The child suffers from two factors: fetal alcohol syndrome and cocaine abuse by his natural mother and a diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder. He has problems.
He is under the guidance of a therapist familiar with such cases. She has not been allowed to testify. The family belongs to support groups of both RAD kids and homeschoolers. Both groups showed up (about thirty people) for this hearing.
You know, as a NICU nurse, I know what devastating effects substance abuse by pregnant women could have on their unborn children.
I think people who are foster parents and those who adopt them are saints. My heart is broken that this family is being put through all this by public servants who are expected to be educated about these problems.
Best of luck to this family, and thank you for being in their corner.
I live in AZ so all I could do is keep them in my prayers.
Amazing. It borders on criminal that DCFS would have proof of the fas and RAD and prevent the therapist from testifying, the person uniquely qualified to verify the family's story and make them whole again. It seems like a homeschooling witch hunt. Just on the word of a busybody.
A teacher at my son's grade school went through a similar hell a few years ago when her youngest broke 3 bones in a short time. Her son has brittle bone disease, despite the testimony of experts appointed by the court (after her own medical doctors were prevented from testifying), they still pursued and hounded them for 3 or 4 years until declaring them not guilty.
Why was the therapist not permitted to testify? Did the family court judge find that the therapist was not qualified?
Also, if the child has been diagnosed with RAD and fetal alcohol syndrome, was the medical doctor who made those diagnosis called to testify?