[Eska]

The wifey has taught spec ed close to 25 years and I have my secondary cert but honestly I just can't take all the politics in education today. Schools do as much as they can possibly accomplish with the resources they have; but you know, it all starts in the home and we do have massive problems with the family in America. I have seen quite a few kids in my wife's socially/emotionally disturbed class make it over the years, others not. Usually the ones that fail, end up in group homes or worse once the grandparents can't handle the kids anymore; but we have to make a place for these kids in society. We can't just build more prisons and the problems we are facing seem to be getting worse.

I had asperger kids over the years myself in school; that's one group of kids that usually can function if we make a place for them. Freepers should realize the vast majority of these kids are not dangerous and any one of us could have a child with aspergers too.

[SoldierDad]

I think it was completely irresponsible of the media what they did in focussing on Autism and Asperger's with respect to the shooter. There is no verifiable evidence that he was diagnosed with either condition. He may just as easily have had a psychotic break brought about by Schizophrenia. Or, he could have been emotionally disturbed. Or, perhaps he was just evil and a sociopath. There are many possibilities, and for the media to focus on any one thing without any documentation is criminal in my opinion.

I have worked with more than two dozen students who were diagnosed with Autism and/or Asperger's. With the correct program to address their needs, most of them were as successful as their potential allowed. Some of them were quite bright (High Functioning Autism/Aspergers), but had significant social deficits. Most were able to be taught skills to overcome these deficits. NONE, and I emphasize NONE, were ever violent to the point of committing such a horrid act of terror as this shooter.

There was one case I worked on with a student (third grade at the time) who I have often worried about engaging in an act of violence of this type. He was identified as Emotionally Disturbed. At an early age he was torturing neighborhood pets, and tried to BBQ the family's cat when he was age 5. I lost track of him after he ended up in a non-public lock-down program. To this day I recall his name, and his face. I pray I do not read about him in the news.