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When children with SEND, who have violent outbursts, become adults

130 replies

wobblychristmastree · 13/03/2026 18:15

Saw an article online about teachers being injured by children/young people with SEND in schools. My own child is in a (mainstream) class with a pupil who has violent outbursts, is supported by a 1:1 but my child has been injured, as have others. Clearly it’s a failure of the school, although I understand it is difficult to keep 1:1s for them due to have difficult the work is. But it got me thinking, this can’t go on indefinitely. Is the hope that they develop the skills to cope as adults? What becomes of the these when they become adults?

OP posts:
Kendodd · 13/03/2026 20:53

BoredZelda · 13/03/2026 18:48

Lack of funding. Lack of appropriate education in SEN schools. The only SEN school in our area doesn’t teach the curriculum. So, if you have an academically able child you have to choose whether you want them to effectively be “babysat” and taught life skills, or getting them qualifications that will give them some chance of a future. It’s a difficult choice.

Not all “violent” kids go on to become violent adults. With the right support they can develop the proper strategies. Unfortunately that support is hard to come by and parents are left trying to deal with it themselves.

Well you say lack of funding, but SEN are bankrupting councils up and down the country. Some kids in my county cost more than 500k a year to look after. Absolutely huge amounts of money are being spent. Just look at the taxi bill alone. I know we could easily spend double what we do, but just how much is enough?

drspouse · 13/03/2026 20:58

Enough to educate a child and not send them straight to prison so they can a) pay taxes and b) not cost the taxpayer even more by being sent to prison. That's enough

Octavia64 · 13/03/2026 21:02

Kendodd · 13/03/2026 20:53

Well you say lack of funding, but SEN are bankrupting councils up and down the country. Some kids in my county cost more than 500k a year to look after. Absolutely huge amounts of money are being spent. Just look at the taxi bill alone. I know we could easily spend double what we do, but just how much is enough?

Local government is funded by a mix of council tax, business rates and money from central government.

the amt of money they get in has dropped massively since 2010.

the lack of money at local councils is largely due to cuts in the central government grant and limits on council tax increases.

https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/local-government-funding-england

council-tax-bill-1504x846px.jpg

Local government funding in England | Institute for Government

How local government is funded in England and how it has changed since 2010.

https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/local-government-funding-england

ChasingMoreSleep · 13/03/2026 21:03

Kendodd · 13/03/2026 20:53

Well you say lack of funding, but SEN are bankrupting councils up and down the country. Some kids in my county cost more than 500k a year to look after. Absolutely huge amounts of money are being spent. Just look at the taxi bill alone. I know we could easily spend double what we do, but just how much is enough?

SEN placements costing more than £500k are not commonplace.

It is shortsighted to only look at immediate funding. Meeting children’s needs saves money in the longer run.

School transport isn’t only linked to SEN. Some DC without SEN are eligible.

Vinvertebrate · 13/03/2026 21:13

you are now getting more schools opening up that are specifically for autistic kids and try to offer academic challenge AND the social and emotional side but they are few and far between and usually cost tens if not hundreds of thousands.

Absolutely this. My ASC DS goes to this type of school and has gone from (frankly) a little thug towards other children in his MS class of 30, to a model pupil who is working at greater depth across the curriculum. The main reason for the change is there are 26 fewer children and twice as many adults compared to the MS. And yet it’s precisely this type of school that the government has in its sights! 🤷🏻‍♀️

As for MS hubs, ironically I pushed to get DS into one of these instead of specialist, but the LA did not have a single place at a hub across the entire county. MS couldn’t meet need, so he had to be given a place in a charity-run indie….but apparently I’m a pushy MC parent bankrupting the council!

I predict the SEN reforms will be an unmitigated disaster for all concerned.

Huckleberries · 13/03/2026 21:14

likelysuspect · 13/03/2026 18:41

Huge numbers of the prison population are ND, its not right to say that usually they dont have capacity. ND doesnt mean you lack capacity. Prison is fairly likely in my working experience.

I've been told this by a guy who did time in prison.

I have wondered for ages about this independence, about how much the children suffer in mainstream school when there is no expectation that they will be able to get a job later

I don't understand what's happening but questioning it leaves you open to accusations of not understanding

I think a lot of us would welcome a move back to less independence, if we know anyone who refill feel needs less independence and more supervision

But as well as the cost it just isn't a popular idea I don't know where we go from here

Huckleberries · 13/03/2026 21:15

Sorry that wasn't clear

It's not that you're accused of not understanding - I don't understand! It's more that you are accused of being prejudiced. It's not that I want to see children being isolated. It's more case the ones I know would have benefited much more from a specialist school and they are incredibly unhappy in the mainstream one.

Lougle · 13/03/2026 21:17

IncompleteSenten · 13/03/2026 18:20

They become men like my younger son. No support, no respite, no group home willing to take him. Attacking me and berating me. Soiling his room. We have bolts on our bedroom doors and emergency procedures in place. Diazapam prescribed to administer as required.

I get through one day at a time., terrified what will happen to him when I die.

My sister is terrified that he will be the reason I die.

Does your DS have a learning disability? DD1 is under our LD team and they have really good resources.

Some adults with LDs/ASD will have 1:1 2:1, 3:1 or even 4:1 care where required.

GirlofInkandStars · 13/03/2026 21:25

Many end up in prison. People with poor emotional regulation and high levels of impulsiveness make poor decisions and end up in prison. The percentage of the prison population with an acquired brain injury is staggering. Some estimates put it at over 50%

Myskyscolour · 13/03/2026 21:44

likelysuspect · 13/03/2026 19:51

Mines one of those answers and yes you're right, Im more thinking of my client group who are just on the cusp of adulthood, so are still violent and will be once they turn 18 which is like 'now' so are likely on an unfortunate trajectory

And as Ive said in othr posts my view is that early intervention in specialist settings is necessary a lot of the time and could support that better.

Yes - and of course I wasn’t saying that the situations you describe don’t exist either.

Lougle · 13/03/2026 22:04

Kendodd · 13/03/2026 20:53

Well you say lack of funding, but SEN are bankrupting councils up and down the country. Some kids in my county cost more than 500k a year to look after. Absolutely huge amounts of money are being spent. Just look at the taxi bill alone. I know we could easily spend double what we do, but just how much is enough?

If you're talking about Wirral, it's one care package. That person must be incredibly complex to be costing £10,000 per week.

Generally, SS will pay the least they can. DD1 has just been approved for agency care and her SW had to justify why someone recruited from the community wasn't sufficient. Her care package will now go out for brokerage to get the LA the best deal they can get. The alternative is residential care which will cost so much more.

IncompleteSenten · 13/03/2026 22:08

Lougle · 13/03/2026 21:17

Does your DS have a learning disability? DD1 is under our LD team and they have really good resources.

Some adults with LDs/ASD will have 1:1 2:1, 3:1 or even 4:1 care where required.

No, I was told that because he has a high iq, he isn't considered to have learning disabilities even though he meets the other criteria.

Whatwouldyousayto · 13/03/2026 22:12

I worry about this as I work in this exact environment. I question all the time what will happen to them and it’s made me think there must be people in society who are now adults like this with these violent tendencies? And often it’s not a purposeful thought out violence they can control , one of my kids forgets he does it and has no idea it’s happened. It worries me as it’s increasing common

Cruiser123 · 13/03/2026 22:34

I have one of these kids....he's 5, very bright, bur was diagnosed with autism and adhd.

He's impulsive and has problems with emotional regulation.

I have done a parental application for an EHCP in May 2025 - the LA initially refused to assess him. I got that overturned in mediation in September 2025 and the LA agreed to issue an EHCP in November 2025.

Initially the LA insisted on mainstream, but they have changed their stance in the last 2 weeks and are now consulting with specialist schools.

I have fought tooth and nail to get him into a specialist school, I have been awake so many hours at night, writing the application for his EHCP, writing emails to the LA, advocating for my child at school, spending over 3000 pounds on his private diagnoses, crying myself to sleep.....

Kickinthenostalgia · 13/03/2026 22:44

DS 18 has autism. He never really touched anyone unless they touched him first (never girls) (except DP who bless him caught the brunt of it especially if he’d been masking at school ) he did flip tables once but that was due to a situation that should have never happened caused by another student who should have never been near DS. He loves to slam doors and hit himself in the head these days. He’s more expressive with swearing which tbh I’ll take over violence anyday. I do pull him up on it especially the way he speaks to his sister sometimes. It’s a bit of a minefield, you just gotta watch out for the triggers but you can’t always predict someone else behaviour so there are times where stuff gets smashed and we just have to deal with the fallout.

likelysuspect · 13/03/2026 22:47

Lougle · 13/03/2026 22:04

If you're talking about Wirral, it's one care package. That person must be incredibly complex to be costing £10,000 per week.

Generally, SS will pay the least they can. DD1 has just been approved for agency care and her SW had to justify why someone recruited from the community wasn't sufficient. Her care package will now go out for brokerage to get the LA the best deal they can get. The alternative is residential care which will cost so much more.

10k a week isnt particularly unusual for childrens homes for care

I dont know if youre talking about a specific educational setting with aaccommodation? This would cost a lot more

The kids on a package like that arent particularly complex as such, just very very hard to place, often out of education, lots of absconding and aggression to staff.

ChasingMoreSleep · 13/03/2026 22:52

Some people, intentionally or through ignorance, misunderstand the difference between SEN placements made via EHCPs (whether jointly funded or not) and other children’s services’ placements.

Sassylovesbooks · 13/03/2026 23:04

I work in a First school. We have a Year 3 child with Autism. The child has been through 3 TA's since starting Foundation. She frequently bites, hits, slaps, uses disgusting language towards others and kicks. Our school has bent over backwards to give her as much support as humanly possible. Her parents don't recognise the fact she's Autistic, they've turned down a placement at a special school twice. They believe she's 'immature and will grow out of it'. I've seen staff being slapped, kicked and spat at by her (thankfully not me).

Staff at the special school come in to observe the child, and offer help to our staff with strategies, to manage her behaviour.

So no, it's not always the schools that fail the child. Sometimes they do their up most in really difficult circumstances, and no back-up from the parents. In this case, it's the parents who have failed their own child.

BertieBotts · 13/03/2026 23:06

DS1 was never violent at school but was at home. He grew out of it after he learned better emotional regulation skills.

DS2 was violent at home and aggressive and disruptive at school and I was trying to get a 1:1 for him as I felt it would help. He tended to cope much better and was not violent or aggressive in environments where they understood him, he understood what was going on and he wasn't constantly stressed all the time, which is why I hoped the 1:1 would help. In fact the violence at home had mostly stopped by the time he started school aged 7, only to come back with a vengeance after he did start school and was plunged into a horrendously stressful environment 5 mornings a week. Luckily for everyone, ADHD medication helped him so much that he is no longer aggressive in any way at school, although it does break through occasionally at home. I am not worried about this because it is nothing like it was previously and I fully think he will get there with the better communication and self-regulation skills. I am really grateful and relieved that the ADHD medication has helped him so much, but I have absolutely 0 faith that the school understand why he has stopped being disruptive, which concerns me as I worry that we could end up right back in the same situation again.

Violence is not a personality trait, it is an extreme stress response or the lowest access point communication tool. Some children who are violent can learn better skills to either allow them to e.g. communicate without violence, self-regulate or manage the expectations of school and therefore allow school to be a less stressful experience for them in the first place, but no child can learn anything much when they are constantly expected to deal with a level of stress which is triggering a literal fight or flight response.

Supersimkin7 · 13/03/2026 23:21

I read 1 in 3 prisoners has ASD. (Once you’ve added the junkies about half those in prison are ND.)

Care in the Community backfired. We shut the asylums and opened more prisons.

The very violent ASD guy I know has a flat with 24/7 male carers. He still managed to attack his DM so he’s on 2:1 for life. He’s very fond of his Jack Russell.

I think part of the problem is that we all think ASD can be cured & needs met - good luck with that.

And that there’s a creeping idea that the needs of anyone with SEND matter more than the needs of NT types, which is daft and sometimes dangerous.

Huckleberries · 13/03/2026 23:33

Everyone was worried about care the community in our area because we had a local mental care institution close down

I was a child, but I remember lots of people saying that the measures put in place weren't adequate and it was discussed a lot about the final closure of the institution

Then we were walking home from school through the village and we saw them every day and they were totally not okay to be out in the world It was heartbreaking

Eventually, there was an incident and for a while we weren't allowed to walk home from school until things settled down

I think at that point a place was found for some of the men that we saw I don't remember seeing any women actually

I think schools are being asked to do things that they aren't qualified to do and that's just from my experience of my nephew who isn't violent

bittertwisted · 13/03/2026 23:34

wobblychristmastree · 13/03/2026 18:15

Saw an article online about teachers being injured by children/young people with SEND in schools. My own child is in a (mainstream) class with a pupil who has violent outbursts, is supported by a 1:1 but my child has been injured, as have others. Clearly it’s a failure of the school, although I understand it is difficult to keep 1:1s for them due to have difficult the work is. But it got me thinking, this can’t go on indefinitely. Is the hope that they develop the skills to cope as adults? What becomes of the these when they become adults?

My autistic son was like this.
i never gave up on him, an amazing specialist school helped him learn about triggers, social norms and what helps him cope. You can still see him acting out things like eye contact and shaking hands. He has learnt how to do it . And he has not been aggressive for 13 years, partly by focussing discipline through intense MMA training

he is now 25 , lives with his friends, has a first class degree and is doing his masters
works in a busy bar, is guitarist and vocals in a band
and i am so incredibly proud of him, you have to fight and believe in what they can be. My DS was horrendous, I cannot begin to describe how traumatic it was for him and me. I believed in who I knew he could be

likelysuspect · 13/03/2026 23:37

People get very upset by MMA training dont they?

Again its not politically correct to believe that can be helpful

BertieBotts · 13/03/2026 23:54

wobblychristmastree · 13/03/2026 19:11

On the lack of capacity. There have been some famous cases where killers have googled in ASD is a legal defence before committing the crime. I do wonder about how children with some SEND needs can be disciplined/experience consequences so they can grow to understand the impact of others etc, like you do with toddlers and like is necessary to keep kids out of prison.

do the young people in mainstream settings get the opportunity to do the reflective work, learn their triggers etc? Surely that’s more important that learning about volcanoes..

The problem is that consequences and discipline don't teach understanding of the impact of your actions on others. NT children don't learn this from consequences and discipline either. They learn it from natural development of empathy and ability to see things from another person's perspective, as well as their own experiences and the experiences from others which they learn about through being told or reading books or listening to stories in other ways e.g. through film/TV, along with the cognitive skill in being able to model scenarios and apply this first or second hand experience to the probable outcome of the action they are considering.

NT children do not stop being violent after toddlerhood solely because we have given them consequences and discipline. They stop being violent after toddlerhood largely because they have developed better self-control (in particular the ability to stop and think things through before acting) and because they have developed very easy, almost automatic access to much better ways of communicating and handling conflict, (such as talking), as well as the understanding discussed before and also because they pick up on social norms, modelling and context which tells them that violence is not acceptable in almost all contexts. (Part of this is consequences and discipline, but it is likely to be a very small part. Children learn MUCH more from social modelling and observing social interaction than they do from consequences).

ND children don't always pick up on social rules and norms automatically, and they may be slower to develop the other skills depending on their specific difficulties. However, many children with SEND needs who are violent do feel remorseful and regretful about their actions, because they are not necessarily being violent for selfish reasons, sometimes it is that they are losing control and having a stress response or losing access to all communication aside from the most basic which is violence.

ND children often find environments and expectations which are normal or easy for other children extremely difficult to cope with, which makes it harder for them to use the skills they have developed. On top of learning skills which are much harder for them to gain, they also have to learn to navigate a world which is not designed for them and manage their own triggers within those environments. This is often easier for adults, who have much more control over their environment. For example, as an adult you probably have jobs you would never ever apply for, and many people make that kind of decision based on the environment, and this is a completely normal thing to do. For example, I personally would never apply for a job which had me outside all day every day. I prefer to be inside most of the time. I would also find it very difficult to work in a noisy environment. Someone else might say they couldn't stand sitting still at a desk, and would prefer something where they can be more active. Someone else might say they could never work night shifts. We all have different things we find hard or especially dislike, and as an adult we get to avoid or minimise many of these.

Doing reflective work and learning their triggers would be excellent things to work on, but IME schools are not really equipped to work on this kind of thing and arguably it is not what they are really there for either. And even if children do find their triggers, if they are environmental they often have little power to change them and schools don't seem interested in (or may not have the freedom to) adapting to children in this way.

Supersimkin7 · 14/03/2026 00:11

@BertieBotts Schools aren’t hospitals. Teachers aren’t psychiatrists.

It’s a great idea, but it’s not going to happen.

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