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

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

I am preserving all the evidence of the abuse my son suffered at school so he can decide at 18 if he wishes to sue them. The legal position is pretty clear cut they said they did one thing, recorded everything that happened and did entirely the opposite.

The school know exactly why the evidence is being collated and I'm hoping it will force them to change as they are much more worried of the reputational risk than the financial side of things. 

Great idea, I wish I could sue my old schools which were appalling.  Pity I don't have evidence.

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)

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.

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.

I mean esp when it's supposed to be set up to deal with special needs as I recall. Very odd.

The children only started going to school within this last year (they've been home schooled) and broke up for the 6 week holiday up to which there hadn't been much in the way of proper lessons but they were launched right into them on return (from what I can tell of what I've been told anyway by the parents). This has lead to stress and confusion for both children. Madness.

Yeah I'd have thought that too.

This doesn't sound right at all, I don't know much about this kind of thing but maybe these parents should go to their local education authority and ask them for advice?

oh wow, perhaps i should sue my old school for all the mental damage they caused me. i mean if they can sue and force kids to pay for damages its only fair that they pay for all the damages they caused the kids too. so much damage that they fail to even acknowledge.

I’d be wanting a thorough investigation of how the meltdown occurred and if a EHCP was in place if it was breached.

All too easy to blame the Autistic kid especially when the staff let their guard down and allow overwhelm to occur 

I thought schools had insurance.

Good points I'll mention it to them. I'm asking because they're going through a load of hell right now and barely have any time for things. Thing is this school is meant to be one that specially deals with special needs so it seems even more bizarre. 

Their daughter who may also be autistic got shouted at for not wanting to carry her bags. Hmm. No official diagnosis with her though.  

Your friends might benefit from some initial advice from Citizens Advice on this. There could be a counter charge of disability discrimination against the son by the school that your friends could also look into. The school may have policies about damage caused by pupils (check with the governors perhaps) and your friends may wish to ask to see these policies. Seems a bit arbitrary to me as it also looks like a punishment for being disabled. Even if your friends' son wasn't disabled it would still be rather difficult to pursue. It could also look like a backdoor way of getting equipment replaced at no or less cost to the school. I would complain.