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So Infuriated with the school here.....

Poppy's picture

Early this afternoon, I answered a knock on the door to find a Social Worker from DHHS and a Police Detective wanting some questions answered!!! I was totally lost. Apparently, my seven year old Autistic son drew a picture of a figure (he said it was him) and a second figure (at different times he stated it was a girl in his class or his teacher) in a compromising position. When asked what they were doing, he told the police detective that they were "shaking together". He has never exhibited any sexualized behaviors (i.e. touching himself or saying inappropriate things). He then, in his own little broken-communicative way, informed us that he started touching himself to "make it grow" since school started on Monday. OMG I didn't even know my little boy knew about these things! The Social Worker and Police Detective grilled me for nearly an hour, making me feel like a criminal for not being aware that my son had finally figured out what made his body tick. I felt so humiliated and belittled that the school didn't even stop to consider that while he is physically a seven year old, he is developmentally a three year old so he doesn't always say or do the "socially appropriate" thing. Shouldn't his school counselor (who called the cops in the first place) know that special needs children don't always express things in a manner that is considered socially savvy. My son is SO traumatized, he spent the rest of the day crying and rocking in the corner calling himself a "bad boy" (apparently that is what his teacher called him when he drew the picture) and is inconsolable! Has anyone ever had ANYTHING like this happen to them? What do I do? How do I hold the school accountable for traumatizing my child while still knowing he has to continue attending this place with these people he was supposed to trust to protect him, not hurt him! And, perhaps most confusing of all.......how do I talk to an Autistic seven year old about the birds and the bees??

1shoeon's picture

Get a Lawyer...never got to CPS without one. Seriously, I can see concern over the picture however my Neorotypical kids could have done that!

I would encourage you to got to wrongplanet.net!

Elizabeth's picture

I would recommend insisting on a meeting with the principal. Express your concerns in a logical, reasoned way.

1. The teacher was extremely inappropriate to reprimand your child in that manner and you don't ever expect it to happen again. Perhaps your child needs to be transferred to another teacher who is more experienced in appropriately dealing with children? I would make a huge stink about how this teacher handled the situation, which to me is at the core of the issue.
2. If something the school deems inappropriate happens, they should contact you immediately and address the situation with you. There was no need to bring in DHHS and the police, and you should have been allowed to have some say in how the manner was handled given that it was YOUR child.
3. Nobody ever again calls your child a "bad boy." I would videotape him crying and rocking in the corner and calling himself "bad boy" and show it to the principal. See how the principal feels about the teacher's actions in that context? Plus, they will now need to make time to get your son to the school counselor to help him deal with his feelings regarding the situation.

I don't see this as a lawsuit situation, unless it happens again.

Oi Vey's picture

^^This.^^
OMG, how insanely sad for your son!
(Perhaps they called CPS thinking he was abused???)

Auteur's picture

Once again, another example of the over reaching of government "Nanny State" or as one person put it "Ninny State"

Poppy's picture

I have contacted a lawyer who has said that if there are any instances of INAPPROPRIATE sexual behaviors exhibited from now until the end of the school year by any student (holding hands, kissing, touching, makking googly eyes......) and DHHS and the Police aren't called on THEM, that I will have a major Disablity Discrimination suit. I can see the police and DHHS being called if what my son did was considered a DEVIANT sexual behavior- however, he drew a picture (which is his only real way of communicating since he is autistic and his expressive communication is lower than that of a preschooler). So basically, the picture conveyed the sentance "I like you and you make my body feel good." Which, while inappropriate, is not criminal!!!