Maryland “Freak State” PING!
Some restaurants use bad judgment.
Some parents use bad judgment.
I have no way of knowing which is which here.
Something is missing from this story.
I’m not saying it’s justified, but the child must have done something more than make a few odd sounds
When I go out to eat I don’t want to be entertained by someone acting out; adult or child.
Truly depends on volume. Was the child screaming at the top of his lungs, or just mumbling to himself? Not picking a side until I know more.
CC
A little more staff training would have paid dividends here.
They could have just turned up the crappy music.
We don’t know how loud the sounds were, or what the sounds were like. Some autistic vocalizations can put someone off their appetite. It’s not ‘nice’, but it’s true.
I recall a year or two back, about where I woman had her armless child eating at the IHOP by sitting on the table and using his feet to serve himself. She too was shocked that other customers had issues with that.
Intermittent screaming at the top of his lungs?
these can be very difficult situations, really
but i wish ...
Amanda needs to respect the fact that other people may want a quiet dinner without noises like a screaming baby... sure, she has a right to dine out, but is she really doing her child right be making him the ridicule of others dining?
outback to go might have been a better option. i would not complain, but i will not deny others their right to complain. did the manager mishandle it? yes. let the child stay and give the complainers a $10 gift card for later... i am sure they would be fine with it... they sound classless.
Some liberal complained, probably.
I once paid big bucks to see a Shakespeare play. I missed most of the dialogue due to the outbursts of a poor child with Tourette’s.
I’m a good cook. People acting out in restaurants don’t bother me, I won’t be there.
That said, there are still times when I will see a child acting up or running around the restaurant where I will want to go smack the parents.
I remember the time a child was running loose in a restaurant, and came up to my wife and bumped her while we were eating. My wife looked down and calming said "where are your parents?". The kid ran immediately back to the family's table.
In this instance, it is hard to gauge the "noise" based on the article.
They should have brought his Service Dog in.
No way the restaurant would have asked them to leave.
Of course there is a huge component of “blame the parent” here on FR.
Please, you judgmental people who don’t have a child with special needs, what should parents who do have one do? Never go in public or into restaurants?
I’ve been there for many, many years. I consider myself a very considerate person in public. At the beginning, when the first one with special needs was little, I didn’t think we couldn’t go to restaurants with people. So we would, and often my son would get overwhelmed, yes, even noisy, and I just stepped him right out. You pristine silent diners would have heard an earful as I carried him out, but then I would stay in the parking lot and wait out the rest of the party.
The next phase was just not to go out. We did that for years as well, or waited for the respite care babysitter so that we could get out without the kids.
Later I had another child with special needs. At this point I do feel that we have rights to be out there in the world just like anyone else. But yes, whether it’s just a child being loud or a child with special needs not in control, we leave ASAP. It’s not easy, but I consider it a sign of respect for the others in the public place.
Dealing with special needs is difficult. We could have a meal no different from anyone else’s and no one would know anything. Or someone could melt down and we could need to beat a hasty exit where other people might be aware.
The restaurant definitely has the right to ask anyone making a disturbance to quiet down or leave. I’m ok with that. But I just don’t like how easily some of you can sit in your boxers and castigate if you have never attempted to live a normal family life with kids with special needs.
If the kid was yelling and acting crazy then yes, kick him out.
I did a quick wiki search of this disorder. Also here...
https://www.apraxia-kids.org/apraxia_kids_library/what-is-childhood-apraxia-of-speech/
I saw nothing that would indicate a child afflicted with AOS is disruptive or loud.