On Media: Don't Tase our Kids Bro'!

By Anne Dachel

Perhaps you saw the news report about a middle school student in a Florida school who was "tased" -- stunned with a disabling jolt from a Taser -- by a policeman after he assaulted the officer.  The brief piece was picked up by news sites all over Florida:
HERE.

ORANGE COUNTY - A 6-foot-5, 250-pound middle-school student broke an Orlando police officer's hand Friday when the officer tried to get the boy to leave a school bathroom, investigators said. A teacher called police about 10:30 a.m. when the student, 16, who is autistic, refused to leave the bathroom at Glenridge Middle School, police said. The teen was washing his hands when he suddenly swung around, punched the officer in the face and then struck his hand, authorities said. The cop tased the student, who police said was uninjured. Police said they would ask the State Attorney's Office to prosecute the student on a battery charge.

As I read the article, I wondered how other parents of children with autism might be feeling about the action taken against this boy.  Could they see their child lashing out at stranger who confronted them like this young man did? 

We don't know a lot about the specifics here.  We're not told exactly what led to the incident and it's obvious that anyone well over six feet tall and weighing 250 pounds could be a formidable person to confront. 

I had to think about how it would sound if this same story were out with one exception.  What if instead of "who is autistic," we read, "had Down Syndrome"?

How would the public react reading that a police officer tased a student who was retarded?
If that had happened, plenty of people would be asking asking why the education system failed this boy.  And I think the average reader would be angry.  The job of our schools is to provide a safe and secure learning environment -- for everyone.  If there was the potential for this student to have a meltdown in the bathroom, where was the supervision?  What justified such drastic action being taken?  Would they be talking about charging someone with Down Syndrome with battery?

And what does this say about how we deal with those who have autism?  Did this officer have any understanding of the disorder?  Many times our kids look like everyone else their age.  And they're supposed to act like everyone else too.  Their disability isn't immediately recognized. 

This is yet another story about a world that isn't used to these kids.  In the last few months, we've seen news reports about different autistic kids being banned from church, forced off an airplane, and kicked out of a restaurant.  That doesn't portend well for the future.

The autism generation is aging fast and they'll be having more and more of a public presence in the U.S.  There will be adults everywhere with autism and with them comes a potential for a lot of problems.

Before I went to Washington the first time to visit congressional offices as an advocate, I talked to my son's speech therapist and asked her what she saw as the important needs for autism.  Her response was simple.  "Tell people in Washington, if they don't start to provide real help for all these children, they better build lots of prisons.  They're going to need them."
--
Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism.

Comments

[kbgirl]

I love the comparison of a child with a more physically obvious disability (like down syndrome). Autism is invisible and people don't understand it, not even school personnel who are supposed to be responsible for the child's education. We need to start from the ground up in education and require training for all educators. University who train teachers should also require training for new teachers before they are licensed (which most don't). Sadly, even many special ed teachers know very little about autism.
http://bumblebeeflies.wordpress.com/

[Tanners Dad]

Anne,
I do not know how my blood pressure can handle these stories. I think your post on the newstimes.com needs a post unto its own here. I thank you for your clear and concise posts. I never see anyone who is able to argue with you. Keep up the great work! Where did he get some of those stats.

But, Bertin said, the statistic that one of every 150 children will be diagnosed on the autism spectrum compared to 1 in 300 just 20 years ago must be better understood.

http://www.newstimes.com/ci_10930208

Does any one have a sedative?

[Amber]

Here is the response I got from an email set to the Orlando PD.

Thank you for sharing your feelings. The officer involved in this situation had a very good relationship with the student. The student was quite a bit taller than the officer and weighed more than 100 pounds then the officer. The officer exercised his best judgement when he made the decision to tase the student to prevent injuries to everyone involved. The officer did not arrest the child but filed the charges at large with the State Attorney's Office. They will decide if they will prosecution or not. It is a very unfortunate situation and our officer did the best he could under the circumstances. Our officers are trained to deal with disabilities including autism.

Captain Jan Kelley
Criminal Investigations Division
Orlando Police Department
100 S. Hughey Ave.
Orlando, FL 32802
407-246-2967
jan.kelley@cityoforlando.net

[BARBARA]

I HAVE REAd the story about the poor child. it makes me sick and is very unfortunite. the only people who should be charged with a crime is the ones who were in charge of his supervision. the teacher who called the police and the officer that teased the child. they should be charged. the charge is ignorance.

[Barbara Rodriguez]

This is a very sad storey!! The only people who should be charged with any crime,as a result of the completely ignorant teacher calling the police on a SPECAIL NEEDS child,is the teacher and the officer for his response to this situation!! I mean come on!!! Its pathetic of this teacher to have called the police of all people to call! Why did she not try to call his parents or guardian? Or how about calling an EMT/Ambulance? Someone trained to deal with Autism!! Not the police,they deal with criminals,drug dealers,bank robbers,drunks and thugs!! Last time I checked, its no crime to Steam in the water of a sink or wash your hands! That's all it sounds like he was doing? Did that Dumb bitch not know he was Autistic? How come no one from that school told the officer that the child was special needs? I'm sure they did! But to MOST Florida police officers it doesn't matter!! They live to get aggressive! Is outraged by this report,its truly SAD! I don't believe it was all what really happened! I'm sure the child was provoked it doesn't take much.Most children that are autistic are very sensitive to Even a gentle touch! I'M sure that officer went in and started man handling that boy! The Police need to be educated about the disorder (autism) There is not nearly enough education about this Epidemic called autism!! It seems the government,the CDC,FDA,the medical association,and big government are doing everything they can to spread this to our children Through poison in vaccines and Dis-information to unsuspecting parents of new born and young children!!And now the generation of older Autistic children,through stories like this one are being labeled as dangerous and irratic,or will be viewed that way by people who don't know any better! This way its not a big deal when an autistic child is abused by the long arm of the law!!There should be news stories about this disorder and its origins in every Sunday paper across the nation!As Well as on TV!! Autism should be a household name,Like Tide,Downey,Progressive,geico,wal-mart,McDonalds,Kirby,Black and decker,...Ect. Its Knowledge of what it is,and how it affects individuals,should be as common as the millions of children its injected to at birth and in Community health departments for low income families'!! Knowledge is the only way to prevent and try to heal or cure for this epidemic,also the only way we will ever inform the public and public servants who sometime can have a big impact on our lives! Lets face it,one Dustin Hoffman movie from the 1980's is not gonna inform millions of people!!! And that's what we need to do!!!!My heart goes out to that boy and his parents! The teacher who called the police,should be dismissed from that school and the officer should be forced to learn all about autism,so the next time he feels "Trigger Happy" when he encounters a special needs person, he can reach out his hand in kindness instead of electric volts!! ~Sincerely Barb and Brad

[Ben's Dad]

If you have the stomach for it, you might want to read, save and print the 176 community comments that resulted from this incident on the Orlando Sentinel website. Warning, as Tanner's Dad mentioned, we have a lot to do, and the conversation is ugly. However, having a sample of how the community may react to an incident resulting from an inappropriate placement and/or procedures may at some point be useful.

Sentinel Comments
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/orlando-sentinel/T64PAI6C13QMK4BBB

Original Sentinel story -
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-b3report18_508oct18,0,4103667.story

If there is a lighter side to Florida's errant taser use, you might find it in last weeks story about the inadvertent tasering of an undercover agent. It seems they bothered to check out the police officer at the hospital. The article about the boy only said that he was not harmed, but did not mention medical attention.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/748009.html

[PhillyLisa]

I live in a school district where the police have been called to intervene with young children (third-graders). I don't believe any of the children were large enough or strong enough to overpower the teachers. I started to believe it was only a matter of time before it happened to my daughter. She started kindergarten with "no behaviors that would impede her learning or the learning of others" according to their IEP. By the time she completed second grade they had her labeled as "aggressive." You have to do something really stupid to antagonize my daughter and get her to respond physically. It certainly doesn't happen at home or in the community. I really began to fear for her safety at school. It's one of the many reasons why I am now educating her at home through a cyber charter school.

[Anne Dachel]

Another example of what can happen to the most vulnerable with autism was in this New York Daily News piece, "Ma fumes, cops investigate after group home resident, 24,bruised."
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2008/10/23/2008-10-23_ma_fumes_cops_investigate_after_group_ho.html

It's heartbreaking to read and I'm sure we all can share the mother's feelings, 'I want justice for my son. It should never happen to anyone with disabilities.'

Anne Dachel
Media editor

[Allie90]

This is sad, and a fear all of us who have boys who are big and getting older.

Can we forward this story over to DR Phil? He recently was asking for stories like this, for his show.

[Twyla]

The Los Angeles Police Department also has a training program on autism.

www.clearscv.org/index.html

www.asa-la.org/LAPD_update.html

[Lin]

As always, thanks, Anne! Keep on keepin' on! We appreciate you!

[karenatlanta]

Look I am not advocating police injury but we really need first responders legislation.
It just grieves me to hear about these things.
And then to imagine the trauma to a non-verbal child.
The impression that policeman hurt.

This happens time and time again sometimes under innocent circumstances or sensory overload.
We need to speak up loudly against such actions. It would be more humane to use a tranquilizer gun.

[Elucidatus]

This police Officer is not telling the entire truth. I believe the boy/teenager with Autism was provoked. Children and teenagers with Autism do not like to engage in violent acts unless provoked. The police officer should be brought in for questioning.

We have our child with Autism in martial arts and he is aware of his strength and has a good idea as to when he should ever need to defend himself. However, I am not sure if he knows when to stop defending if he is ever provoked.

For the people who think that this teenager was misbehaving, please don't think that all teenagers with Autism are like this. They are gentle loving people that want everyone to be happy.

[K Fuller Yuba City]

This story is my biggest fear. Our son turned 16 last week. Today, his behavior is very good and temper under control, but what about tomorrow.
Perhaps we should all inundate our local law enforcement offices with our children's pictures and description of their disabilities. This boy is someones child, I can't fathom hearing that something like this has happened to my child.
Your best question...Where was the supervision? God help all of our kids.

[Amber]

For God's sake, do we have any recourse against these tragedies that happen to autistic kids and adults on a daily basis?

Fine, some sh** went down and it was an ugly situation, but to PROSECUTE a middle schooler for being diabled/autistic...COME ON!

It's times like these that I wish I'd have gone to law school so I could go broke defending people/families like these that so badly need some justice in there lives! I would be well worth it.

Thanks Anne and AofA, you always tell it like it is.

[Deb in IL]

Yes, I'm upset about the situation. But did anyone else pick up on 250 pounds?
Skip GFCF and go straight to SCD. This poor kid probably is pharma-drugged up and doesn't "feel right", regardless of the autism.
We should stand together with the parents of the child to speak out about this outrageous event AND work on getting the family on biomed, not just the one with the diagnosis.

[Ben's Dad]

This is one area where I have to compliment the NJ Legislature and the Governor. On Sept 9th, Corzone signed A1908 -

http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/PL08/80_.HTM

"The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services and the Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the New Jersey Fire and Emergency Medical Services Institute and the New Jersey State First Aid Council, shall develop a training curriculum with the purpose of informing emergency responders of the risks associated with autism or an intellectual or other developmental disability, as well as providing instruction in appropriate recognition and response techniques concerning these disabilities."

Additional, the training is mandatory for first responders.

However, this should be addressed at the national level fast. It should not be a crime to be autistic, its a crime enough as it is.

[Tanners Dad]

I did a quick review of the posts on this news story. We have a lot of work to do. The general comments are just mean, ignorant, and stupid. I was in tears how the public was just ripping into the child, child's size, and the parents. People insinuated that our prisons were filled with Autistic Adults. Hey we have been looking for them for years... Did someone forget to check the prisons. Could you imagine how long your son or daughter would last in a prison environment? I know mine would be killed with in hours...
What a sad society we live in.
http://www.causecast.org/member/tanners-dad