“I can tell there’s something in his head that I can’t find out”
October 24, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
It’s been reported that the use of restraints has increased in public schools. The October 24th New Britain Herald describes symptoms of something like post-tramatic stress in two autistic students who were allegedly abused by a special education teacher:
Arelis Kinard, a parent of the one of the students involved, said her 7-year-old son is nonverbal but has been having behavioral problems that may be attributed to abuse. “I’m angry, I’m angry at the school, I’m angry at the system,” she said during an often tearful press conference on the steps of New Britain Superior Court.
Parent Alberta Marin said her son now fears going to bed after being locked in a dark closet. “It’s a struggle every day when you have a child with autism,” Marin said. “Every day is different, and one morning he can wake up and be sensitive to something – even brushing his teeth can be a problem. He doesn’t want to sleep alone anymore, he wants me to keep the TV on all night. I can tell there’s something in his head that I can’t find out.”
Add “autistic people don’t feel pain” to the list of autism myths that just won’t go away.
I find that the scariest part about having a mostly non-verbal child who does not live under my roof are the nightmares about what could be happening to him. For many reasons I think that those fears are unjustified in our case, but it always hangs over our head.
It’s appalling that those parents were not warned about possible abuse until a few months had passed.
It’s appalling that those parents were not warned about possible abuse until a few months had passed.
Appalling at minimum. Taking this kind of advantage to either inflict abuse or indulge in bureaucratic butt-covering, precisely because children are non-vocal, is one of the things that make me extremely angry.
They may not be able to “tell”, but I have no doubt that they do not forget.