Police have launched a criminal investigation into the alleged abuse of people with autism at one of Australia's leading disability services.

It comes in the wake of a scandal involving a large wooden box built to lock up vulnerable clients at the organisation's autism centre in Melbourne's south-east.

Fairfax Media has confirmed that allegations of criminal acts perpetrated against Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) clients, most of whom cannot talk, were this week referred to Victoria Police.

Victorian teachers have been banned from restraining students with straps, holding them on the ground or locking them in seclusion rooms.

As part of a crackdown on forced restraint and seclusion in schools, the Education Department has released new rules to prevent "violent and dangerous student behaviours".

The new rules, which were emailed to principals on Tuesday night, said "rooms or areas designed specifically or used solely or primarily for the purpose of seclusion are not permitted".

These four misconceptions about autism are damaging and in desperate need of debunking, as Steve Silberman explores.

By Steve Silberman, 6 October 2015

from http://www.bbc.com/future/story/2015100…

The recent story about a "coffin-like box" constructed for an autistic student outraged much of the community. Media reports are available:

• Wooden box built to 'calm' autistic students at day centre and
• Disability minister horrified, families sickened by 'coffin-like' box 

Following are some of the comments from the community ...

Victoria's disability minister said he was horrified by revelations of a "desensitising box" at a Melbourne autism centre and has expanded a probe into one of the country's leading disability service providers.

Minister Martin Foley on Monday instructed the Department of Human Services to urgently inquire about the box as part of an examination of Aspect's Heatherton site, vowing to get to the bottom of the matter.

Thomas and his little sister Sarah have the same disability. They were both diagnosed with autism when they were four and attended the same early intervention service. But when it came time to start school, only Thomas qualified for disability funding. Sarah did not meet the criteria because she pronounced words too clearly, despite struggling to understand them.

Parents Paul Coleman and Annie Walton spent a year "jumping through hoops" to get an integration aid for Thomas, who is now 9.