The news continues to look frightful and grim for the 3 year old autistic boy near Montreal who went missing while his father was in a friend's house for a few minutes and where authorities have now called off an intense ground search and hope is fading. A few days ago a six year old autistic boy in Melbourne Australia who went missing from his home was struck and killed by a train. Meanwhile Canada's Joy of Autism movement is once again pushing its bizarre view that autism disorder is not a disorder at all it is , as stated by Estée Klar, a Joy. The mother of an autistic child actually thinks that autism is a joy. The parents and family members of the 3 year old boy near Montreal, the 6 year old boy near Melbourned, of young James Delorey who perished in winter weather last year in Halifax might disagree with her "logic" in describing autism as a joy.
I most certainly disagree. I am the father of a severely autistic boy and could have lost him several years ago when he slipped out of the house and attempted to cross a very busy street stopping traffic until a good Samaritan stopped and took him to a nearby convenience store and 911 was called. I remain very grateful to that gentleman and to the police for bringing my son to safety. I would never, ever embrace the fuzzy logic that results in calling autism disorder a joy.
Estée Klar has published her support for a coalition of advocacy organizations that object to the attempt to codify wandering as a separate criteria for autism. Research they say, research is needed. Yeah right. Let's take 10 to 20 years and conduct methodologically unsound statistical surveys and call them science while we ignore the current evidence of harsh realities that wandering behavior in autistic children results in. In the meantime Estée can lecture us on how autism is joy not a disorder.
Many autistic children and adults are prone to wandering from their homes and caregivers. That is an unpleasant reality that should be made known to the parents of newly diagnosed children and professional caregivers now, so they can take steps to protect the autistic children and adults in their care, now, not 20 years from now.We don't need more autistic children wandering away and coming to harm.
7 comments:
Wandering is very terrifying. A few years ago, my then around 18 year old brother who has Autism, slipped away from our home, unnoticed. He then went briskly walking down a very busy street. Seriously only 2 minutes later, when we had the terrifying realization of "Where's Liam???" I went running after him, and was lucky enough to run into a neighbor who pointed me in the direction of where he'd gone. He was walking briskly, totally oblivious to what was around him, straight down the middle of the road. One of the worst days of my life, hands down. Thanks for sharing.
We've lost ours a few times over the years. With the gator and collecting sap we've travelled all over the farm. He always knows where he is... but....
We thought only a week ago he'd gone into the house. We didn't see him go around the house down the road to his Aunt's (100yds - the entire road is clan along the farm) to steal the map book from her car. He scurried home when she caught him at it and when we came up from putting wood in the boiler he was still outside and we didn't think anything of it until she called. We got complacent since last year he stopped wandering... so we're back in teaching mode once more.
It happens and we have 2 ponds across the road too.
They talk about restraints and using them. As long as we are in a safe area he can walk on his own. If not he is restrained either being held by his coat or his hand. If we are at the checkout he stands in front of me pinned while I pay - restrained. We've now been in 2 schools and the board under the IPRC has built 2 fences - restrained. He cannot go outside at school or at home without someone with him - although not physically restrained he is still supervised. When he went out town this year to school I registered him with the OPP incase he went missing. I have to redo it annually.
Restraining isn't going to stop b/c you wish to ignore wandering exists. But knowing it exists, adding it as a "to be taught" under the IEP, or "to be bought" (fence/aide) also under the IEP. To training of police and search personnel needs to be done. Instead of being against it, they should be for it and part of the process. That's how change is done... by being part of the process and meeting in the middle with education and compromise.
Many years ago we had a typical 2 year old in the neighborhood that would often show up at our doorstep looking for breakfast. He obviously awoke before his parents and decided our home was the go to for cereal. Today I have a 15 year old who's movements must be monitored at all times. I am forced to lock gates and insist that he keep his activities confined to the backyard. His activities are most often predictable but as with the 2 year old there is danger in his innocence and lack of awareness of danger. We are constantly on high alert! My mind can never relax while his chronological age advances at a rapid pace his cognitive level will never move beyond the innocent perceptions of a toddler. I must remain vigilant.
Klar truly sickens me. I have never seen such a self absorbed parent who is in total denial.
When our son was still a toddler he managed to scale the kitchen gate and un-bolt the front door while I dozed on the couch with his infant sister (we were both sick with the flu at the time). He wandered down the driveway, across the street and hunched down over a sewer grate to drop rocks into the water below for half an hour -- before a neighbour (who did not know us or him since we were new to the neighbourhood)managed to grab him and bring him back to our house (where the front door was standing open). We installed dead bolts at the top of all our exit doors within 48 hours... it could have been so much worse, it could have been winter, there could have been traffic on the street, he could have gone out the backdoor and into the woods instead... we were lucky and I will never, ever forget that moment for as long as I live.
Klar needs her head (and her motives) examined.
You are so right! This is such a scary reality for us parents with kids on the spectrum. Good for you for addressing this issue.
Her warped view of autism is just that, warped. Her son is not even verbal or barely verbal yet she thinks that the world will just accept him with open arms and he doesn't need intensive ABA. She's completely unrealistic. Honestly, I have no doubt her husband couldn't take her baloney anymore. Who could blame him.
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