autistic teen beats teacher

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Seeing as he lives in a group home, doubt he's high functioning

Obviously now his lack of control makes him dangerous to others, as been pointed out by others on this thread, his size and aggressiveness makes him a huge threat.

But I still don't see why you feel stigmatised (and I can see you are) that he is perceived as somehow low functioning? This lack of empathy is why half the people on the spectrum need NTs to advocate for them.

I hadn't heard that, but it would make sense. He's dangerous. I don't have a wide range of knowledge about the services available in Flagler County, having transferred there from Duval County. There are currently two types of placements for lower socioeconomic kids like this. An EBD classroom setting, which is a small classroom setting (maybe 4-5 kids), and a higher staff to student ratio. They have behavioral staff on site. However, these are educators, not security people. Their approach is 'trauma informed' and hands off. What can they do if a kid like this decides to choose violence? They will attempt to talk him down, but if that doesn't work they will be beaten up. That's the setting I work in.

And they have PACE programs. I've never worked in a PACE setting, the people I know who have describe it as a place for troubled students who fight a lot. My guess is that this kid wouldn't meet the criteria because he has a disability with an IEP. They may take a more 'hands on' approach, I'm not sure. The way the system is set up, the kid gets a pass for most everything behaviorally because it's brought about by a disability. In an EBD setting, we're sitting ducks. And the kids know this... They are encouraged to attend their IEP meetings, they've seen enough 'referrals' to the Dean's office get shot down because of their disabilities and they are not afraid to act out. Why should they be? There's no loss of privileges, there's no consequences for bad behavior. We are, in effect, teaching them that bad behavior and violence is the way.

Some children eventually come around, some don't. And if I were a group home worker, I'd want this kid gone during the day too. They are probably just as scared of him as the school employees are. He's not going to be an angel in the group home if he's dangerous at school. And the law entitles him to a quality education, free of charge.

So, let him finish his education in a lockdown setting. He's proven he cannot handle freedom without hurting people.

I don't. How am I lacking empathy here? I rather feel like I'm advocating more for his humanity than others in the thread

There is very little information on how much this individual can comprehend? it is not unknown for otherwise normally functioning adults to have complete meltdowns.

It seems like he'd be in less trouble if he had of shot her dead.

My understanding is that people don't go into group homes unless they need 24/7 care. But I guess it's true that this doesn't necessarily indicate his cognitive abilities.

I'm not trying to "other" him or distance myself from him, rather just acknowledge that severe disability can include stuff like this.

No. You go into group home because you DONT need that. Just moderate supervising. you're thinking of a nursing home, or an assisted living home.

Last edited by naturalplastic on 03 Dec 2023, 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

No you linked this teen's story with People are saying we should have another word for mild forms of autism versus forms of autism this severe. Thoughts?

Why would you link this teen's struggles with a separate debate on whether "mild" autism should have a different name?

I already explained this, and it's not even the position I personally take. I want to keep the name as-is. I am autistic and I like being autistic.

People's reasoning for renaming is not to separate us because of stigma, rather they are concerned that the general population will be confused by autism being a spectrum condition and try to hold people like this teen at a higher level of accountability than he is capable of.

I think this teen should be kept from hurting others, handled in a secure enviroment by people that know autism, not put in a prison.

That's what I think, yeah. I agree with the mom that prison would be a death sentence for him and his needs.

That seems reasonable. He doesn't seem capable of criminal responsibility but also can't be allowed to participate in open society.

That's called a psychiatric hospital. If he get's put in there he will quietly (when the cameras are off) be injected with every known type of tranquillizer and mood stabiliser so he can sit in an armchair and watch re-tuns of Looney tunes cartoons 24-7. But at least he will no longer be a threat.