schedules) and [first-then boards](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/first-then-boards) at home.

> **Try this:** With the family, fill in a [one-page profile](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/printables/one-page-profile): early signs, what helps, what makes it worse, and "touch/no touch, talk/no talk", as a small Canadian study of eight autistic young people suggests ([Phung et al. 2021](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.741421)).

## What should I do during a meltdown?

Keep everyone safe and lower the pressure. The goal is settling, not stopping the meltdown or teaching a lesson.

1. **Safety first.** Move objects or other children rather than the student, and call for a second adult.
2. **Use very few words.** Autistic adults describe "trouble with thinking and memory" during meltdowns ([Lewis and Stevens 2023](https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221145783)). "You're safe. I'm here" is enough.
3. **Give space.** Step back, get lower and stay to one side.
4. **Keep one calm adult with the student,** using "a gentle, reassuring tone", as the [Autism Society](https://autismsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/AutismSociety_Autistic-Meltdowns-Shutdowns_2025-06V2F_Digital.pdf) advises.
5. **Reduce onlookers, kindly.** Move the class if needed, but keep a trusted adult close: young people in the [Canadian study](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.741421) linked being isolated, or having the room cleared, with "embarrassment and shame".
6. **No demands, arguing or consequences.** Tidying up and saying sorry can wait.
7. **Lend your calm** with slow breathing and a quiet voice. This is [co-regulation](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#co-regulation): a 2026 review calls parent and child co-regulation "a key mechanism" in how young children learn to manage emotions ([Northrup et al. 2026](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2025.07.1063)).
8. **Let the student stim** and recover at their own pace.

In a shutdown, do the same more quietly, and don't press for answers or eye contact.

## What should happen after a meltdown?

Recovery first, then reconnection, then learning. Never punish a meltdown.

1. **Recover:** a quiet place, water, something familiar, and no questions yet. "Allow time for recovery and avoid judgment," the Autism Society says.
2. **Reconnect:** let the student know they're not in trouble.
3. **Tell the family the same day,** calmly, and ask what they have noticed.
4. **Write down what happened before, during and after** (ABC data), and note calm days too.

| Before | During | After |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, 11:50 a.m., loud cafeteria line, lunch late | Covered ears, screamed, dropped to the floor, about 15 minutes | Headphones and a quiet room helped. Questions made it worse. |

### Functional behavior assessments and behavior plans

If distress keeps happening, ask your special education team about a [functional behavior assessment](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#functional-behavior-assessment) (FBA). It works out what sets the behavior off and what need it meets, such as escaping noise. The results shape a [behavior intervention plan](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#behavior-intervention-plan) (BIP): how to prevent triggers, teach an easier way to meet the same need, and respond calmly. Write it with the family and share it with every adult involved, including [paras](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#paraprofessional).

For a student with an [IEP](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#iep) whose behavior "impedes the child's learning or that of others", federal rules in effect on October 1, 2026 say the IEP team must "consider the use of [positive behavioral interventions and supports](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#positive-behavior-support), and other strategies, to address that behavior" ([34 CFR 300.324](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-300.324)). Our guide on [the IEP or 504 plan and your part](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/iep-and-504-plans-for-teachers) covers the basics.

## What should we avoid, and why?

Avoid anything that punishes distress or adds fear, shame or isolation.

- **Taking away recess or play.** The American Academy of Pediatrics says 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)).
- **Isolation and time-out.** Time-out can reward escape: in a 1977 study it increased an autistic 6-year-old's tantrums, largely because it gave her a chance to stim ([Solnick et al. 1977](https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1977.10-415)).
- **Planned ignoring of distress.** In 41 cases of self-injury treated with extinction, which includes planned ignoring, bursts of the behavior or aggression followed in nearly half ([Lerman et al. 1999](https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1999.32-1)).
- **Routine restraint or seclusion.** The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found "hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and death" linked to these methods in schools over two decades ([GAO 2009](https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-09-719t-highlights.pdf)). Of 45 restraint-related deaths of children and teens in US residential care, 28 happened in face-down holds ([Nunno et al. 2006](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.02.015)). The Education Department said in 2012 that there is "no evidence that using restraint or seclusion is effective in reducing the occurrence of the problem behaviors" ([Education Department](https://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/safe-learning-environments/school-safety-and-security/school-climate-and-student-discipline/restraint-and-seclusion-resource-document)).

## What does the law say about removals, restraint and seclusion?

Federal law limits repeated removals of students with IEPs; states set most restraint and seclusion rules. As of October 1, 2026:

| Rule or guidance | What it says | Status |
|---|---|---|
| [34 CFR 300.530](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-300.530) | Services after 10 school days of removal; a manifestation determination before a disciplinary change of placement | In effect |
| [34 CFR 300.536](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-300.536) | Short removals totaling more than 10 school days in a year can be a change of placement | In effect |
| [OSEP Q&A, July 19, 2022](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/qa-addressing-the-needs-of-children-with-disabilities-and-idea-discipline-provisions/) | Repeated informal removals "could constitute a disciplinary removal" | In effect as guidance, still posted |
| [Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Document, 2012](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/restraint-and-seclusion-resource-document/) | Principles for state and district policies | Guidance, still posted, not binding |
| [Keeping All Students Safe Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3448) | Would ban seclusion and limit restraint in federally funded schools | Proposed: introduced December 11, 2025 |

### Removals and shortened days

Under [IDEA](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#idea), once a student with a disability has been removed for 10 school days in a school year, the school "must provide services" during any further removals. If a [manifestation determination](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#manifestation-determination) finds the behavior "was caused by, or had a direct and substantial relationship to, the child's disability", or came from the school not following the IEP, the IEP team must do an FBA (unless one was done before) and put in place or review a behavior plan, and the student usually returns ([34 CFR 300.530](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-300.530)).

OSEP, the federal special education office, treats a day cut "solely by school personnel, rather than the child's IEP Team or placement team, in response to the child's behavior" as an informal removal, and says repeated informal removals "could constitute a disciplinary removal" ([OSEP Q&A](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/qa-addressing-the-needs-of-children-with-disabilities-and-idea-discipline-provisions/)). The Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund said in August 2026 that this guidance "remains in effect" ([DREDF](https://dredf.org/ed-discipline-guidance-august-2026/)). If a student is often sent home, ask for an IEP meeting. Child care and Head Start rules differ: see [can a child care program or preschool expel an autistic child?](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/can-a-program-expel-an-autistic-child)

### Restraint and seclusion

[Restraint and seclusion](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#restraint-and-seclusion) in schools are "largely governed by state law" ([Education Week, February 24, 2026](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/investigation-finds-shocking-overuse-of-seclusion-and-restraint-in-this-district/2026/02)). The Education Department's 2012 resource document says restraint or seclusion "should never be used except in situations where a child's behavior poses imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others" ([Education Department](https://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/safe-learning-environments/school-safety-and-security/school-climate-and-student-discipline/restraint-and-seclusion-resource-document)). Its principles add: never as punishment, never in a way that restricts breathing, and tell parents as soon as possible after each use. It "does not set forth any new requirements" ([ERIC copy](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED575981.pdf)).

In the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection, students served under IDEA were 14% of K-12 enrollment ([CRDC](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED664828.pdf)). They were 76% of the students who were physically restrained. They were 68% of the students who were secluded.

The Keeping All Students Safe Act would ban seclusion and limit restraint in federally funded schools ([Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint](https://endseclusion.org/2025/12/12/keeping-all-students-safe-act-reintroduced-its-time-to-end-the-use-of-seclusion-in-schools/)). On October 1, 2026, its Senate (S. 3448) and House (H.R. 6617) bills were still in committee ([Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3448)): a proposal, not law.

For you, restraint and seclusion are never a plan, a consequence or a convenience. If restraint might ever be needed to stop immediate serious harm, get your district's training first, and follow your state's rules on recording it and telling the family. After any use, review the student's plan. A calm space is one the student chooses and can always leave: our guide to [visual schedules, first-then boards and calm-down spaces](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/visual-supports-in-the-classroom) explains when it becomes seclusion.

> **State rules differ:** States set their own rules on restraint, seclusion and shortened days. Wisconsin's education agency, for example, says shortening a disabled student's day is "not appropriate" unless the IEP team decides it is "required to address the student's unique, disability-related needs" ([Wisconsin DPI](https://dpi.wi.gov/sped/information-update-bulletin-2401)). Ask your district for its policy.

> **Get help now:** If someone is seriously hurt, or a student leaves the building and you can't see them, follow your school's emergency procedures and call 911. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, at school or at home, follow your school's procedures and your state's mandated reporter law. Call 911 if a child is in immediate danger.

## What does the research say?

Evidence is strongest for finding out what a behavior is for, and weakest for the moment itself.

- **Strong: function-based support.** The National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice counts functional behavior assessment (21 studies) and functional communication training (31) as evidence-based practices ([NCAEP 2020](https://ncaep.fpg.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/EBP-Report-2020.pdf)). In 27 single-case studies of students with disabilities in inclusive schools, function-based support improved behavior, especially after an FBA done by the teacher ([Walker et al. 2018](https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300717718350)).
- **Moderate: structured classroom planning.** Prevent-Teach-Reinforce, a function-based model, beat usual practice in randomized trials with 169 pre-K and Head Start children ([Dunlap et al. 2018](https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121417724874)) and, in early results, 245 students in kindergarten to 8th grade ([Iovannone et al. 2009](https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426609337389)). Neither trial was autism-specific.
- **Limited: in-the-moment support.** Advice on few words, space and a calm adult comes from autistic people's accounts and professional guidance, not trials. Research on emotion regulation in young autistic children "remains limited" ([Northrup et al. 2026](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2025.07.1063)), and we found no classroom trials of co-regulation.
- **Evidence of harm:** restraint, seclusion, time-out that lets a student escape, and ignoring distress.

## Where can staff and families get more help?

Ask early, before a crisis.

- **The special education teacher or case manager** can call an IEP meeting and arrange an FBA.
- **The school psychologist, a [BCBA](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/glossary#bcba) or a behavior specialist** can do the FBA and help write the plan. Good support aims at the student's wellbeing, communication and safety, not compliance or stopping harmless stims.
- **Speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists** can help with communication and sensory needs.
- **Ask for coaching in your room,** not only a course: in a 60-school trial, an approach taught with year-long coaching helped autistic students more than online modules ([Morgan et al. 2018](https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000314)).
- **Free training:** the [IRIS Center](https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/pd-hours/earn-pd-hours/available-modules/) has modules on functional behavioral assessment, behavioral intervention plans and the acting-out cycle, [AFIRM](https://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/) on practices such as functional communication training, and [NCPMI](https://www.challengingbehavior.org/pyramid-model/overview/basics/) on the Pyramid Model for preschool.
- **More guides:** for [paraprofessionals](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/paraprofessionals-supporting-autistic-students), and for [child care and preschool](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/supporting-autistic-children-in-child-care-and-preschool) staff.

Families can get free help with IEPs, behavior plans and discipline rights from a [Parent Center](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/where-to-get-help#parent-centers), and with disability rights, including restraint or seclusion, from their state's [Protection and Advocacy agency](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/where-to-get-help#protection-and-advocacy). Our parent guides on [meltdowns](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/meltdowns-tantrums-and-shutdowns) and [feelings and calming](https://rocksmakepebbles.com/guides/feelings-and-calming) are written for home.

## Questions staff ask

### What causes an autism meltdown in the classroom?

Usually several pressures at once, rather than one thing. Common classroom triggers are noise, bright light and crowds, unexpected changes, not being understood or not understanding, work that is too hard or goes on too long, and hunger, tiredness or pain. The Autism Society of America says meltdowns happen when stress exceeds a person's ability to cope. A simple record of what happened just before each one helps you spot the pattern.

### Should I ignore a meltdown so I don't reward it?

No. A meltdown is distress, not a choice, and ignoring distress can make things worse. In an analysis of 41 cases of self-injury treated with extinction, which includes planned ignoring, bursts of the behavior or aggression followed in nearly half. You can say and do much less while staying close, calm and available. If the same demand keeps coming before distress, change it or teach an easier way to ask for a break.

### Can we take away recess after a meltdown?

No. The American Academy of Pediatrics said in May 2026 that recess should be protected and never withheld for academic or punitive reasons. A meltdown is not a choice, so punishment does not address what caused it, and many autistic students use recess and movement to recover from a demanding morning. If recess itself is hard, plan a different break with the student and family, such as a quieter space or a small-group game, rather than taking it away.

### What is the difference between an FBA and a behavior intervention plan?

A functional behavior assessment, or FBA, is the detective work. It looks at what happens before and after a behavior to work out what need it meets for the student, such as escaping noise or getting help. A behavior intervention plan, or BIP, is the plan that follows: how adults will prevent triggers, teach an easier way to meet the same need, and respond calmly. Both should be written with the family.

### Can a school send an autistic student home early after a meltdown?

Repeated send-homes are a warning sign. Federal guidance from July 2022, still posted on October 1, 2026, says repeated informal removals, such as a school day shortened by staff rather than the IEP team because of behavior, could constitute disciplinary removals. For students with IEPs, IDEA's discipline protections would then generally apply. If a student is often sent home, ask for an IEP meeting to review the supports instead.

### Can I restrain a student who is hurting someone?

Restraint is never a routine response. Follow your state's law and your district's policy, and act only if you are trained. The Education Department's 2012 guidance says restraint or seclusion should not be used except when a child's behavior poses imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others and other approaches are not working, never as punishment, and never in a way that restricts breathing. Move other children and objects first, call for help, and tell the family as soon as possible.

### Why is a student calm at school but has meltdowns at home?

Some autistic children hide their difficulties at school to fit in, called masking, and let the stress out at home where they feel safe. Research links masking with anxiety, but we found no research on the popular term after-school restraint collapse, which comes from practice. If a family describes this, believe them, and look together at what the school day asks of the student, including noise, social demands and breaks.

## Sources

1. [Autistic meltdowns and shutdowns: an inclusive guide for healthcare professionals](https://autismsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/AutismSociety_Autistic-Meltdowns-Shutdowns_2025-06V2F_Digital.pdf), Autism Society of America, June 2025
2. [Ross, Grove and McAloon (2023): camouflaging and mental health in autistic children and adolescents](https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2859), Autism Research, 2023
3. [Ruble et al. (2013): randomized trial of COMPASS web-based and face-to-face teacher coaching in autism](https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032003), Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2013
4. [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, UNC, 2020
5. [Phung et al. (2021): insights on burnout, inertia, meltdown and shutdown from autistic youth](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.741421), Frontiers in Psychology, 2021
6. [Lewis and Stevens (2023): the lived experience of meltdowns for autistic adults](https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221145783), Autism, 2023
7. [Northrup et al. (2026): 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
8. [34 CFR 300.324: development, review and revision of the IEP](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-300.324), Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, September 29, 2026
9. [AAP recommends school recess to support 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
10. [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
11. [Lerman, Iwata and Wallace (1999): side effects of extinction](https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1999.32-1), Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1999
12. [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
13. [Nunno, Holden and Tollar (2006): a survey of child and adolescent restraint fatalities](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.02.015), Child Abuse and Neglect, December 2006
14. [Restraint and seclusion: resource document (page last reviewed January 14, 2025)](https://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/safe-learning-environments/school-safety-and-security/school-climate-and-student-discipline/restraint-and-seclusion-resource-document), US Department of Education, May 15, 2012
15. [Restraint and seclusion: resource document (full text, ERIC copy)](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED575981.pdf), US Department of Education, via ERIC, May 2012
16. [Restraint and seclusion: resource document (IDEA website page, modified September 27, 2018)](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/restraint-and-seclusion-resource-document/), US Department of Education, September 27, 2018
17. [34 CFR 300.530: authority of school personnel](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-300.530), Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, September 29, 2026
18. [34 CFR 300.536: change of placement because of disciplinary removals](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-300.536), Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, September 29, 2026
19. [Questions and answers: addressing the needs of children with disabilities and IDEA's discipline provisions](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/qa-addressing-the-needs-of-children-with-disabilities-and-idea-discipline-provisions/), US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, July 19, 2022
20. [Department of Education discipline guidance will harm disabled students of color](https://dredf.org/ed-discipline-guidance-august-2026/), Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF), August 20, 2026
21. [Investigation finds 'shocking overuse' of seclusion and restraint in this district](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/investigation-finds-shocking-overuse-of-seclusion-and-restraint-in-this-district/2026/02), Education Week, February 24, 2026
22. [2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection, a first look: students' access to educational opportunities in US public schools](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED664828.pdf), US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (ERIC copy), January 2025
23. [Keeping All Students Safe Act reintroduced: it's time to end the use of seclusion in schools](https://endseclusion.org/2025/12/12/keeping-all-students-safe-act-reintroduced-its-time-to-end-the-use-of-seclusion-in-schools/), Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint, December 12, 2025
24. [S. 3448, Keeping All Students Safe Act (119th Congress)](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3448), Congress.gov, December 11, 2025
25. [Information Update Bulletin 24.01: shortened school days (revised September 2025)](https://dpi.wi.gov/sped/information-update-bulletin-2401), Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, March 2024
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. [Dunlap et al. (2018): a randomized controlled evaluation of Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Young Children](https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121417724874), Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 2018
28. [Iovannone et al. (2009): randomized controlled trial of the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce tertiary intervention](https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426609337389), Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 2009
29. [Morgan et al. (2018): cluster randomized trial of the Classroom SCERTS intervention for elementary students](https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000314), Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2018
30. [IRIS Center modules available for professional development hours](https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/pd-hours/earn-pd-hours/available-modules/), IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University
31. [AFIRM: Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules](https://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/), Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, UNC
32. [Pyramid Model basics](https://www.challengingbehavior.org/pyramid-model/overview/basics/), National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI)

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Our guides give general information for families in the United States. They are not medical, legal or financial advice. If you are worried about your child's health, contact your child's pediatrician. In an emergency, call 911.