Cameras and not just for protection but for education.

                This is something we all need to get on board with for a couple of reasons. Number one reason that comes to mind is to stop abuse or at least have a way to tell the story when it occurs. Too many kids can’t communicate and too many people tend to discredit children when they are able to speak. After all it can be difficult to believe anyone would purposely harm children but it happens more than we care to think to about.

                The second reason that comes into my mind is answers. Teachers are busy and can become just as overwhelmed as the students they are teaching at times. The triggers for autism can be so small and hard to detect, often times no one knows what they are. That’s when a child is restrained or placed in those horrid isolation situations. Autism is complicated to say the least and being that every case is so very different it truly takes more than one person to keep up. There are times the trigger for a meltdown is there and no one knows what it is.

                Cameras could allow more insight for parents, educators, and specialists to discover triggers. If a child is consistently having difficulties at school that no one understands why not let the parent watch what a camera picks up. Parents know their children and it could be in many cases whatever is causing the problem can be spotted and adjusted to ease the problem. If not a parent than a specialist could easily observe footage and bring things to attention that others aren’t aware of.

                Not every case holds an answer but what if many did and we could help by simply studying what a camera can see and a busy teacher cannot? What if camera’s won’t just protect our kids but pick up answers for them at the same time. I know many times my son has gone into a meltdown over the smallest thing no one understands but I am able to know what it is just from the time I spend around him. It doesn’t mean I can always fix it but knowing what it is helps to understand and that is what these kids need. So many teachers are doing an awesome job but they do have a room full of kids to manage safely and make progress. Not an easy task along with trying to get to know each individual child’s needs and trying to break through the communication barriers.

                We need to look at cameras as not just for safety but for insight and help to spot those little things it might take someone else to see. Maybe instead of a phone call home saying a child has lost it yet another day this week it could be a phone call home asking a parent to come in and review the video and see if anything can be spotted that is leading to the upset during the day. No mystery, no I wonders, no why is this happening.  Camera’s can give parents and teachers a way to communicate with each other and for the child. Even if no answer is found the trust that everyone has done what they can to find it is a big step for the entire process.