An autistic child meltdown at school, school wants payment for damage

Some friends of mine going through a difficult time in various ways have a son diagnosed autistic who had a meltdown at school and he caused damage. 

They are now being fined for said damage, anyone know if they are legally obliged to pay or perhaps the damage being caused by something the child can't really help is it really something they're liable for?

Parents
  • It's possible the trouble is partly caused a social worker assigned to them some time ago investigating them for supposed neglect of the children. (This is a hugely complicated thing but from what I know of the children they are far from neglected even if I didn't necessarily agree with the home schooling idea)

    The children are happy and well. But the social worker seems to be an autism denier and forever suggests all the behaviour from the children is learned from the parents and also the children have no boundaries at home. Also complete nonsense. 

    It's believed that this social worker has had words with the school to be more strict on them as the autism isn't real. But no direct evidence of that. But basically sw just refuses the believe in autistic behaviour as she has an autistic relative that goes to university.

    I'm doing what I can to support my friends but it seems like they face a conspiracy of autism denial from almost every person in authority.

  • Autism denial should be a hate crime, that said did anyone see the story about teachers laughing at the girl with a tracheotomy, it kind of dismisses the theory the deniers are incapable of understanding if they can't even get their heads round breathing through a tube in the throat.

Reply
  • Autism denial should be a hate crime, that said did anyone see the story about teachers laughing at the girl with a tracheotomy, it kind of dismisses the theory the deniers are incapable of understanding if they can't even get their heads round breathing through a tube in the throat.

Children
  • One of the parents has been diagnosed as on the spectrum too. I think if they remove the children the mother might kill herself.

  • We home schooled because of autism denial, our social status meant the school was investigated, a total whitewash but it’s now escalated above the schools regulators and we are hoping for significant reforms to protect children.

    The social worker is on very dodgy ground, the evidence of a genetic component to autism means that they risk not only the children being vulnerable but also the parents. In effect they have ignored the needs of a vulnerable adult.

  • This sw has instigated my friends being taken to court in about 3 weeks for ideas of having the children removed due to all the 'learned behaviour' and 'lack of boundaries'

    But in her report she even gets (according to my friends) fundamental facts wrong like dates of things happening and who attended what appointment. Madness.

    To me it seems an open and shut case - if you can't get basic facts right then how can anything else be believed? After all her entire case is based on her assessment with no independent analysis. 

    My friends have been going through absolute hell thanks to this woman for just over a year. 

    If they make it through the court case they should be able to sue for the psychological damage caused. I've had so many messages from the mother saying how she can't sleep and feels suicidal.

    How about actually HELPING rather than accusing of misdeeds? Makes me sick.

    As I say I still think the home schooling was a mistake but the children are going to school now. But the children were happy until the social got involved>


    The daughter has an aversion to many different types of food and the sw solution offered in her report was along the lines of "Perhaps the child should be offered foods such as shepherd's pie and toast.." and finds the idea of noodles and rice a bizarre thing! (The latter being something the daughter does enjoy eating)