No cooperation with the defense

[Doctor Phibes]

@blondie said in No cooperation with the defense:

The foster mom imo needs her own psych support to process and grieve separation from this kid. Life events like this change people, even the most resilient. I’ve seen it with parents dealing with decades of chronic disease with a child, also those dealing with kids with psych illness, like schizophrenia.

Agree. There's really nothing but victims in this situation. The teacher, the parents, even the kid.

[89th]

@blondie said in No cooperation with the defense:

I think the foster mom is close to sainthood. She’s endured and persevered above and beyond others advocating, helping this boy. I couldn’t be so resilient and articulate of my own kid’s developmental, behavioural history. For years, she’s navigated the educational, medical, psych, governmental, insurance systems while enduring significant life altering events of other family members. The schools, therapists, caregivers, medical people have reached the end point. I don’t know what institution cares for such severely autistic young adults, but it’s not jail. This big young adult is stuck for life I with the brain of a young child. He needs lifelong psych institutional placement with lifelong medication for behavioural relapses.

Totally agree with one caveat, the judge ruled that he was competent to stand trial, so perhaps the judge knows enough of the facts. Otherwise, you are right @blondie , institutionalize and medicate. In jail, he'd be medicated anyway and would likely kill or be killed quickly based on his emotional stability.

Presuming he doesn't have control of his emotions, it's really sad too. I've seen it firsthand... my younger sister has the mental equivalent of a 4 year old (she's 36 now) and I can't imagine trying to control that in a 270 pound person. My sister swallows batteries (honestly does this about once a month... usually AA batteries, she has an uncontrollable urge to consume things, such as mouthwash, wine, batteries, anything she's not suppose to have) and she is in the hospital often. Heck I just found out last night that she is getting kicked out of her group home in 2 weeks because of outbursts. My parents have dealt with this since she was born in 1987, wetting the bed each night, outbursts, can't go on trips, to restaurants, locks on the fridge... to parent a special needs child is a burden that is massively underestimated. About 2 years ago my parents finally made the decision to let her live with a few others in a group home. In theory, it's better for both my parents and my sister at this point... but the emotional instability is always present.

@blondie saw your other post just now... yes the foster mom needs help too. How much she has invested only to watch this tragic event happen. Very sad.

[Horace]

Violence is part of our nature. It’s contained by learned social civilizing influences. Autistic people have a learning disability with social stuff. So it stands to reason they will be over represented among violent offenders.

[Renauda]

I have to agree with Blondie, Phibes and 89. Don’t ask why either because I will not explain how I arrive at that conclusion. Suffice to say I fully understand and empathise with the foster mother.

Incarceration in a jail for this youth is not an answer or a deterrent. Fluid reasoning as we understand it is far beyond his capacity. Institutionalization in a suitable mental health facility is the only civilised option for this unfortunate.

[blondie]

Thanks for sharing of your sister 89th. You’re mature beyond your years. You, your parents live this. The judge made a mistake. Those who live this understand. Special Needs has its own special spectrum, and lots of it is invisible. There’s stigma with it. There’s no cure. Some moments of relief sometimes, but it’s lifelong chronic for all involved.

[Doctor Phibes]

I've seen some of this too in a kind of once-removed situation which I won't go into. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Renauda said in No cooperation with the defense:

Fluid reasoning as we understand it is far beyond his capacity.

There are people for whom that's true. But we're here on the internet, without medical degrees, pontificating about this particular kid's emotional stability and none of us know him or the history of his care.

I'm not at all convinced this was or was not completely unavoidable. And the fact that the situation is tragic doesn't mean that violence is always inevitable with people who have learning and developmental issues as bad as his.

[Renauda]

@Aqua-Letifer

There’s much more to their disability than violence. The inability to interact effectively (by which I mean, normally) with other people or follow instructions are also common manifestations. These spectrum disorders are a massive Venn diagram of revolving and unpredictably intersecting symptom bubbles.

[George K]

@Renauda said in No cooperation with the defense:

These spectrum disorders are massive Venn diagram of revolving and unpredictably intersecting symptom bubbles.

D2 has her doctorate in clinical psych. She'd agree with your assessment.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Renauda said in No cooperation with the defense:

@Aqua-Letifer

There’s much more to their disability than violence. The inability to interact effectively (by which I mean, normally) with other people or follow instructions are also common manifestations. These spectrum disorders are massive Venn diagram of revolving and unpredictably intersecting symptom bubbles.

I fully agree. I still think it's possible that somebody somewhere fucked up here in this particular case and that the violence that occurred wasn't necessarily a foregone conclusion.

[taiwan_girl]

@blondie @89th Thanks for sharing your posts.

[George K]