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Restraint and seclusion

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Restraint means restricting a student's movement, and seclusion means confining a student alone; both are emergency measures with serious risks.

Topic: Behavior and FBA/BIP

In plain terms

Physical restraint holds a student's body, and seclusion places a student alone in a space they cannot leave. Federal guidance says these should never be used as punishment or for convenience, and only when there is an imminent risk of serious harm, with less restrictive steps tried first. There is no federal IDEA rule setting standards, so state laws differ widely on training, limits and parent notification.

How it shows up in an IEP

Restraint or seclusion should not be planned as a routine part of an IEP or BIP. When either happens, the team should review data and the behavior plan, and families should be informed according to state law.

Example

After a restraint, the team meets, reviews the ABC data, adds earlier de-escalation steps and a replacement skill, and the parent receives written notice the same day, as the state requires.

The rule

Rules vary by state. Check your state's regulations and your district's procedures.

Related terms

  • Crisis planA crisis plan is a written plan for keeping a student and others safe if behavior becomes dangerous, including who responds and how.
  • De-escalationDe-escalation is a set of calm, planned adult responses that help a student who is becoming upset return to a regulated state safely.
  • BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan)A BIP is a written plan, based on an FBA, that describes how staff will prevent a behavior, teach a replacement skill and respond when the behavior happens.
  • FBA (Functional Behavior Assessment)An FBA is a process for figuring out why a behavior happens, by studying when it occurs, what triggers it and what it gets or avoids for the student.

This page describes special education terms and federal rules in general terms and is not legal advice. Our editorial policy explains how IEP Atlas writes and reviews content. Browse all 244 terms.