Sounds like the poor woman was overwhelmed.
I doubt she ever intended to be sole caregiver for two extreme special needs kids in her twilight years.
My heart goes out to all involved. Be kind because unless you walk in her shoes you have no idea what her life was like. My grand daughter is nonverbal autistic. She is 9 years old and it gets harder every day. When I am alone with her there is no such thing as sleep. She can go 24 hours and then only needs a short nap to start again. She is smart and will try to escape the house. Our windows all have locks and so does the fridge. She will open the fridge and take things out and throw them on the floor. Seriously it is a 24/7 eyes on job.
No sleep and the constant attention are grueling. I can’t imagine doubling this.
You lose friends and even family because your life revolves around keeping them safe. You really have to walk the walk to understand.
The Judge who approved this woman as primary caregiver, should have known it would likely become too much for her.
This doesn’t excuse the murders. Of course not. But none of this had to happen. A 56 y/o taking care of two 9 y/o autistic brothers?
Those boys hadn’t even begun showing all the energy, all the mania they eventually would have been capable of as teens.
As one who has worked with autistic children in schools as a one to one aide, I’ve seen it go in either direction.
Once the child hits puberty, some tend to level off, while others tend to flare up higher, perhaps due to the natural hormonal changes.
If Grandma was to be their primary live in caregiver, then by all means, a Social Worker should have provided her with a few respite workers! Give that grandparent a break, and on a reliable scheduled basis. Maybe the boys had never been brought into the regional system, and nothing had ever been structured. It takes a while to complete, and that only when you ask the right questions to the right professionals.
Two murders of 8 year olds with a gun and she gets 21 years? Why is sirhan sirhan still in jail?
Our small city of around 60,000 people never had this type of behavior from children. Grandparents born in the late 1880’s and up till I left the area in the 1990’s, never was this type of behavior common like nowadays. Of course, some families had mentally-handicapped children, but that’s totally different.
So, what has happened, is it chemicals in the food for the past 30 years? Chemicals in the atmosphere? From the beginning of time on this earth, I don’t think children ever acted this way in such large, LARGE numbers. In fact, I’m almost 100% sure they never did.
Now that I think of it, Jesus did cast out a demon that had afflicted a child. The child kept jumping into fire, and the father brought the child to Jesus for deliverance. Jesus completely delivered the child.
So, that is one possibility for the huge number now of children being afflicted with “autism” — an increase in the activity of demons (as in the Book of Revelations). It’s a very sad situation regardless.
Only 21 years for premeditated murder of one’s own grandchildren? Wow. How romanticist. Fair is fair. Give her what a man would have received.
Gene linked to autism undergoes changes in men’s sperm after pot use
Further study is needed to determine if the altered gene contributes to autism in children
Date:
August 27, 2019
Source:
Duke University Medical Center
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190827123515.htm
Marijuana Usage During Pregnancy: Cannabinoids Can Cause Development Disorders In Baby, Study Says
https://www.medicaldaily.com/marijuana-usage-during-pregnancy-cannabinoids-can-cause-development-disorders-399684
Lasting impacts of prenatal cannabis exposure and the role of endogenous cannabinoids in the developing brain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3252200/
What a horrible tragic story. So sad.
I feel so sorry for Granny Flood. She really didn’t ask for that situation, and certainly wasn’t able to handle what was dropped on her. My prayers are with her.
Well, this escalated quick.
This is why we need to bring back state schools for the severely disabled.