Autism Goes Mainstream

Autism Goes Mainstream; Chuckie Cheese Goes Sensory Friendly Improving the Experience for Some Children with ASD. I'm not sure if this modification would have helped Nick, but it's a great thing for many children who have ASD accompanied by sensory processing disorder.  

Most people envision kids with autism with sensory issues as holding their ears, or not being able to tolerate the overwhelming stimuli of places like Chuckie Cheese, but that's not the only sensory response children with autism can have, and it's not the response Nick has.

Nick's first birthday party was at Chuckie Cheese, before he developed autism, and before I had a clue how the environment might be affecting him, and he sure seemed to love it. Then post diagnosis (Nick was diagnosed at 23 months) during his preschool and elementary school years Chuckie Cheese was the place to go.  It was a safe haven where his behaviors and noises for the most part just blended in with the general chaos. A place where the typical kids were acting like my spectrum kiddo, running, yelling, darting, jumping, slamming into one another and all was accepted.  Perhaps best of all, parents were too busy trying to keep up with their own kiddo's to pay attention to mine. Oh how I miss those days!

Unfortunately reality set in and we had to stop taking Nick to Chuckie Cheese when he phased out of the "kiddo" age zone. Unlike other families we didn't stop because the never ending noises, lights and crowds were too much for Nick, in our case it was exactly the opposite we went for the chaos and Nick loved it! He loves all the lights, sounds, running kids, and the games that over stimulate his nervous system.  It's like a drug, a high for him. He loves the way it winds him up and he slowly spins into a frenzy, until he is jumping, spinning, drooling and exploding with uncontrollable laughter. He's escalates into a "Happy Frenzy".

In this overwhelmed state he hears nothing from the outside world, he loses all impulse control and just wants more, and more and more. The result is inevitably his flailing body gets the attention of other parents and kids as stare, grab their children and I can tell they are wondering if Nick is a danger to their children. Before I know it a space clears between Nick and everyone else and the reality that his excitement could prose a danger to the smaller kids becomes really obvious.  So we fade away, and go home. Then comes the slow and painful crash from his sensory high.  For days to follow Nick is agitated, unable to sleep, experiences bouts of aggression, and his repetitive behaviors escalate.  A terrible price to pay for loving a place.

Unarmed Behavior Therapist Shot While Working With Autistic Client

This is one more in my series of be afraid, be very afraid. Imagine your autistic son on a walk with this behaviorist, someone calls 911 because they think the autistic mans toy truck in a gun and when the police arrive despite the therapist calmly explaining the situation (while laying on the ground with his hands up) the police shoot the therapist.  They explain they were actually aiming for his client! What the heck! All I can say is the therapist handled it perfectly, and if you work with behaviorist you might want to see what training they have in the event of police engagement.  Random or not, this shows what is possible and we are better of if we prepare those around us.

Mean People Suck - Another Community Encounter

Today is one of those days when I am glad Nick's autism impacts him in ways that he doesn't get his feeling hurt by mean strangers, unlike me! 

Nick was in the lobby of the movie theatre hanging by the arcade games, when a mom felt it necessary to suggest that Nick leave, and perhaps the theatre just wasnt' the place for him. 

Why you ask?  Because Nick said hello to her 6 year old daughter!! That's it, nothing else.  She was over heard asking her husband to talk to us because she didn't like the way Nick looked at her daugher.  Hey I get it, you don't expect a 17 year old to just say hello to your 6 year old - in a peer to peer kinda way. I get that for a moment you might not be paying attention and as a protective parent you are thrown off, for an minute. What I don't get is the mean way some people response given the realties of the situation.

Reality Number One: It only takes a few minutes of watching Nick to know that he has challenges.  

Reality Number Two:  For some people contact with a person with disabilities brings up empathy for others hate.

Reality Number ThreeIt's hard to send your child out into the world knowing the number of mean people he will encounter. 

Reality Number Four:  We have been dealing ignorance and mean spirited people since Nick was a child. Yes, it's getting better because more people today understand, but we have a long way to go.

Sad.

Man Ripped Teeth From Autistic Boy 4 Year Old Boy

If only all dangerous people, or strangers had a "Look".  I have no idea how I will successfully teach my son about strangers, how to recognize dangerous people much less explain they can do things like this!  Heck this guys looks like Matthew McConaughey!!! Seems a nearly impossible task. 

A Pennsylvania man was charged with assault this month after his girlfriend’s 4-year-old autistic son was found with three of his teeth ripped out.

Following a three-month investigation, NicFOX29 reported. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/09/28/cops-man-ripped-teeth-from-autistic-boy-4/?intcmp=obinsite

holas Kernechel, 27, was arrested on Sept. 17 on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child,

“The teeth were recovered, they were intact from the root to the edge of the tooth,” Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman told CBS Philly. “They were bloodied. And they have striations on them that would indicate that a tool of some sort was used to remove them from the child’s mouth.”

"[The teeth] have striations on them that would indicate that a tool of some sort was used to remove them from the child’s mouth”

- Risa Ferman, Montgomery County DA

Kernechel is being held on $100,000 bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 1. Neither the boy nor his mother is being identified.

Kernechel was allegedly asked to look after the boy for a few hours in July while the child’s mother was away at work. Kernechel left the boy “in his bed, bleeding and crying and failed to tell his mother about the injuries until she returned to the apartment in the early-morning hours,” police told FOX 29.

The mother went to police, holding the boy’s teeth in a sandwich bag, according to the Morning Call. When police responded to the apartment, they found blood splatter on the wall next to the bed, on the sheets, pillowcase and floor.

The boy told cops Kernechel “hit and take [the teeth] out,” according to the Morning Call. He allegedly told detectives about other, earlier injuries, too, including bite marks and bruises to his arms.

A MUST WATCH VIDEO!!! What Happened When Young Boys Were Told To Hit A Girl?

Every boy should watch this video, especially our boys!  I found this and I loved it. I showed it to Nick and he loved it, he got it. I used it to help him verbally express his feelings about girls. It was a beautiful site to behold. Watch this, love it, share it for the good of both our boys and our girls!  

What Happened When A Bunch Of 

Young Boys Were Told To Hit A Girl?

What Happened When A Bunch Of Young Boys Were Told To Hit A Girl

What happens when you ask young boys to hit...

Operation Introduction: A Conversation with a Cop

My first day of Operation Introduction. I introduced Nick to 2 new neighbors and that was very cool. The day ended with my spotting a police cruiser driving down our street (a rare sight on our dead end street) and my running out the door, waving it down asking if I could introduce them to my son. They stopped and were very polite, but their answers to my questions may surprise you.  

Me:  Hi. Is this the area you usually patrol?

Officer: Yes.

Me:  Great. I would like to introduce you to my special needs son just in case you run into him one day. Do you have a moment? 

Officer:Yes

I went in the house, got Nick and brought him down to the police car

Me:  Nick these are the police. Officer, what is your name? 

Officer: Hi I'm John, what's your name? 

Nick: Nick Jones 

Officer: Nice to meet you.

Nick then just stands there, hugging me, not paying much attention. 

Me:  Thank you for stopping. It's very important to me that you know him, should you ever encounter him in the community. It's not likely that he would be on his own, but he could wander.

Officer: Okay.

Me:  Have you been fortunate enough to get any training as it relates to engaging our teen children in the community?

Officer: Nope, they have trained us in how to deal with mental illness in general. 

Me:  Thinking  to myself, YIKES, I just looked at him uncertain of my next response, while Nick hugged me and twisted the end of his belt between his thumb and forefinger. 

Officer: We do have a protocol. I understand that these kids may not be "listening" to us. 

Me: I just want as many people in this area to be aware of him, so should he ever be out on his own he's safe, because he will never respond the way you need him to. 

My son would not respond to this command! 

Officer: We are trained to do what needs to be done to restrain the individual so they do not harm anyone or themselves. 

Me: As a mom I'm concerned because, it's not that my son or another person may not be listening as much as it is that they don't comprehend the command or why it's critical at that moment. My son does not have any idea what would happen if you yelled "Put your hands up", so he wouldn't do it. He's more likely to do what he's doing now - I looked down to see Nick playing with his belt - and you might think he's reaching for a gun.  That's what happened to a young man with autism who got shot downtown a few years ago.

Officer: Those situations you hear about young men being shot are because they have a gun, a knife, a sword or a toy that looks to be dangerous.

Officer: Hey Nick, nice to meet you. 

Me: Thank you officer for listening and keeping an eye out for our kids. 

This is how I interpreted our conversation:  

The police in my area are not familiar with how people with Autism may respond in a given situation, and they are going to restrain, shoot or do whatever they deem necessary, because that's what they HAVE been trained to do.  

The good news is, who's to say Officer John didn't hear or see something today that increased his awareness that may help someone's child. 

OPERATION INTRODUCTION - Keep Our Kids Safe!

Saving the life of  a person with ASD starts with us, which includes me. Today I'm going to build a safety net for Nick in my community. I'm calling it Operation Introduction.  It's simple, I am going to find someone new to introduce my special someone with ASD to in my community every day!  If I'm out with Nick, someone new is going to meet him and know he's a person, a person worth caring about, worth being aware of!

If you're inspired to join in Post, Video, Blog, Tweet OPERATION INTRODUCTION and let's see what we can do.

I've got nothing to lose...hope to meet you too!!

This is How a 10-Year-Old Boy With Autism is Treated in a Police State

Is it getting worse, or are we just paying closer attention? It was reported that the school did not call the parents before calling the police, and even though his dad did arrive before the police, he was denied access to his son to calm him down. 

If you wonder why I post these awful stories, it's because it's hard to talk about this, it's hard to imagine this could even happen to our kids, but if it happens to one child it could happen to our child. I believe the only defense we have is awareness, if we're going to keep our kids safe in this crazy world. 
Donna 

A photo, taken at Cypress Elementary in the Lakeside Community, in Kissimmee, FL, submitted to the Free Thought Project this week, paints a very disturbing picture.

The photo is of a 10 year old child handcuffed, laid out on the back of a police cruiser. The boy’s name is Ryan and he has autism. According to Ryan’s mom, Elaine Maldonado:

He had difficulty being redirected which resulted in a really bad meltdown. My son made threats to harm himself with scissors which were accessible to him from the teacher’s desk. The principal did not call us, but did call law enforcement to have him Baker acted.

The teacher did call my husband and he arrived at the school within minutes and 10 minutes before law enforcement. Upon his arrival he was told that he could not see Ryan because he would be interfering with an investigation and would risk being arrested.

When three law enforcement officers arrived to the classroom, Ryan was still very upset. They proceeded to drag him down the hall, passed by my husband who was very upset and placed him on the trunk of the police car on one of the hottest days of the week (100 degrees if not higher – police officer states this in his report ) and handcuffed him in front of the school and held him down on the hot car for several minutes before communicating to my husband that they planned to baker act him.

The Florida Mental Health Act of 1971, commonly known as the Baker Act allows the involuntary institutionalization and examination of an individual. It can be initiated by judges, law enforcement officials, physicians, or mental health professionals.

Basically this child was going to be taken from his parents, against their will, by cops, acting on behalf of a school principal, and put into state custody for displaying behavior that parents of autistic children are all too familiar with. According to the police report, the boy was thrown on top of the car because the pavement was too hot. Apparently the car, in 100+ degree Florida weather, was a welcomed cooling zone.

The fact that police were called to a school because teachers could not control a 10 year old speaks to the level of incompetence and lack of training within the school. Also the fact that the principal would not allow Ryan’s dad to see his son, and possibly diffuse the situation prior to his son being cuffed and stuffed, shows just how dependent the system is on the application of state force.

Ryan’s mother posed a very good question, “If he (the principal) was so concerned that he would harm himself why would he wait 10 minutes for the cops to arrive?”

The fact that the principal refused to allow a father to see his son, and waited until police arrived is a disturbing symptom of a much larger systemic problem. This problem has to do with society’s dependence upon state sanctioned force to solve problems. This dependency is so strong that the principal would not even let the boy’s own father try and calm his son. He could not see that as a solution; the only solution (in this principal’s mind) was that of state force.

The Free Thought Project reached out to the family Friday to see if they were able to file a complaint against the Kissimmee Police department, and according Mrs. Maldonado, ” The Chief of Police stands by his team.”

The family is however, planning on taking legal action against the school because they claim the principle violated their parental rights.

We asked the Maldonado’s how Ryan is doing now and if they have him back in their custody. They do have him back and they explained, “He doesn’t want to return to school. And he continues to repeat everything he heard administration and law enforcement talk about – Baker Act etc.”

Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/10-year-old-boy-autism-treated-police-state/#eyzj8ywg1WoOYjGI.99