I read an article this afternoon because the headline jumped out at me. “10-year-old Autistic boy arrested after kicking teacher in Florida."
After reading the article (credit to Globalnews.ca for the story I read), and watching the video clip attached, I started to comment, and realized that I had way more to say about this than what could be put into a “comment."
There is behavior that is acceptable, and there is behavior that is unacceptable, regardless of one's ability or disability. Period.
Now, before I anger all the righteous autism moms and dads out there (most of you are heroes! keep it up!) let me clarify this point.
I am an autism mom. I have three beautiful children, and all three share the autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Their diagnoses range from high functioning (Asperger's) to severe (my 6-year-old is non-verbal and still in diapers). I can attest absolutely to the challenges that these beautiful souls face when they are in a situation or place that they can’t handle. I’ve seen my children punch, kick, scream, scratch, even spit due to an overwhelming sensory issue or circumstance. I’ve seen them do these things not only to others, but themselves also.
HOWEVER. Along this bumpy road that is living life with a loved one who has autism, I have been trying to teach them what is appropriate and what is not appropriate behavior, even when sensory overload hits. I, along with our therapy team, have integrated strategies to help them succeed in making an alternate choice to aggression or violence even in situations of extreme duress. Now, by no means is this fool-proof. You can absolutely have every tool in place for your child to succeed, you can be the most patient, caring parent ever, and the meltdowns will still happen from time to time.
This doesn’t seem like an isolated incident, or one that occurs from time to time. His mother admitted that her son had a violent past, yet she went on to say, “it was because of his autism that spurred this incident…”
I would absolutely argue this.
Perhaps it was because this child has a history of violent behavior that he kicked the teacher?
While I was watching the video, I observed that the mother seemed much more focussed on videotaping the arrest with her cell phone and getting on the news than being a mom. I watched as this young man swore at the police officers (who showed no signs of aggression toward the young man; they were truly as gentle as they could have been) and the mother doesn’t say anything! In fact, when the child says “it’s all their fault," she agrees, says she’s going to get a lawyer, and completely dismisses his behavior as if kicking the teacher was acceptable! If she is allowing this disrespect to occur, while videotaping it, knowing it would be seen around the world. Obviously we are missing a lot more to the story. It also seems this young man is missing some vital guidance on his journey with this perplexing disorder.
Changes DO need to be made in how those living with ASD are treated in schools and out in the public.
This story doesn’t reflect that statement, in my opinion.
It saddens me to read these stories, as truly it just perpetuates the misconception of autism. I have to wonder if I would have even bothered to read this article if it had read (probably much more accurately) “10-year-old boy with violent past arrested in Florida for kicking teacher."
Not all children with autism spectrum disorder are violent. Not all children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have aggressive tendencies. Please don’t judge all children with Autism based on what you see in the media. Ask questions, or join a Facebook group of an Autism community. There are plenty of wonderful resources out there that explain a great deal about Autism, although none better than someone who is living with it, or living with someone who has it.