Children With Disabilities Arrested For Behavior

[Guest guest]

Children With Disabilities Arrested For Behavior

Dec 12, 2008

http://wcco.com/crime/children.disabilities.arrested.2.886567.html

<http://wcco.com/crime/children.disabilities.arrested.2.886567.html>

(WCCO, Minnesota ) For parents of children with special needs,

outbursts can be a problem, and they don't stop at home. More

Minnesota kids with autism and developmental disabilities are actually

getting arrested for having tantrums at school. That's landing

students in treatment centers, where they live alongside the worst sex

offenders. son told the I-TEAM she knew something was

wrong when she arrived at lin Middle School in Thief River Falls

to pick up her son. " He was really upset, sobbing and really upset.

And she (the teacher) said 'You're not in any trouble Dakota,

you're not in any trouble,' " she recalled. " Two hours later I think it

was, we get a call from the assistant principal saying Dakota's in

trouble. "

Dakota had a pocket knife in his coat. He didn't threaten anyone, but

bringing any kind of weapon to school is a felony in Minnesota. While

most kids understand why you wouldn't want to do that, Dakota did not.

" He's 13 and he's autistic, " explained his mother. Children with

autism can have trouble understanding rules. His mom says he was just

trying to be like his dad, . " is on the volunteer fire

department, carries a knife hooked up to his belt, so he kind of likes

to emulate his dad, " said son. Police and the Pennington County

Court weighed Dakota's Autism diagnosis, but still charged him with a

felony that ended up on his record.

.... Brinker didn't understand why he was arrested either.

has fetal alcohol syndrome. At 19, he threw paint on a

teacher's sweater during a tantrum at his District 287 school.

was cited for disorderly conduct. " I was not notified of the citation,

and was living at a group home at the time, " said father

Brinker. After missing a court date, was arrested and put in

the Hennepin County Jail. ... The disorderly conduct charge was

eventually dropped after was found incompetent to stand trial.

That was just the beginning of the Brinker's ordeal. " They recommended

that he went to the METO program, " said Brinker.

METO is the Minnesota Extended Treatment Options program. Its one

place courts send people to live if their developmental disability

turns dangerous. ' family doesn't think throwing paint rises to

that level.

a Opheim is the state's ombudsman for Mental Health and

Developmental Disabilities. She told the I-TEAM shouldn't have

ended up there, but a lot of people like him do. ... " When they don't

or can't participate in their own trial, they are sometimes sent to

mental health facilities, " she said. Opheim recently reviewed the METO

program and found problems with the frequent use of metal handcuffs

and leg hobbles. " It became so routine that people didn't even

identify it as a problem, " she said. ...

Teachers sometimes don't follow their own behavioral intervention plan

for how to calm down a particular student. Setter wants school

resource officers to see those plans and to be trained in emotional

disorders. We're in the process of developing it, " said Setter.

Dakota's felony drops off his record after six months, if he doesn't

bring another weapon to school. is still at the METO facility

for throwing paint. His care costs taxpayers more than $900 a day.

[Guest guest]

It makes sick to my stomach reading these types of articles.

btw, Don't PETA members throw paint at people with fur coats all the time?

I never thought it was a felony to do so....hmmmm

Children With Disabilities Arrested For

Behavior

> Children With Disabilities Arrested For Behavior

>

> Dec 12, 2008

>

> http://wcco.com/crime/children.disabilities.arrested.2.886567.html

>

> <http://wcco.com/crime/children.disabilities.arrested.2.886567.html>

>

> (WCCO, Minnesota ) For parents of children with special needs,

> outbursts can be a problem, and they don't stop at home. More

> Minnesota kids with autism and developmental disabilities are actually

> getting arrested for having tantrums at school. That's landing

> students in treatment centers, where they live alongside the worst sex

> offenders. son told the I-TEAM she knew something was

> wrong when she arrived at lin Middle School in Thief River Falls

> to pick up her son. " He was really upset, sobbing and really upset.

> And she (the teacher) said 'You're not in any trouble Dakota,

> you're not in any trouble,' " she recalled. " Two hours later I think it

> was, we get a call from the assistant principal saying Dakota's in

> trouble. "

> Dakota had a pocket knife in his coat. He didn't threaten anyone, but

> bringing any kind of weapon to school is a felony in Minnesota. While

> most kids understand why you wouldn't want to do that, Dakota did not.

> " He's 13 and he's autistic, " explained his mother. Children with

> autism can have trouble understanding rules. His mom says he was just

> trying to be like his dad, . " is on the volunteer fire

> department, carries a knife hooked up to his belt, so he kind of likes

> to emulate his dad, " said son. Police and the Pennington County

> Court weighed Dakota's Autism diagnosis, but still charged him with a

> felony that ended up on his record.

>

> ... Brinker didn't understand why he was arrested either.

> has fetal alcohol syndrome. At 19, he threw paint on a

> teacher's sweater during a tantrum at his District 287 school.

> was cited for disorderly conduct. " I was not notified of the citation,

> and was living at a group home at the time, " said father

> Brinker. After missing a court date, was arrested and put in

> the Hennepin County Jail. ... The disorderly conduct charge was

> eventually dropped after was found incompetent to stand trial.

> That was just the beginning of the Brinker's ordeal. " They recommended

> that he went to the METO program, " said Brinker.

> METO is the Minnesota Extended Treatment Options program. Its one

> place courts send people to live if their developmental disability

> turns dangerous. ' family doesn't think throwing paint rises to

> that level.

>

> a Opheim is the state's ombudsman for Mental Health and

> Developmental Disabilities. She told the I-TEAM shouldn't have

> ended up there, but a lot of people like him do. ... " When they don't

> or can't participate in their own trial, they are sometimes sent to

> mental health facilities, " she said. Opheim recently reviewed the METO

> program and found problems with the frequent use of metal handcuffs

> and leg hobbles. " It became so routine that people didn't even

> identify it as a problem, " she said. ...

>

> Teachers sometimes don't follow their own behavioral intervention plan

> for how to calm down a particular student. Setter wants school

> resource officers to see those plans and to be trained in emotional

> disorders. We're in the process of developing it, " said Setter.

>

> Dakota's felony drops off his record after six months, if he doesn't

> bring another weapon to school. is still at the METO facility

> for throwing paint. His care costs taxpayers more than $900 a day.

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> Texas Autism Advocacy

> www.TexasAutismAdvocacy.org

>

> Texas Disability Network

> Calendar of Events

> www.TexasAutismAdvocacy.org