6-Year-Old Autistic Student Criminally Charged After Alleged Assault

WCPO.com ^ | September 23, 2007 | Lance Barry

[DelphiUser]

I used to spank mine when he would hit, then he got where he would hit just to make me spank him. That’s counterproductive so we moved on to timeouts, that mostly works now, but not always, and it took about 5 times longer with him than with the other kids.

If you are open to another idea, I tried jumping jacks (just with the arms) on mine, we would move him through the routine of ten or so controlled arm movements, up over the head and back down, he hated it, it worked faster than a time out, and we explained it as "your body doesn't do what it should, lets practice moving our body without hitting anyone". It only took about two weeks and hitting was out. YMMV all kids are different, but I try to relate the intervention to what the undesired behavior is.

[Mrs.Liberty]

FOX19 website in Cincinnati states the charges have been dropped:
Charges Dropped Against Autistic Student Accused Of Assault (BROOKSVILLE, KY) --

Update: 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25:
Nathan Darnell's family has confirmed to FOX19 that charges in this case have been dropped.
Charges Dropped

Also, more info on the boy, and his parents, here.

Bracken Parents Say System is To Blame

Looks like there is some Oppositional Defiant Disorder as well. Note comments below article.

[DelphiUser]

I pray to God that it never happens to you or yours.

And I bet you won’t be calling anybody “retard” anymore.

Well said.

[snarkybob]

“but exactly what makes the redistribution of taxpayer money to take care of students who might possibly be better served in a completely different setting right?”

I’m not sure what “completely different setting” you mean. My kid is in a life skills class, he’s not mainsteamed. Or did you mean all special ed classes? As for the redistribution on taxpayer money, I’ve never been to the city park, but i still have to pay my share for it’s upkeep. I take the pragmatic view of this, and not an idealistic one, we’re going to pay taxes whether or not the special ed classes are functional or not, so why not make them functional.

“I have been the first-hand witness to how school districts can get into financial difficulties because of lawsuits which result in a judgment against the school to take care of “special” kids.”

So maybe it would have been better financially for the schools to have just taken care of the kids in the first place.

“What makes the school responsible for physical therapy, speech therapy, mental health therapy, dental care, medical care, feeding kids two (or even three in some schools) meals per day?”

I can’t speak to all of that. My kid doesn’t get dental and mental, and his meals. He gets the class and a speech therapist twice a week.

I’ll say this again. You’re debating me about taxes and their use. I started posting to a particular situation, that being criminal charges being filed against an autistic 6 year old. Suddenly there are lots of “NO TAXES EVER” pointing to this as solid proof that spending any money on special kids is a waste of time and money, but this incident is an exception, not the rule.

“And where does the money for all of that come from? Taxes. And every time another child comes into the system that the schools are not prepared to handle (nor should they be in a position to handle some of them), money has to come from somewhere - cut programs for the majority of students, or raise taxes. What is fair about that?”

Life aint fair, and that’s a fact.

[DelphiUser]

First, it is spelled "Scholastic"

Hey, leave him alone, didn't you read earlier that he went to a private "Skool"?

[DelphiUser]

There are a number of ways this could have been handled. The filing of criminal charges is not among them. They need to sit down & figure out whether or not a mainstream classroom is appropriate for THIS PARTICULAR CHILD. They also need to determine if the staff is qualified to work with special needs children. And then they can go from there.

Folks we have a home run here, somebody who completely gets it, I nominate this post as post of the thread!

[Clemenza]

People with severe mental illnesses/disabilities belong in special programs so that they 1. get the help that they need and 2. don’t drag down the education levels of able-bodied students.

[New Perspective]

First, it is spelled "Scholastic" Hey, leave him alone, didn't you read earlier that he went to a private "Skool"?

And don't forget his MENSA freepermail to me. Here is his statement.

From VxH | 09/24/2007 11:32:04 AM PDT replied You don’t really want to engage in a public discussion of how “dumb” parental behavior is often a significant factor in the incidence of Down’s syndrome, do you?

He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.

[DelphiUser]

I do believe you have a problem....google social IQ.

You sir are confusing an lack of desire to be polite with an inability.

[snarkybob]

“If you are open to another idea, I tried jumping jacks (just with the arms) on mine, we would move him through the routine of ten or so controlled arm movements, up over the head and back down, he hated it, it worked faster than a time out,”

Thanks, I’ll try it. I’m having some luck with redirection as well, since I’ve incorporated one of those mini-trampolines. When he starts to get agitated I make him go jump for a few minutes. So far so good.

[DelphiUser]

Sorry - but these kids belong in specialized environments.

Believe it or not, mine is.

The resources simply aren’t there to do justice to your kid.

That is why that is not all we are doing, but they have some things we can't get anywhere else (kids his age).

Do you realize how many different types of disabled kids are being dumped into regular ed classrooms? It’s becoming a damn zoo! I’ve got autistic kids eating their clothes, making animal sounds, shouting out, monopolizing conversations with irrelevancies and on and on.

My son's school is a special school designated for autistic main streaming, it's all they do besides normal kids. I do have some suggestions for some of your "interruptions" having dealt with many of them either with my son, or as a always in his special autistic school

1. eating their clothes,
   It's an oral stimulation thing, ask the parents to buy them a teething ring, then use it as reward / punishment for stuff, they'll grow tired of having to earn it and wean themselves off the need for it.
2. making animal sounds,
   Video tape class, have an aid go over the tape with them disrupting class explaining that it's bad, why and then give them a DVD of the tape with the aid's comments on it.
   They love watching themselves and will watch the tape over and over, all the time reinforcing the lesson of what not to do. The aide should focus on kids who are behaving correctly most of the time, editing the tape is a good thing.
3. shouting out,
   Again, tape the class, have the aid go over it with them, then have an aid sit next to them in class holding their hand every time they start to make noise, have them tap on the inside of their wrist to distract / remind them not to make noise.
4. monopolizing conversations with irrelevancies
   I have an in-law like this, can't help you, if you come up with a solution, let me know.

These suggestions will not all work with every child, but hey, they are worth what you are paying for them. (free)

Do you have any regard for parents who just want a normal environment for education.

Sure, the school my son goes to is "Special" all the autistic children from the county go there. Normal children are signed up by their parents because they get about double the money per student so its a better funded school (and lots of them have autistic brothers or sisters). You don't want your kids to go there, don't sign them up. Everyone is bussed in, new building the program has been in place for two years now and that is when I was willing to pull my son out of the private school for autistic children I had him in to try it. Besides, the Private school was saying that he had reached the limit of their ability to help him and he was now the "Model" they used for other students to learn from.

Yes - this is harsh. But I’m disgusted by the mess created by the Disabilities Act. If teachers could be frank, we’d tell you that main streaming is a disservice to all concerned.

It may be where you are doing it, but here it is also being used to train teachers. Two colleges, lots of Free labor from people trying to get degrees in teaching. I'll say it again, it seems to be working here. That is why we moved here to take care of my autistic son.

[snarkybob]

“eating their clothes,
It’s an oral stimulation thing, ask the parents to buy them a teething ring, then use it as reward / punishment for stuff, they’ll grow tired of having to earn it and wean themselves off the need for it.”

We couldn’t get my son to wean himself, now he wears a string necklace with a piece of surgical tubing over it. He still chews, but we’re buying less shirts.

[perseid 67]

I understood your post ,I just disagree with you. Mind you, I am not talking about grown, nonverbal, autistic men and women with superhuman strength, I am talking of little children who with proper discipline and training could be taught to associate with their peers and become useful if not highly productive citizens.This will never happen if they are kept in secluded classes where they never interact with other normal children. Schools that do such are providing autistic children with inadequate education. Autistic children would be better off being tutored at home than being sent to special education/daycare.

Public schools are like public health care. Those who actually need help to become educated receive none. It’s considered a waist of tax dollars to educate autistics. In England people with bad teethe also receive no help. It costs to much to fix bad teeth. I think any school district which gnashes its teeth at integrating high functioning autististics( those who talk and are quiet) should be forced to forfeit all the tax dollars, they have ever taken from the family with interest.

[VxH]

[Prove where my son participatign [SIC] in your son's Gym class and having recess with him makes your child learn less.

 

We are waiting...]

 

That depends.  Is he going to throw tantrums and assault the Gym teacher?

 

 

[DelphiUser]

I happen to be a Master Teacher smartass.

Oh there are so many good lines to use to come back on this one, I will refrain for I would be banned this is a family forum after all, just think about all the Baiting that goes on on these forums, and that's as far as I'll go.

As for this statement "The programs don’t work. It makes parents and some addled-headed teachers/administrators feel all fuzzy - but it’s a charade"

it is an unsupported assertion including that you are a "Master Teacher" (LOL)

I’ll go toe to toe with you anytime pal, and we’ll see who’s uneducated and whose operating on emotion.

Great, I'll judge the debate! (As the democrats learned from the Communists, it's not who votes that counts, it's who counts those votes.)

[toldyou]

“Autistic children would be better off being tutored at home..”

I agree.

[VxH]

[what did we do before then?]

 

50 years ago 'we' spoke English

 

Will they be speaking Chinese, Spanish, or Farsi in Deseretistan?

 

[snarkybob]

“Autistic children would be better off being tutored at home..”

“I agree.”

Well there’s that “One size fits all box again.” I’ve seen parents with the best intentions screw it up completely. Apparently many here can’t seem to shake their pre-conceived notion that these are just brats, or that their parents don’t use enough discipline, or that these kids are best out of sight, so as not to make the rest of us uncomfortable.

The autistic kids have the equivalent of a short circuit in their brain, understanding, and dealing with that requires training, even the homeschoolers parents are pretty well trained, they have to be. Still that’s not realistic at all to think that every special needs parent can homeschool. for the ones that can. I salute you.

[toldyou]

“Apparently many here can’t seem to shake their pre-conceived notion that these are just brats, or that their parents don’t use enough discipline, or that these kids are best out of sight, so as not to make the rest of us uncomfortable.”

I NEVER say any of that! And I also don’t believe this six year in the article is a criminal!

GET IT STRAIGHT ALREADY!

I AM saying that children, with special needs, who act out every day in a “regular” public school classroom, do NOT belong there. It’s not fair to the other children who are in school expecting to learn without unnecessary interruptions!

You still won’t get it, but I tried.

[snarkybob]

“I AM saying that children, with special needs, who act out every day in a “regular” public school classroom, do NOT belong there. It’s not fair to the other children who are in school expecting to learn without unnecessary interruptions!

You still won’t get it, but I tried.”

If you’ll go back and look at my posts, you’ll notice I don’t advocate blanket mainstreaming. It should be on a case by case basis. Here’s the post i responded to:

“Autistic children would be better off being tutored at home..”

I agree”

That’s you saying you agree they should be home tutored, nothing mentioned about “regular classes”
Sorry if I misunderstood your intent.