Real Crimes Against Autistic Persons

One of the objections to the NYU Child Study Center’s “Ransom Notes” ad campaign is that it portrays autism, Asperger Syndrome, ADHD, bulimia, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder as “kidnappers” who have abducted a child and are holding her or him “hostage.” Autism and the other conditions are seen as criminal elements—their crime being that they have made an otherwise normal child “sick.” This negative image associates autism, Asperger Syndrome, and the other conditions with the criminals. But there are real crimes committed by real persons against individuals with disabilities.

Ayouth theater director in Seattle is accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls. As reported by the December 12th Fox News (Q 13), Benjamin Keylin, Executive Director of Youth Theatre Northwest, was arrested this weekend and released from jail; the two young women are not affiliated with the drama group—one young woman has a “mild form of autism.” According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:    

The woman, whom Bellevue Police say has a mild form of autism, reported that Keylin began groping her last year and more recently forced her to have sex, according to court documents.  

Police say they recorded phone conversations between Keylin and the young woman in which he apologized and told her he’d “made a bad mistake.”

The allegations came to light about two weeks ago when girl’s sister, the 16-year-old girl, told police that Keylin had touched her inappropriately.

Keylin was charged with 3rd degree rape back in 1991, but “because he plead guilty to 4th degree assault – a gross misdemeanor – officials say it did not show up on his background check.” The Seattle Times Newspaper notes that Keylin Executive Director of Youth Theatre Northwest in 2003 and has been a principal and school superintendent. He is now on leave from his position with the theatre group.

In Terre Haute, Indiana, a former county employee, Anthony E. Miller, was convicted of three counts of child molestation involving a boy who was younger than 14 and who has autism, the December 12th Terre Haute News reports.

As the guilty verdicts were read by Judge David A. Bolk, the victim’s mother and grandmother began crying and nodding. The mother mouthed the words “thank you” to members of the jury.

The boy at the center of the allegations was not in the courtroom on the final day of the trial, but on Tuesday he testified that on about 13 occasions from late summer 2005 to January 2006, Miller engaged in oral sex and other sex acts with him.

Miller said that the boy was lying. The prosecution relied “heavily on DNA evidence” that linked Miller to the boy’s testimony.