Abandoned severe autistic stuck at hospital 5 months

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A young man with autism and an intellectual disability was abandoned by his family in July and has languished at Manchester Hospital, with no medical diagnosis, for virtually all of the past five months as the state’s disabilities agency maintained that there were legal barriers to taking him into state care.

The 21-year-old has behavior problems, and he has shuttled between a hospital room, the busy emergency room, and an area normally reserved for psychiatric patients, according to an advocacy group that has taken up his cause at the behest of a hospital staff deeply concerned that they are not equipped to care for him. On Friday, state officials said they were finally prepared to offer services to the young man.

His presence in the emergency room is indicative of a statewide quandary, as hospitals have become the dumping ground for a growing number of profoundly disabled children and young adults.

She said it was her understanding that the young man had been aggressive toward his parents and brother

Jordan Scheff, commissioner of the state Department of Developmental Services, acknowledged Friday that “certain legal barriers affected how we could go about [finding a] placement.” He said the issues included obtaining consent from the family.

The young man’s presence in the emergency department has been disruptive. At one point, there was an 11-year-old child also abandoned at the Manchester emergency room. The boy had displayed sexually inappropriate behavior and the hospital staff was worried about the child’s interaction with the 21-year-old, who would impulsively shed his clothing as he wandered around the emergency department. The boy reportedly remained there for more than a week before his mother was persuaded to take him back, Alisberg said.

At another point, the family of the 21-year-old autistic man dropped off the young man’s twin brother, who is also disabled also had no medical diagnosis — which meant that, for a time, both young men were wandering the emergency area of the community hospital, Alisberg said.

“The emergency room can be chaotic, and the young man could be disruptive,” Alisberg said.

Hospital officials, pushed beyond their limits, had reached out to the Department of Developmental Services weeks ago, to no avail, Alisberg said in an interview with The Courant on Friday.

Alisberg said there may be some hope. She said one community provider has indicated it could arrange to begin in-home services on Jan. 15, but Alisberg said there was a question as to whether the family would accept the services and take the young man back home.

Another community provider said it may offer the young man a period of respite, or temporary, care in a group-home setting, Alisberg said.

Scheff confirmed Friday that the young man was scheduled to be picked up by the provider by mid-afternoon.

Alisberg said the adult daughter in the family contends she submitted the paperwork for in-home services, but DDS maintained it had never received it.

“There has been a lot of finger-pointing in this situation,” said Alisberg.

She said it was her understanding that the young man had been aggressive toward his parents and brother

The young man with autism and an intellectual disability who languished at Manchester Memorial Hospital for five months after he was abandoned by his parents has finally been placed in temporary residential care and is receiving state services, officials confirmed Tuesday.

On Friday evening, following advocacy work by Disability Rights Ct in Hartford and a news story in The Courant, the young man was picked up by a private group-home operator with a contract with DDS. He will remain in the residential setting at least temporarily, officials said Tuesday.

Another community provider has offered to start in-home support on Jan. 15 — but there is a question about whether the family will accept the services.

If he is, then when he is deemed no longer in danger of hurting himself or others, then he may be released.

He is severely autistic; they haven't released him because he will just end up homeless, abused, or dead. He needs somewhere to go before they release him.

16-year-old girl from Aldershot spent nearly seven days in Frimley Park Hospital's A&E due to a national shortage of mental health beds.

The girl, who is autistic, was taken to hospital on December 3 after what her father described as "a really bad meltdown" following years of self-harming and suicidal thoughts.

However, with no mental health beds available anywhere in the UK, she had to remain in A&E until a bed was eventually found for her to move to on December 10.

In that time, her father told Get Surrey , she made four attempts to take her own life, including one where she was able to walk out of the hospital to a nearby bridge.

Fortunately, a member of the public happened to be passing by and was able to prevent her jumping from the bridge.

This is not the first time the NHS has struggled to find a bed for the girl.

According to her father, it had required an incident of serious self-harm before she was accepted by her local child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS).

He added in February 2017 he had taken her to hospital after she told him she was suffering from suicidal thoughts.

However, the only available mental health bed at the time was in Edinburgh so she stayed at Frimley for 10 days where her condition deteriorated to such an extent that she was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

A spokesman for Frimley Park hospital confirmed that the girl had been on the A&E ward since December 3, but said on December 9 the hospital had found a bed for her at "an appropriate facility" and she would be moving the next morning.