In response to the event, this editorial from Robert Smith of Indianapolis appeared in the Indystar.com website:
I feel sorry for the autistic young man from Carmel Middle School who was Tased, but what is going to happen when this person is pulled over by police or he encounters the police when he is older and he threatens them like he was doing with his teachers and classmates? What will happen when his parents and his lawyer are not around?This type of response - police and tasers - to a child or adolescent acting out in school is becoming more and more prevalent in our schools. With or without autism. With or without an IEP. Recent stories have even included a ten year old being carted away in a patrol car in handcuffs for having a temper tantrum.Never should harming someone be the first line of defense, especially when you are dealing with a child, but there are times when certain steps need to be implemented if a person crosses the line.
Students with autism have a variety of special needs, but society is treating these students differently to the point that we enable them. How long will this student live by a set of rules that will ultimately fail him when he enters the "real world"?
On the one hand, I can lay such absurd over-reactions at the door of events like Columbine, which have caused many of our schools to add metal detectors and lockdowns to their daily routines. But in all too many cases, the line of common sense is crossed.
Yes, if the 14-year-old described in the story were driving a car, and were stopped, and leaped out of the car, and assaulted a policeman, he'd probably be tased - appropriately. But to me, that's like saying "if I choose not to teach my autistic child to swim despite his delight in water, and take him to a swimming pool, encourage him to jump in, and then walk away, he might drown." Yes, that's true. It really could happen. But short of some highly unlikely circumstances, it won't.
Of course, we should teach all of our children how to manage their feelings and their actions. Some children with autism can learn to manage their feelings and actions - though it may take a little more time. Others may not be able to do so. Those who can may end up behind the wheel of a car, having gone through Driver's Ed like everyone else. Those who can't may never earn a driver's license.
If a grown man with a driver's license assaults a policeman, we can respond to that. But good grief - to taser a 90 pound 14 year old, and suggest that it might be the right thing to do because someday he might do something worse, seems to me to be absurd.
First of all, whoever called 911 should be fired. The child was in school, the IEP should have been followed. Perhaps the parents called. I once worked in a school for children with very severe emotional problems from often violent homes and they had a padded room for emergencies such as these- a large teacher assistant would put the child, as gently as possible, into the room where he could not hurt himself or anyone else until the tantrum subsided. Then it was possible to get to the root of the problem, always with caring and understanding. It amazed me how calm the staff was. I don’t know if any of them were autistic- don’t think so- but it’s obviously important to keep the safety of the student, other students and staff in mind, autistic or not, and this was the best option. The school staff needs TRAINING. And the police officer should have known better too! This goes to prove that police and fire personelle need to be trained to recognize autism and other not-physically-obvious disabilities before they needlessly hurt someone. Personally, I think the parents should get a lawyer to make the school provide appropriate services- like a large one-on-one aide and maybe a padded room.
either a child is in an appropriate or he isn’t. If this school can not “appropriately” care and educate this child, then another placement is needed. Using a taser is not part of the child’s IEP I am sure. If the child needs amore restrictive environment, give it to him….don’t taze him, for God’s sake. And districts wonder whhy they get sued!
Let’s face it. We live in an age where autistics have no rights that a school district is bound to respect.
Autistics can be routinely excluded, secluded, restrained, tortured, ridiculed, drugged, bullied, and yes, tased — with the complete approval of “the authorities,” the press, and the general public.
And I’m repeatedly getting CPS cases opened & dismissed, pretty much because with a bipolar ADHD father an ADHD sister and a typical three yr old sister, we don’t operate our household typically.
Clarification: those father and sisters are to my autistic son. IE my husband & daughters
my friend with a child with autism and another with bi-polar was told theat is not IF CPS is called….its when. She already had her first visit. She thinks it was his teacher as some kind of unconcious retribution for challenging the lack of following the child’s IEP….
This situation makes me so sad. I feel sad for everyone involved. There is no good answer to this autism epidemic. I fear that stories like this will become more commonplace. Teachers, parents, police and most of all the children with autism are in am impossible situation where everybody is losing.
In some police departments across the country, before an officer gets a taser they have to be tasered themselves to see what a suspect would go through. I think the people who SEVERELY overreacted in this case should have to undergo this same practice. My wife and I have 2 boys with ASD. The meltdowns have been severe as everyone knows. I have had my nose broke as my son thrust his head back and my wife has had her cornea scratched. We would NEVER entertain the idea of any physical retribution for our sons’ actions. This poor boy’s civil rights were violated in the most extreme way. It would be no different if the school personel were tasered for the color of their eyes. To be punished for something that is not in your control is paramount to torture. The IEP is the contract you have with the school to do what is best for your child. If the school did not follow the IEP there should be grounds for a contract violation.
You dont have to be carring a wepon to be Taserd by the police or by the security officers.
all you have to do is not to coraprate with the police three times and thay will blasted you taser guns & can kill.Just for resisting arrest no mater age or disiblity
A net gun will work better! but chefe police know the fear tac will work.I am a security office and will quit my job if I was given a taser here in newzealand and yes I have Aspergers!I faild the police training becoues I got A to heigher score on the IQ chart .to smart to be a cop!its true..
As far as i’m concern, i would of taken this situation to court and sued the school and the police department, I twins with autism, plus a third child with a disablilty. Your opinion does NOT matter unless you live with autism everyday or you are teacher, doctor, ect… They act like we should just put a sign on our children saying ” I HAVE AUTISM ” ” I DON’T ALWAYS RESPOND TO NORMAL COMMANDS” “PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME” gimme a break, Educate yourself people!!!
A friend whose son attended the same therapy clinic as mine related the following story: Her husband had taken their 11-yr old son to pick up tacos for company that was staying for dinner. En route, the son began acting up & became physical upon arrival at the restaurant. After the husband wrestled the son back into the car to cool down, a cop showed up. Seems a restaurant patron was concerned seeing a man wrestle a kid into his car. The husband explained the kid’s disability & behavior leading up to his actions while the cop gave him a “Yeah, sure” look & said he’d just ask the kid what happened. As soon as the cop let the kid out, he went berserk & wound up handcuffed in the back of the cop car while the dad was trying his hardest not to get himself arrested yelling at the cop. The cop then refused to release the boy to his dad until his “mental health experts” could verify the situation. An EMS unit rolled up & the medical personnel, after talking with the dad, told the cop everything was legit & the dad had done the proper thing in containing his son. Only then did the cop release the kid whom the dad had to cool down all over again. The irony is that my friend had typed up a profile on her son & how to handle him specifically for the police/fire/EMS depts in her area. When she went to speak to a police supervisor over the mishandling of her son, they refused to see her. When she persisted in following up, she was told the profile was discarded because they “weren’t listed as area residents”, not that they’d give a rat’s @$$. In my city, Austin, there have been numerous incidents of shootings/taserings of the mentally ill & in every instance the police are cleared.
I think that the most valuable lesson that I have learned by having a child with autism, is that you never know what is going on with any one person….ever. Our kids “look” normal some of the time, so people have an expectation of how our kids will act at any given moment. Then they off for whatever reason, and we/our kid are looked at very differently.
We all have our burdens to bear. I have learned that other people, like my son, may look ok, but they may have a crisis/condition/illness/etc that they are dealing with and so I should not judge….sounds easy but we all get caught up in it and our own lives. Be soft with others as you never know who you may comfort simply by being understanding.
Identification of the issue is many times difficult when we as parents and community members as so emotionally involved-SAFETY
In order to be safe ,children with Autism must be provided the necessary training that will keep them safe-If they are not able to achieve this (due to no fault on any ones part) to provide themselves with a safe environment,then we as parents or community must assure it is externally provided. It has been a hard realization -Incubation vs. Innoculation-what we do to innoculate neurotypical learners so they get just a shot of reality and problem solving challenges in small doses which (we hope)will assist them in making the right choices later (where decisions are life threatening) …this same type of problem solving training (Innoculation)does not work as well with those with autism spectrum as each social issue is a many times a new issue with little or no relation to others previously discussed-We can train educators,law enforcement agencies etc. but as parents we really need to stand back and realize we will not always be there nor others that are trained to respond to unique personality/coping mechanisms so…How
safe is situation–How much do we have to incubate(protect)… What supports do we have in place to hold our teens accountable to the situation in which they are able to function(school placements, job,entertainment/free time activity, supervision etc.). How many times are we told how our youth are functioning (in school, training programs etc) rather than realizing the level of mainstream,inclusion,etc may be too much for our family member and socially they are in need of a different environment-to be safe…We are struggling to always think out of the box as our son is HFA with infantilism and although he appears in many ways to “function”, he struggles to choose “safe” entertainment,friends,jobs, etc. which after 18 we have very little control over—We all have to keep SAFE at top of our list when reviewing these situations-safe for our loved ones,family and the community(ies) in which we all function and attempt to enter into discussion of “solutions”
In response to the myriad of ASD-centric comments, I would say this: It all depends on what point this is making. If the student was processed through school procedures and affiliated attempts to work with the situation were not working to the extent the child is deemed to be putting the safety of staff or students at risk, then the school is well justified in calling in the police. Schools do in fact generally follow procedural guidelines due to the fact that parents and legal advocates are readily able to respond with legal threats. Once the police are called in, you should probably note that district personnel are not responsible for a police officer’s compliance with the law. Yes, the principal or designee is generally required to tell the officer(s) to follow legal procedural safeguards and so forth, but if they decide to TASER someone on school grounds, it is their decision. The school however needs to follow the policies set forth by the district in terms of when to call officers in. Most districts outline, in specific legal documentation, what they do in these instances. That said, the Robert Smith piece was plainly stupid, and represents a complete lack of understanding regarding special education law, district policies, ASD, and the use of aversives in general.
Ha Amanda I Do have Aspergers and am wourld known with my knowlage on food diet!
I might sound direct and abbrupet but dont take it to heart Im just been Autistic.
I hate lould noies and flashing flicking lights hyposensitive to it actually!!!
But anyway
I will speek with the wourld glactic feduation in 2012 with peopel with autism
The heigest Intellectual on Earth and Im one of them on the servonts End of my heigh function!!! FACT
I brake coads and computer in 4d files format and track I cant hack yet !as A hobby to wind me down for the day.Also fly and own my microlight aircraft hay eny way enuff of the small talk 8 Different Types of Aspergers!
Hi I am David rs Greer I did not wright this But its a veary good
Just an idea by Amy Nelson. Basically it suggests that there are eight major types of Aspergers and that aspies are usually a mix of one, two or three of these. I feel it is well thought out and an interesting concept / insight.
.
Note: This is not accepted research – just a set of ideas that someone put forward to help those who were self-diagnosed.
.
The types are named after people. I’m not sure that I agree with the list or with the descriptions. I’m even less sure that these people are definitely aspies but it is still good food for thought. I’ve reproduced a lot of the content and added some of my own thoughts;
.
1. Spielberg (Based on Steven Spielberg)
A sociable, sporty, extroverted aspie with average IQ but poor spelling and grammar.
.
2. Einstein (Obviously based on Albert Einstein)
An Intellectual with a high IQ and excellent spelling/grammar. They’re an expert in their special interest, often good with computers and usually quite argumentative – especially in areas of special interest.
.
3. Powell (Possibly? based on Enoch Powell
An agressive/hostile/violent and intelligent aspie who is often bullied and may use drugs for stress. Possibly also having Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
.
4. Numan (I think based on Gary Numan)
A spaced out daydreamer type who finds it difficult to understand others and is often misunderstood in return. Likely to have bonding issues and possibly bipolar.
.
5. Morrissey (Presumably the singer )
A unique, artistic and creative aspie who feels separated from people and is possibly schizophrenic. These people don’t fit in well with society and often feel alien or like they belong in a different time period.
.
6. Nicholls (Presumably Aussie Craig Nicholls
A hyperactive, energetic and extroverted aspie who has no problems making friends – just problems keeping them. These aspies are often considered to be irritating, immature and childish. Unlike many aspies, they don’t have much social fear and like to talk to people. They may also have Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD). In Nicholl’s case, he claims to be a compulsive liar which goes against the general honesty normally associated with aspies.
.
7. Carroll (It could only be Lewis Carroll)
A passive and very introverted aspie. Quiet, shy and deeply involved in their special interest. For these aspies, friends and relationships are secondary to their special interests. They’re very passive, and show little emotion externally but are often very anxious inside. They’re quite likely to be bullied.
.
8. Warhol (From the description, this obviously Andy Warhol – not that there are any other famous Warhols anyway).
A confident and egocentric aspie who is full of ideas but feels that the world misunderstands them. While friendly in formal settings, the Warhol type can become revengeful and bitter when problems occur. They could also have Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) traits.
.
Simply a blending of several types of aspie!