asked if I can purchase something hot for my daughter and [the first class flight attendant] said no" she said. "I called him back over and I said to him, 'Please, help us out here,'" but he again refused. "He came back again and I said, 'I have a child with special needs, I need to get her something.' And he said, 'I can't do that,'" she explained. "I said, 'How about we wait for her to have a meltdown, she'll be crying and trying to scratch in frustration. I don't want her to get to that point.'" .
OK, so let's break that down and look at you post in another way.
Actually this child has traveled all over the world and not had a problem.
But the mother was aware of the childs past behavior, her preferences, and what happens when the girl doesn't have enough to eat, right?
Sounds like a chain of events(layovers etc) that led to the simple request for a simple hot meal to accommodate the special needs child on the last leg of a flight.
A simple request for something she did not pay for. If she wanted a hot meal on her flight then she should have bought a first class ticket. If she knew that her child had not had enough to eat and refused to eat during the previous layover then she should have rebooked to a later flight when her child had had a hot meal.
Notice that the mom was forced to beg.
From the story: "“Well, I said, ‘How about we wait for her to have a meltdown and then she is crying and tries to scratch — and then you’ll want to help her,'” Beegle said she told the flight attendant." That sounds more like she threatened the flight attendant rather than begged.
Once again it was a male attendant who escalated the situation by refusing to throw a meal in the microwave and then he runs to the pilot.
When one of the passengers says her child may have a meltdown and harm other people then yeah, I'd say the pilot should be notified.
I understand that the child may or may not be in control of her emotions or her actions. But the mother can control the situation by ensuring her child is prepared for the flight rather than expecting special treatment. She should have rebooked.