Police Responding to a Scene Assume a Teen is Drunk and Disorderly So They Taser Him. (He’s Autistic)

Ugh. The blame in this lays two-fold. First, the stupid officer…enough said. But, if the kid was really low enough functioning that he appeared drunk and disorderly, he should not have been unaccompanied. As a parent of a child with autism, I know my child isn't capable of living and functioning in the world alone. Without some miracle, he never will be. He will always need someone to remind him to put on pants or socks, to tie his shoes, to wear a coat in the winter. He forgets to shower, to comb his hair. He cannot communicate to others when he is upset or frustrated without violence towards himself or someone else.Also, as a parent with 3 special needs kids, I know the importance of marking our kids. A business card in their wallet with their name, phone number and a statement to their disability is a common method as is medical alert bracelets.

absolutely. The policeman was wrong to tase. However, knowing that these things often happen, as a caregiver, you have to keep the person under watch. The first time it happened, community outrage was certainly warranted. By now, all caregivers know and are warned even by the physicians that treat our kids to watch them closer and to mark them. We are given social stories to teach our kids how to respond to police. Heck, Jodi Picoult even wrote a book on this subject recently.Again, the fault is mainly on the officer but the caregiver also holds a role in this. Maybe not legally but morally.