AGE OF AUTISM

No More PDD - A Video Glimpse Post DSM-5?

Police and Autism: A Unique Perspective

By Jerry Turning

Alex was 5’9 and every bit of 200 lbs.  He was “uncontrollable” and destroying his family’s home.  We arrived to find Alex’s grandmother on the front porch.  Her arms were literally purple with bruises; the aftermath of one of Alex’s tantrums earlier in the month.  She directed us inside where Alex’s mother was trying in vain to calm him down.  We found him in the basement lying on his back.  Mom was trying to hold his hands.  She was crying.  She was sweating.  She was bleeding.  Around him were toddler toys:  Elmo dolls, a ring-toss game, coloring books.  There were no toddlers in the house.  The toys were Alex’s.  Alex was 14 years old.  He had Autism. 

In recent months there have been many high profile incidents concerning police using force to deal with children and adults on the Spectrum:

-Police Taser Autistic Teen and Then, After Family Complains, Return and Arrest Teen

-Teen with autism shot to death by police

-Autistic Man with Toy Gun Killed by Miami Police Officers

The most gut-wrenching of these incidents involved a young man named Stephon Watts.  Stephon, diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, was shot and killed by police in Calumet City, Ill on February 1^st, 2012 after he slashed an officer with a kitchen knife.  This incident has gained national attention and stirred outrage within the ASD community.  I would like to offer my perspective. 

I am a 16 year-veteran police officer.  I am a police K9 handler and trainer with 12 years experience in searching for wandering ASD individuals.  I am also an Autism Dad. 

Jo Ashline: A Story Behind Every Number

Managing Editor's Note: This post in the OC Register caught my eye.  We can relate to the feeling of shock, the grief and then rolling up the sleeves and getting to work and back to love. 

By Jo Ashline

There is a mommy-to-be out there somewhere rubbing her belly and stocking up on antacids because she’s eating for two (and maybe, sometimes, when no one’s looking, for three). She spends hours researching the best car seat and stroller systems, daydreaming while doing the dishes about long walks in the park and whether she will allow strangers a sneak peak at the most gorgeous baby ever to be born.

Her husband, a good man with a big heart, dutifully goes to work each day, socking away dollars and cents and nursing his own daydreams about teaching his son to play catch. He makes a silent promise to keep his cool when bragging to his co-workers about his boy’s natural talent on the field, his impeccable hand-eye-coordination and his speed and endurance. He does his best to try and stay in the present, but every once in a while, as he crunches the numbers and updates the spreadsheets, he stares off into the distance and pictures his son, a handsome fellow that looks remarkably like him.

Washington Post: "No one has real answers. They didn't then, and they don't now."

Managing Editor's Note: Anne writes about author Susan Senator's recent experience with a son who has "aged out" of school services and the difficulty she faces in crafting a safe, meaningful adult life for him.  Susan is a good friend of mine and has been a force for her son Nat's school services  and now, adult programs.  Her novel DIRT: a story about gardening, mothering, and other messy business is a great read - and deftly weaves the family dynamic of husband, wife marital strife and siblings when autism is in the house.  Check it out at Amazon in paperback and ebook. Anne Dachel has been screaming from the rooftops for years "The adults are coming! The adults are coming!" and few have listened. This is an area where we can all agree - our kids will need services and care - most of them for the rest of their lives.

By Anne Dachel

Washington Post: "No one has real answers. They didn't then, and they don't now"

Washington Post: Tiger Mother to an autistic son

Albuquerque Journal: Mother's Fight for Autistic Son Never Ends By Susan Senator

This story started with the Washington Post and it was picked up by the Albuquerque Journal. Susan Senator talked about her mission advocating for her son now that he's aged out of the school system.  It's mammoth task and she's had to write her own job description. 

It brings back so many memories. My son is 25. How he survived in school until I started to homeschool him, I'll never know. In the second grade, the school system got a psychologist to come from Minneapolis (a hundred miles away) to figure out what was the matter with this weird acting kid. She told us, "Your son has autism. I don't know if he'll ever be able to live independently or hold down a job. We don't know much about autism--it's such a rare disorder. There's probably not another child in Chippewa Falls who also has autism."

Chippewa Falls is about 13,000 people.

It was devastating. I was totally on my own-no one knew anything. I knew lots of teachers, being one myself, and they couldn't help me.

I had to develop my own curriculum.

When John was diagnosed with autism I told his speech therapist the news and she said that she didn't believe it. She told me that she had met an autistic child once and he was nothing like John.

NOW, almost 20 years later, there are two other autistic children in this neighborhood. Every school has their share of autistic students. I'd have to be a complete idiot not to believe that something terrible is happening here. Why are we pretending this is normal and acceptable?

Here's what Susan Senator wrote:

I'm tired of being called brave. But being the mom of a deeply autistic young man of 22, I can't avoid it. Because I survived. Ever since Nat's birth, in the Autism Stone Age of 1989, I have had to be a Saber-Toothed Tiger Mother - or at least pretend to be one. From finding the right doctors to getting my town to do right by him, to also doing right by my other two sons, I have always had to be strong - or feign strength. What to expect when you're not expecting autism? No one has real answers. They didn't then, and they don't now. It has always been up to my husband and me.

I never thought that figuring out autistic adulthood would be the same way. Now that Nat has finished school, I feel like I am right where I started, the diagnosis days: grieving, confused, panicked. I'm sad because I miss the comfort and safety of the old routines.

The other thing I hear a lot is that Nat is an angel, closer to God than others, here to teach me something. No, he's not. He is just a complex young man. He's not a spiritual messenger or a puzzle. The adult-services system, or perhaps the lack thereof, is the puzzle.

Helping Nat have a decent adult life is our family's greatest challenge - not Nat himself. We want him to have a life with something to do: a job, volunteer work; a place to live safely, cared for; days with a rewarding rhythm. These are things I've been working on since he was a teenager - along with his school. Those teachers had Nat working at Meals on Wheels by 14 and at Papa Gino's by 19.

Now Nat is transitioning to adulthood, he is finished with public education services, and he begins navigating the far more complex adult-services system. I've done everything "they" tell you to do. I attended workshops, seminars and conferences. I pushed to get Nat funding and to qualify for whatever programs might help him live as independently as possible. I know I can't afford a staff person myself, nor will I live forever.

I did my homework. I visited an adult group home before Nat graduated and did not like what I found. Care was adequate but lifeless. Some of my friends' children had it even worse: from regularly missed appointments to soiled, unchanged underwear. We've all learned that adulthood can be abysmal for kids like ours. And yet without the programs we've got - troubled though they may be - we have practically nothing. I cannot fathom what would happen to all of us without programs such as Medicaid and the other gossamer-thin safety nets.

It dawned on me recently that I am going to have to do more than act tough and tireless: that I have to become what they say I am. Because I have to face the fact that no matter how hard I push, we still may not end up with a good situation for Nat. If only there were a waiting list for a stable adulthood experience like those to get into the good autism schools. I know how to be on those.

I've tried for the past year to put together my vision for Nat: a group home of my own, with like-minded families and staff that we help choose. And every time I get close to succeeding, some piece or another does not fall into place. You can't get funding until you have a group. You can't get the group together until you have a house. You can't get the house until you have the funding.

And so, on top of all the emotional upheaval, Nat's turning 22 is a Catch-22. Funding is scarce, and the programs can be iffy because of it. As always, there is no one to ask; every expert and professional has a different story. In the end, I'm figuring it out as I go, only now I am no longer a young mother.

I posted this comment:

Susan Senator tells us exactly what's out there for young adults with autism. It's an abyss.

Share Your Restraint and Seclusion Stories with Senator Harkin

SEEKING PARENTS WITH RESTRAINT/SECLUSION STORIES FOR U.S. SENATOR HARKIN’S STAFF

Last week, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin introduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act, S.2020, to protect students nationwide from dangerous restraint and seclusion.  As the GAO (U.S. Government Accountability Office) has found, restraint/seclusion are dangerous, resulting in deaths, injuries, and trauma to children nationwide.  WE ARE SEEKING LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF THE BILL FROM PARENTS THAT CAN BE SHARED WITH SENATOR HARKIN’S STAFF AND PERHAPS OTHER SENATE STAFF.   WE ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN STORIES OF CHILDREN WHO RESTRAINED OR SECLUDED AND WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN HELPED IF THE BILL WAS LAW.   You do not have to have a story to send a letter.  Please email Jessica Butler, jessica@jnba.net if you have a story or think the bill would have helped your child, or if you would like to send a letter in support of the bill (even if you do not have a story).  Please feel free to forward and share with others.

HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT THE BILL DOES.  PERHAPS ONE OF THESE THINGS HAPPENED TO YOUR CHILD AND THE BILL COULD HAVE PREVENTED IT FROM HAPPENING.  OR PERHAPS ONE OF THESE THINGS COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR CHILD (e.g. you live in a state with fewer protections).

• The bill bans all seclusion of children. This means that schools cannot lock children in rooms or closets or put them in other rooms or spaces they cannot leave (such as when furniture or a staff member blocks a door). Seclusion is dangerous; children have died or been injured.

• The bill prohibits physical restraint except in emergencies when there is an immediate threat of serious bodily injury.  Far too often, children have been restrained or secluded for misbehaving, not doing their assignments, being noisy, behavioral control, discipline,  punishment, threats of minor injury (like pinching), tearing up books or other minor destruction of property.   Restraint can injure and kill students.

• The bill requires schools to use less restrictive measures before attempting restraint.  In many cases, the school used restraint/seclusion first rather than trying less restrictive measures that would have worked.  Sometimes, parents provided the school with behavioral analyses or information or information about positive supports or other things that would work and the school ignored it.

• The bill requires restraint to end when the emergency ends.  There are reports that schools have continued seclusion and restraint long after any emergency ended, or required a child to perform a task or sit still for a particular period before they could get out.  For some children with autism and other disabilities, this is almost impossible.

• The bill bans mechanical restraints, such as putting children in Rifton Chairs, or taping or tying them to chairs or furniture, or locking them into devices.  It also bans chemical restraints, restraints that impair breathing or otherwise threaten life; restraints which are medically and psychologically contraindicated.  Since prone restraint impairs breathing, it would be forbidden under the bill.

• The bill also bans restraints that prevent children from communicating.   So, if a child needs assistive technology, PECS, or sign language to communicate that they are suffering or in medical distress, they cannot be restrained in a way that stops them from doing so.  The bill bans aversives that compromise health and safety.  All of these are dangerous.

• The bill requires schools to notify parents in writing within 24 hours of restraint and verbally the same day.  Parents need quick notification because of the danger of concussions and other injuries that require quick medical treatment.  In some cases, parents have not been told that their children were being restrained or secluded and only found out about it weeks, months, or years later.

• The bill prohibits putting physical restraint as a planned intervention in IEPs, 504 plans, behavioral intervention plans, student safety plans, or other educational planning documents for individual students.  There are reports that restraint and seclusion have been put into children’s IEPs and then schools use them as the first intervention.

• If a child is physically restrained, there will be a debriefing with parents and staff to plan to prevent further restraint and consider additional services and supports for the child.  A Functional Behavioral Assessment must be performed.

•  The bill applies to all children in public school.  It also applies to children with disabilities who have been placed in a private school at school district expense.

• The bill forbids retaliating against any parent, teacher, staffer, or person who reports that a child was restrained, secluded, or that the statute was otherwise violated.

Please contact me if you are a parent who would like to write a letter of support or if you have a story.  You do not have to have a story to write a letter.  My email is jessica@jnba.net .  For those on yahoo groups and other systems that cut off email addresses, my email address is jessica (at) jnba-dot-net

Thank you,

Jessica Butler
Congressional Affairs Coordinator
Autism National Committee
21 years of advocating for the rights of people with autism and related disabilities
email: jessica@jnba.net  [jessica (at) jnba.net]

==============================

==================================

Best of AofA: The Lever of Love: Why Families of Disabled Children Need a Legal Defense Fund

We ran this post in November, it seemed relevant to bring it back as we invite you to send your restraint and seclusion stories to Senator Harkin in the post above.

By Adriana Gamondes

While a system of holding people in hostage is as old as the oldest war, a fresher note is introduced when a tyrannic state is at war with its own subjects and may hold any citizen in hostage with no law to restrain it. An even more recent improvement is the subtle use of what I shall term “the lever of love” (applied so successfully by the Soviets) of tying a rebel to his wretched country by his own twisted heart strings.  ~Vladimir Nabokov, Bend Sinister

In Bend Sinister, Nabokov’s protagonist, Professor Krug, refuses to deliver a speech approving the new dictatorship, which of course promotes the greater good.  Like in Heller’s Catch-22, all they want is for him to say he likes them—and to be used like a donkey thereafter. Krug won’t comply, though his colleagues have already fallen in line. The regime’s henchmen set about playing a diabolical game of chess to isolate and demoralize Krug and bring him to heel; but the regime plays badly. They’re idiots. According to Nabokov, who survived a few dictatorships, the purveyors of tyranny always are, but that’s really beside the point if they still manage to destroy everything you ever loved as they lurch towards self-annihilation.  First Krug’s wife dies mysteriously in a medical disaster, though Krug is too grief stricken to understand the message. Coercion is useless if the subject doesn’t suspect they’re being coerced. They imprison Krug’s friends one by one, but still he won’t be moved. Finally they figure out his compliance could have been forced from the start by taking his eight year old son. The kidnapping is bungled, the child is accidentally killed and Krug goes mad. 

From the moment our twins were diagnosed four and a half years ago, it’s as if we’ve been strapped to a set of train tracks with the train bearing down on us at a snail’s pace, not knowing how to get out of the way. Other times it feels like a board game from hell with no firm rules or reason—you’re just always in a panic that you’ve made a wrong move, said the wrong thing. Check.

One risk we knew came along with the diagnosis was institutional abuse. As soon as your child is labeled and you try to seek any form of help, you’re subjected to all kinds of officious do-gooders who would otherwise never have had access to your family. There are good souls in the helping professions, but it soon becomes clear the unfortunate types have more power than they should. My husband also survived a few dictatorships before we met: in unjust states, they mess with your kids. It’s part of the game and why some are drawn to it. When they have your children in the balance, integrity and standing up for principle can become liabilities, which has a delicious equalizing effect for worms. 

 “Awareness” isn’t a coat of armor.  You might understand risks and even nip a few in the bud if you’re clued in, but you may not be able to stop certain things from happening in the first place, not in the current system. Everyone tells themselves bad things won’t happen to their child; but except for those who can afford to homeschool—and even these families live under a certain gun— when a family sends a child to school anywhere in the US, particularly a child with any kind of disability, they are depositing their child on foreign soil, a place with abridged constitutional rights and a third world system of justice.  I don’t think it’s even the third world anymore—it’s the fourth world:  Disability land.

Post-Gardasil Syndrome in Quebec Followed Vaccination Sans Consent

Read Full Article here......http://sanevax.org/victims-2/

After much research and discussion, my daughter and I had both signed the required form to refuse the Gardasil vaccine currently being administered in Quebec. In order to assure there would be no problem, I also phoned the school the morning the first dose of Gardasil was to be offered and spoke to the school nurse to inform her that my daughter would not be receiving this vaccine. The nurse assured me there would be no problem.

On 28 September 2011, my daughter presented the signed vaccine waiver and informed the school nurse that she would not receive the HPV vaccine. The nurse then set aside 15 minutes to inform Camille about the benefits of the vaccine.

After the discussion, Camille repeated her decision to refuse the Gardasil injection. The nurse then handed her additional informational documents and told Camille that if she changed her opinion, she could always inform the other nurse.

Subsequently, Camille met with a second nurse, this one outraged that my daughter refused the vaccine. She had set aside 10 minutes of her time to try to convince Camille again. The only side effect she mentioned was headache. This nurse pointed out that Camille would be the only one in the school to refuse Gardasil. She told her the consequence of refusing meant she could get cancer and die, only because she was being stubborn. She continued on until Camille finally granted her consent.

At that point, the nurse told her not to show her health record to her mother in order to avoid any discussion on this at home.

My daughter was pressured until she agreed to be vaccinated. Her ‘consent’ was neither freely given, nor appropriately informed. Camille’s consent was obtained through intimidation. A 14-year old girl does not have the experience to deal with authority figures in the same manner as an adult.

In my opinion, the way Camille was treated was an abuse of power and a breach of my trust in school health authorities.

Without my consent, or knowledge, Camille received her first Gardasil injection at 3:45 pm on that day. By 4:00 pm she was on the bus to come home. She already had a stomach ache and a headache. She decided to try and rest during the 45 minute drive home. She lost consciousness. Students noticed and tried to wake her up, but when they did she acted confused. They informed the bus driver, who promptly stopped the bus and called an ambulance.

She was admitted to St-Jérômes Hospital barely 2 hours after her injection. She has no memory of how she got to the hospital other than she recalls waking up in the ambulance. The hospital staff said there was no link between her condition and the vaccine. They recommended consulting an allergist.

The future brought fever, rash, fainting, fatigue, weakness, headaches, stomach pains and more consultations. She is now being treated for a urinary infection, abscesses in her mouth and oral candidose.

No link?

I lodged a formal complaint to the Order of Nurses of Québec. Teenage girls must be informed and warned of all possible side effects – not be left in the dark.

Today, nearly two months after the first shot of Gardasil, my daughter still has headaches that will not go away. Day after day she has to deal with them. She has no more appetite and has lost weight. This girl, who has been to an ophthalmologist every year since she was two years old and exhibited perfect vision, has now been told she will have to wear glasses because of her deteriorating vision.

For 11 years her vision was perfect, no longer – no link?

The doctor from the Canadian Health Agency told us there was no link between her symptoms and Gardasil. Furthermore, she said that Camille was sick and had all of those symptoms prior to vaccination. How can she say that?

I swear to God, my daughter’s health was in perfect condition BEFORE she got this shot

Read Full Article here......http://sanevax.org/victims-2/

12 Year old Schoolboy with Autism Hangs Self in UK

Managing Editor's Note: I hate adding posts to the "nightmares" category. Often the post is about wandering safety, perhaps a drowning. This story is particularly grim. A boy in the UK hanged himself following bullying. If you see bullying, for God's sake speak out. Encourage your NT children to do the same. Our condolences to the family. KS

A 12-year-old boy found hanged at his home was being bullied by a gang of girls, it has been claimed.

Michael Raven, believed to have been autistic, was found in his bedroom in Burnley, Lancashire at around 5.30pm on Monday.

The boy, a pupil at St Wilfrid's Church of England Academy in Blackburn, was taken by ambulance to the Royal Blackburn Hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.

This week Facebook groups have emerged paying tribute to the school boy but also claiming he was being teased by girls. The school has denied the claim.

One woman, who said her daughter had been bullied at the school, said: 'She told me Michael was being picked on by a group of girls from year 8. It sounds like the teased him about his autism', according to The Sun.

Megan Brandon said: 'Bullies of St.Wilfrids C.O.E should feel ashamed 13years old 2nd year and taken his own life R.I.P Michael Raven never forgotten loved always

Megan O'Rourke wrote: 'Rip Michael Raven. Wish you didn't feel that way,& remembered that everyone loved you.. I didnt know you but I know your going to be missed X'

Another friend called Sammie posted: 'R.I.P. Michael Raven - a twelve year old boy who hung himself due to bullying. Nobody should be able to go through that.'

Jay Deaton said: 'HATE BULLIES. Rest in peace Michael Raven, you beautiful angel xxxxxxxxxx.'

And AnyaJB1 said: 'Makes me sick how people can bully someone until they kill themself.. :@ rest in peace michael raven! - he was only 12 years young'.

The school broke the news to pupils about the tragedy in a special assembly.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068514/Michael-Raven-12-bullied-girl-gang-autistic-hanged.html#ixzz1fQUcdGtf

 

The Lever of Love: Why Families of Disabled Children Need a Legal Defense Fund

By Adriana Gamondes

While a system of holding people in hostage is as old as the oldest war, a fresher note is introduced when a tyrannic state is at war with its own subjects and may hold any citizen in hostage with no law to restrain it. An even more recent improvement is the subtle use of what I shall term “the lever of love” (applied so successfully by the Soviets) of tying a rebel to his wretched country by his own twisted heart strings.  ~Vladimir Nabokov, Bend Sinister

In Bend Sinister, Nabokov’s protagonist, Professor Krug, refuses to deliver a speech approving the new dictatorship, which of course promotes the greater good.  Like in Heller’s Catch-22, all they want is for him to say he likes them—and to be used like a donkey thereafter. Krug won’t comply, though his colleagues have already fallen in line. The regime’s henchmen set about playing a diabolical game of chess to isolate and demoralize Krug and bring him to heel; but the regime plays badly. They’re idiots. According to Nabokov, who survived a few dictatorships, the purveyors of tyranny always are, but that’s really beside the point if they still manage to destroy everything you ever loved as they lurch towards self-annihilation.  First Krug’s wife dies mysteriously in a medical disaster, though Krug is too grief stricken to understand the message. Coercion is useless if the subject doesn’t suspect they’re being coerced. They imprison Krug’s friends one by one, but still he won’t be moved. Finally they figure out his compliance could have been forced from the start by taking his eight year old son. The kidnapping is bungled, the child is accidentally killed and Krug goes mad. 

From the moment our twins were diagnosed four and a half years ago, it’s as if we’ve been strapped to a set of train tracks with the train bearing down on us at a snail’s pace, not knowing how to get out of the way. Other times it feels like a board game from hell with no firm rules or reason—you’re just always in a panic that you’ve made a wrong move, said the wrong thing. Check.

One risk we knew came along with the diagnosis was institutional abuse. As soon as your child is labeled and you try to seek any form of help, you’re subjected to all kinds of officious do-gooders who would otherwise never have had access to your family. There are good souls in the helping professions, but it soon becomes clear the unfortunate types have more power than they should. My husband also survived a few dictatorships before we met: in unjust states, they mess with your kids. It’s part of the game and why some are drawn to it. When they have your children in the balance, integrity and standing up for principle can become liabilities, which has a delicious equalizing effect for worms. 

 “Awareness” isn’t a coat of armor.  You might understand risks and even nip a few in the bud if you’re clued in, but you may not be able to stop certain things from happening in the first place, not in the current system. Everyone tells themselves bad things won’t happen to their child; but except for those who can afford to homeschool—and even these families live under a certain gun— when a family sends a child to school anywhere in the US, particularly a child with any kind of disability, they are depositing their child on foreign soil, a place with abridged constitutional rights and a third world system of justice.  I don’t think it’s even the third world anymore—it’s the fourth world:  Disability land.

The marks my daughter came home from school with in the middle of September weren’t much—a small imprint on the inside of one arm, a bruise on her forearm and what looked like a rug burn near her elbow.  But according to the school, the marks don’t exist, and that’s what turned them into gaping wounds. The school’s version of events:

Additionally, Mrs. G reported that [child] has marks on both arms, which she attributed to [child’s] having been “scooped up off the ground” by lifting her under the armpits.  With verbal permission to Dr. X from Mrs. G, school nurse completed a brief examination.  Mrs. Y brought [child] to the school nurse’s office at the end of the day on X/XX/11.  With Mrs. Y present, the school nurse viewed [child’s] upper torso, upper back, entire upper extremities and axilla.  The school nurse office visit report noted no areas of discoloration, swelling, or redness.  [Child’s] skin was noted to be quite translucent around the areas of the veins.  A copy of the report has been placed in [child’s] medical file and a copy is attached to this report.

During the meeting, Mr. and Mrs. G questioned how [child] would have arrived at such a specific description (“scooped up off the ground”), so Ms. Y  asked if [child]  has witnessed anything of this sort in school.  The only thing that can be identified is a movement (very much like the action demonstrated by Mr. G) that occurs several times a day with one of [child’s] classmates who needs assistance to transfer from one position to another due to physical disability.  [Child] sees this on a daily basis.

I’m always amazed at how school apologists make excuses for school conduct when the schools are so skilled at doing it for themselves.  For the record, though we will celebrate the day she lies as a great milestone in recovery, our daughter doesn’t lie. She has eidetic memory and if an account clashes with her mental videotapes, she can’t let it go. She’s never fabricated or imagined an event in her life, won’t even frame her brother for stealing a cookie. She once had exaggerated fear of cars, but never actually hallucinated that a car jumped the curb and the fears turned back into reasonable caution when her fever broke. 

When the Google Alert Makes Autism Families Want to Vomit

Like you, I have several Google alerts set for autism news. I usually breeze down the list of articles muttering, "Meh, duh, OK, Oh that's a good story, great kid, how wonderful..."  This week (at least) three stories hit that helped me acheive a new weight loss number for the week. The hard way. How is it that teachers and caretakers think that our loved ones are so inhuman and unworthy of respect that they can abuse them in a way that would violate the rules of the Geneva Convention and yet go almost unnoticed by the world? Not here. Check out the stories below. And feel free to share your own in the comments. It's not the cheeriest Sunday news - but certainly deserves thought and even prayer. KS

Dad Sues Roanoke VA School Board for $20,000,000 for Beatings on Bus

Thomas Kilpatrick, 47, is accusing the two women of physically abusing his 12-year-old autistic son on his way to the Laurel Regional Special Education Center, a special needs school in Lynchburg.

Lawyers for the family say that boy is still suffering from permanent emotional damage more than two years later. Their most compelling evidence is an hour and a half worth of surveillance video from the school bus. They say it captures the autistic boy being hit, kicked and even choked by the former school employees. (You can watch the video to the right.)

P. Brent Brown is an attorney for the Kilpatrick family.

"When people look at the surveillance video they will be horrified," said Kilpatrick from his Roanoke office.

The suit alleges 12-year-old Timothy was strapped into a shoulder harness the morning of September 24, 2009 when the former aide hit him repeatedly with fly swatter, kicked him, and later sprayed an aerosol chemical in his face.

 Child Sprayed with Aerosol on Bus (This is the same child as in the story above)

New video given to WSLS on Thursday, claims to show a second instance where a 11-year-old boy with autism was physically abused by former Bedford County Schools employees.

Horrific video shows autistic boy, 11, screaming for mercy as he is kicked, choked and hit by driver and helper on school bus

Autism Advocates Upset Teacher Cleared In Restraining Student 12-Year-Old Boy Tried Up, Tipped Back In Chair

Autism advocates are concerned an Indiana Court of Appeals' decision to drop charges against a special education teacher who helped restrain a special needs student could send the wrong message to Indiana teachers.Catherine Littleton, a teacher at Perry Meridian Middle School, was originally charged with confinement, battery and neglect of a dependent in connection with her treatment of a 12-year-old boy with autism in February 2010...