A Lynchburg, Virginia, father is upset that his 16-year-old autistic son was taken away from him and placed in a mental institution far from home for a day. Gordon Bowyer told WSET news that “‘they took him from me, and they took him by force.’” Bowyer and his son, Joshua, were waiting for an appointment at Central Virginia Community Services when Joshua became upset and “officers took him into custody at Lynchburg General Hospital.”

Bowyer - “They went in like they were raiding a crack house. And my son screamed out ‘no!’ He was real scared, you could tell by the tone of his screams. And I could hear him hollering ‘daddy, daddy!’”

Community Services couldn’t comment for this story. And to be fair, officers had an order from a judge telling them to take Joshua to a hospital in Staunton. But his dad thinks health workers went too far.

Bowyer - “I was in the office for him to be treated, not mistreated.”

I’m not certain of more of the details here but I can feel Bowyer’s angst at what seems to be a very unexpected separation of his son from him. I can and must most certainly say that one of the most important things to me in the world is that I’m able to tuck him in bed at night. He likes to have his three fleece blankets (two of which he’s had since he was a baby) folded and stacked just so at the foot of his bed; there’s two more fleece blankets, one of which is big enough for a king-size bed and which Charlie wraps tightly around himself. I know Charlie won’t be living with us forever but he’s a child, and a child who has a very limited ability to communicate and express himself. Things could happen to him if he weren’t with us and we might, could, would never know.

Here’s hoping that Joshua and his father can get the help they need with Joshua still and safe at home.

Autistic Teen To Violent to Handle: This is how the August 3rd Ottawa Sun describes 15-year-old Ian Reisch, who, his family fears, has recently become too violent in his behavior to remain at home. Ian’s caretaker, 26-year-old Jacob Weare, was left with a broken nose and was bruised and bloodied after Ian “lunged onto Weaver’s back.” Ian’s mother, Brenda Reisch, notes that “despite what she sees as an overwhelming and urgent situation, Ian is still at home, and she’s counting the days until he gets an inpatient assessment at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.” Ian has also broken windows in the family’s van and car; his medication has been increased and he is taking it three or four times a day. Says his mother:

“What kind of a life is that, to be locked up in a house. We need a life. He needs a life, too. He needs help. I know this might mean he can’t live with us and that devastates me. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in tears.

“I love my son. He’s the most precious thing to me in the world. If this is what we have to do, it’s going to tear me apart, but I know he could potentially kill someone and I can’t put him in that situation.”

I know Charlie won’t, can’t, live with us forever, and I’d hope that when he does leave us, it would be because he’s an adult and it’s time for him move into a supported living environment or group home. Other of our friends with autistic children have placed their children in residential placements; Casdok and Susan Senator have both recently had their sons placed in such settings. Not an easy decision to make. So far we’ve been able to help Charlie at times when he’s been upset (really upset) and, lacking language to express himself, uses his whole body, it seems. I’m not sure what what will or could happen, and am thinking all the time about how important it is to make sure that we can provide the best kind of care and trained staff and living settings, and, too, to keep teaching Charlie to communicate when he’s upset, and to keep being open to ways to help him, and keep him and everyone around him safe and well.

And hoping that Ian Reisch’s family can get the help they need as soon as possible.