YouTuber slammed for ‘rehoming’ adopted autistic son

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This video describes the situation pretty well. It includes a deposition from someone who knew the family personally and suspects this adoption is from all the wrong reasons:

Give me just five minutes alone with that woman.

I mean if they were not up to the challenges of raising him...it was probably the right thing to do, to get him to a family that can help him with his special needs. Sure intially it sounds kinda messed up...but I mean people can make mistakes, could really be they didn't think they could give him the support he needed so they geuninely wanted him to go to a family that could be more supportive to him.

I mean adoption seems kind of crazy to me, like you get a kid you don't really know everything about...and well maybe some people really do just end up over their heads, even when they had the best intentions. I mean it does initally seem quite sad...but at the same time if they couldn't handle it would it have really been better for them to keep custody? If his new family can better help him with his needs, then its probably for the better. But yeah I suspect not all adoption situations work out as planned and sometimes people realize they just don't have a good way of connecting with that child.

I could see people being pissed, and I dont know those people so maybe they did see him as more of a 'rental' that could be disposed of. But on the other hand...if they really genuinely felt they got in over their heads, and couldn't really do well raising a child with his condition seems it would be the responsible thing to turn him over to a family who can accomodate his needs better.

So yeah cannot really judge if they were right or wrong, really kind of depends on if the reason was to just 'get rid of him' or if it was more they didn't think they could give him the care and support he needed so they wanted to give him a better chance by giving him to a different family. Which well realistically if they just wanted to get rid of him, he could also go to a better family. But yeah with it being an adoption situation, you know maybe as the temporary parents they thought it was best he get with a familly better eqquiped to deal with his challenges.

I just watched the whole video. Thank you for that, Fern. I'm behind the times because I had no idea that there's such a thing as a "YouTube star" who earns income by filming their families, or selling the imagery to sponsors. That concept was entirely new to me. I don't have Instagram (apparently they get paid too, and there are Instagram "celebrities" who sell their life via imagery?? I had no idea), and I don't even use Twitter or any other social media.

I'm shocked that this family or any family is allowed to film their children on a daily basis and that they are willing to broadcast their lives to total strangers on the internet. The children are minors. How is that legal? I've just lost all respect for YouTube which, until now, I thought was primarily a source for music videos -- not the exploitation of little children for financial gain or unlimited anonymous viewership.

I could rant for hours about the impropriety of that, alone. I have always understood that parents aren't allowed to show photos of their children on Facebook or other media, for legal reasons. I thought it was even "illegal" technically speaking to show your new baby on a public feed. I guess I'm wrong about that, but regardless I didn't post photos or information about my child on Facebook until they were old enough to maintain their own account (16+), and to consent to my sharing of a limited number of photos with family, alone. I've never shared video online. No photo of my child was or ever will be accessible to strangers, for the sake of their privacy and for safety reasons. I'm honestly stupefied that this family has earned money by selling imagery of their kids or their home to the general public. I'm floored that the children became their source of income, or that other people "watched" another family for fun. It's bad enough when children are on TV reality shows but I assume those are carefully produced with legal requirements. I'm flabbergasted that a child would even be placed for adoption with this family who was desperate for attention on social media, prior to their application.

Call me old fashioned or out-of-date. But it's nuts.

Partial rant over. ^

Sweetleaf yes I agree that unfortunately, at the end of the day, you're right. The child deserves better, and most importantly he deserves a family who will treat him with respect and dignity, and the care that he needs. That couple needs a serious reality check if they think they can continue exploiting minors for profit, as they have in the past. I sincerely hope that he finds a loving family who will place his worth before the value of a Cartier watch, a trip to Bali, or perfectly Balayage hair.

Another thing I noticed: The woman speaking in the video made multiple reference to "autism parents" or parents whose children were autistic. She tried her best to sound knowledgeable about the needs of autistic children. I wish she had acknowledged the fact that some "autism parents" are actually autistic themselves. Perhaps this little boy could be adopted to autistic parents, or her video could ask for input from autistic parents of autistic children. She meant well, but I still feel that she was speaking of autism without fully understanding there are autistic parents who want children, as well as autistic children who deserve loving parents who are on the spectrum, just like them.

Like I said I’ve no time for celeb culture, I hate the shallowness of it, maybe one of the few things I appreciate by not being NT.

I hate all things shallow and the boring “look at me” culture.

Perhaps the only good thing to come of it, is it will highlight the plight of biological parents forced to put their older kids in care because they cannot look after them anymore.

The usual reason being old age, physical weakness and sometimes violent or destructive behavior in autism makes the living arrangements untenable.

I found to my dismay biological parents Putting younger autistic kids in residential care is disturbingly more common than I thought.

I’m a member of a local autism support group and overheard a year ago a parent talking of trying to get her child in a local special school and coming across many parents giving up their small autistic child in residential care.

Not the same as adoption of course but still bad for the child of that young age.

The case of the YouTubers who 'rehomed' their adoptive child with autism is being investigated by the authorities

Just an update on this story, Myka Stauffer is now being investigated by police after the adoption agency told police they have no knowledge that the boy was rehomed.
https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/parentin ... -c-1078232

According to Delaware police “Our primary concern is for the well-being of this child, as well as the other children in the household,” a spokesperson for The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office wrote in statement. “Our investigation is ongoing, and will include contact with all children to ensure their safety.”

There are now growing concerns for the boy. Stauffer's motives are deeply suspicious after she and her husband deleted all videos of their adopted son from their youttube channels.

Whatdya bet she's claiming him as a disabled dependent for government subsidies?

Their other children should be placed in the care of extended family members whilst this is investigated. It sounds like this woman (if not both of them) should be arrested for exploiting minors online, for financial gain and voyeurism.

My question is whether their YouTube channel is receiving the most criticism ever received by a YouTuber. There seems to be hundreds of videos of criticism. All well deserved from what I know and have seen.

The bulk of the criticism aimed at the couple stem from the fact she and hubby crowdfunded thousands of dollars of donations for Huxley based on "money problems" but after "rehoming" Huxley they were on video wearing jewellery and watches worth almost $10,000 and they took a family holiday to Bali. Hence the anger.

Any update on this youtuber? they seem to have gone underground

ummm any news on whether Huxley is alive?

Think I read somewhere the cops know where he is - the investigation is just related to them not following legal adoption procedures, I believe.

Myka Stauffer is just a straight up narcissist. She adopted him simply so people would follow her and gave him up when she realized he wasn't going to be the perfect child. She would punish him for meltdowns and for telling her he was hungry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7v5fsfGVig