commentary by Patrick H. Moore
As those of us who have been following the crime news know, in the last few months, there have been several rather dramatic cases in which children with autism have been mistreated and/or killed by their parents, often because their parents either despaired of helping them, or were at the end of their ropes from the strain of caring for their handicapped children, which in a sense is the same thing.
A case which drew a great deal of attention was that of Kelli Stapleton, a former autism blogger and campaigner from Battle Creek, Michigan, who was sentenced to a lengthy prison term after pleading guilty to first-degree child abuse after attempting to kill herself and her 15-year-old autistic daughter, Issy.
And of course, there is the case of pharmaceuticals entrepreneur Gigi Jordan, 54, who is at trial for admittedly ending her autistic son’s life at Manhattan’s Peninsula Hotel. Ms. Jordan has testified that she killed her son to protect him from his father and/or stepfather who she claims were abusive. The trial is winding down and the defendant’s lawyers are seeking a manslaughter conviction.
A less publicized case that is still pending is that of a severely-autistic 11-year-old boy in Anaheim, California, whose parents were charged with child endangerment and false imprisonment after he was found locked in a dog kennel.
A case in some ways similar to the Anaheim case, which has been reported by multiple news services, but without a great deal of detail, comes to us from out of Huron County, Michigan which is 90 miles north of Detroit.
“Two pensioners have been charged with unlawful imprisonment after a 19-year-old with autism was found locked in a cage on a wooden bed.
A 65-year-old woman and 66-year-old man were arrested at the home and authorities removed three adults from the property on 20 October.”
Brad Devereaux of MLive Michigan reports Huron County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Steve Bismarck was dispatched to the home on Minden Road south of Priemer to investigate a civil dispute on Monday, Oct. 25. at about 4 pm.
Mr. Devereaux writes:
“Upon speaking with parties involved, permission was granted for Bismack to enter one of the bedrooms, where he found a 19-year-old mentally challenged male in a caged bed with the door on the cage chained shut, the sheriff’s department said in a prepared statement.”
The imprisoned man apparently had a thin blanket on a wooden “bed” platform to lie on but that was about it.
After discovering the man in the cage, Deputy Bismarck “contacted the Department of Human Services emergency center and personnel were dispatched to the scene.”
Later that evening at around 10 pm, the “parents” were removed from the home. Further investigation ensued and based on court action the following day, one more adult was removed, according to police.
“Further court action on Friday, Oct. 25, ordered the final two children removed from the home. Two deputies from the sheriff’s office also assisted on Friday evening, police said.
It is noted that according to department spokesman Bob Wheaton, the home is not a licensed care facility, but is rather a private residence.
The “parents” have been charged with unlawful imprisonment and misdemeanour abuse of a vulnerable adult. They are currently being held in the Huron County Jail.
The adult protective services office of Michigan’s Department of Human Services is reportedly is reportedly investigating the incident.
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In an article posted in the Independent Voices section of The Independent, written by Mathieu Vaillancourt and dated August 12, 2014, this young man, who suffers from autism, writes revealingly about his condition:
“I know what autism is like firsthand. I was diagnosed with it at the age of 13, after suffering from depression and experiencing a psychotic breakdown. A year later, in 2003, I was sectioned by my own will at the psychiatric wing of a children’s hospital. Ever since my diagnosis, I have been on medication, and been lucky enough to have incredible parents who have always been there to support me.”
Mr. Vaillancourt explains that although he was plagued by teasing and bullying in school, he always did well academically and earned a university degree in International Development. Today he works part time for a large corporation with a job in “policy analysis” which would appear to be closely related to his field of study. He readily states that he is uncertain whether he “can work one day without medication, or if (he is) independent enough to live alone.”
Mr. Vaillancourt discusses his OCD tendencies:
“I like doing repetitive things and I am obsessive for many things. I am a bibliophile, and buy endless amounts of second-hand books. I also enjoy writing a lot of electoral statistics during my spare time. I don’t know if this is something chemical, but if I don’t do these things, I feel bad, as if there is something missing in my life.”
Thus, and this I think is key, Mathieu feels compelled to ‘act out” his compulsions. In this is he really that different from the rest of us with our habits, rituals and obsessions? I suppose it is a question of degree and where the one posits the “borderline” between “normal” and “abnormal” behavior.
Because of his condition, Mr. Vaillancourt, who is obviously very intelligent, has some social difficulties although he is “able to have a few close friends, and can get by in large groups.” He then explains that due to his social difficulties, “at the age of 25 I still don’t know how to have a romantic relationship.”
Mr. Vaillancourt suggests that autistic people tend to be tenacious and that they are in demand for certain jobs that require a high degree of patience and technical ability. There have long been suggestions that “technology centers” like Silicon Valley are to a large degree driven by autistic brain power.
I strongly suggest that you read Mr. Vaillancourt’s entire article.
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What I am struck by in mulling over this issue is how broad-based the autism spectrum appears to be, ranging as it does from mild to severe. Mathieu Vaillancourt’s condition may well be somewhat mild. What is also of great importance is the degree of nurturing that is available for the autistic child. Mathieu reports that he was aided immeasurably by his “incredible parents who have always been there to support me.”
Could it be that an unfortunate young man like the 19-year-old recently liberated by the Huron Sheriff’s Department from the cage his caregivers kept him in might have been helped greatly and might even be gainfully employed and living a more or less normal life if he had been nurtured like Mathieu?
To draw a perhaps imperfect analogy, let’s take “college level writing”. In another lifetime, I was a part time English instructor teaching remedial writing to college students at suburban Northern California community colleges. Like most part timers (freeway flyers), I was thrown into the mix with little sense of how to proceed. It was sink or swim for both me and my students. So I did my best…
While I did certain specific technical things to try to help the students improve their writing, the most important factor in their success (and many of them improved dramatically) was my attitude. I was uniformly encouraging. I may have been the easiest grader in the history of those schools. It wasn’t hard to get a B- from Patrick H. Sometimes this got me in trouble with the brass, but I largely stuck to my guns. I was quite a popular 
instructor and not just because I was an easy grader. I was popular because these students, many of whom were kids who had always hated English and had been told endlessly that they “sucked at writing”, were suddenly learning to write, obviously not at a high level, but they were learning and improving and by the time the semester ended, their writing was no longer alarmingly weak.
It’s obvious where I’m going with this. Handicapped kids need the same kind of encouragement I gave my remedial writing students. They need to be worked with in a kind and considerate manner. They need to be praised for their small successes. They need a great deal of extra help but if they receive that help, many of them will improve/succeed and sometimes that success will be quite dramatic.