Family Kicked Off Flight After Daughter With Autism Deemed 'Disruptive'

[aaronleland]

My son is high functioning too. I hope he turns out to be as articulate, intelligent, and interactive as you clearly are.

There is such a wide spectrum for autism. My neighbor's child is high level autistic. He is wonderful at math, terrible at communicating but is a really sweet kid, very funny and at times very insightful. Kids like this have something to offer to society. The key is to get them in the right environment.

I am lucky to have been born HFA (high functioning autistic), but there will always be those challenges. I've trained myself over the years to seem "normal". The thing is that it's mentally exhausting. I live my life going through an act. This autistic woman in a documentary explained my days perfectly. You play out every conversation in your head in the morning like a script, but if anyone strays from that script during the day it can lead to a meltdown.

I documentary film about an autistic girl, well worth watching.

I've heard of this movie! Never seen it though. I'll check it out this week!

The film is about Temple Grandin, a girl born in 1947 when no one had ever heard of Autism. It's told in her words giving the viewer a perspective of how she views the world. Today you she's a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, a best-selling author, an autistic activist, and a consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior.

It's true that the general public knew nothing about autism, but it was first identified by a Russian neurologist in the 1920s. The research was later picked up by Hans Asperger in the mid 1940s, which is where the term Aspergers Syndrome comes from.

 

[Gracie]

I don't believe anyone here is unaware of what autism is or unsympathetic. That is not the issue. The issue is a person supposedly threatening (the moms words) the welfare of passengers on an airplane.

Concerning Temple...I am very much aware of her and her story. AND that she works wonderfully with animals.

You didn't sound too sympathetic saying how you would have applauded as they were escorted off the plane. That's the kind of mean reaction we autism parents have had to learn to deal with. You might decide to have a little more compassion.

You bet I would applaud them being removed. Why the hell wouldn't I? It doesn't mean I can't have sympathy for their situation but still want my own peace of mind for myself by having them OFF THE PLANE.

 

[aaronleland]

I don't believe anyone here is unaware of what autism is or unsympathetic. That is not the issue. The issue is a person supposedly threatening (the moms words) the welfare of passengers on an airplane.

Concerning Temple...I am very much aware of her and her story. AND that she works wonderfully with animals.

You didn't sound too sympathetic saying how you would have applauded as they were escorted off the plane. That's the kind of mean reaction we autism parents have had to learn to deal with. You might decide to have a little more compassion.

You bet I would applaud them being removed. Why the hell wouldn't I? It doesn't mean I can't have sympathy for their situation but still want my own peace of mind for myself by having them OFF THE PLANE.

In the Youtube clip I posted the patrons of the diner applauded when the man scolding the parents of an autistic kid was forced to leave. You on the other hand would applaud the parents and child being forced to leave. You see where many people would consider that a lack of sympathy?

 

[Gracie]

Yep. But a restaurant is not 36,000 feet in the air either.

 

[TheOldSchool]

I don't believe anyone here is unaware of what autism is or unsympathetic. That is not the issue. The issue is a person supposedly threatening (the moms words) the welfare of passengers on an airplane.

Concerning Temple...I am very much aware of her and her story. AND that she works wonderfully with animals.

You didn't sound too sympathetic saying how you would have applauded as they were escorted off the plane. That's the kind of mean reaction we autism parents have had to learn to deal with. You might decide to have a little more compassion.

You bet I would applaud them being removed. Why the hell wouldn't I? It doesn't mean I can't have sympathy for their situation but still want my own peace of mind for myself by having them OFF THE PLANE.

Good for you cun.t.

 

[aaronleland]

Yep. But a restaurant is not 36,000 feet in the air either.

While some of the passengers may have agreed with them being removed do you think any of them were applauding? Of course not. They likely just saw it as an unfortunate situation. People with autism and their parents have it hard enough without people applauding their misfortune.

 

[saintmichaeldefendthem]

Yep. But a restaurant is not 36,000 feet in the air either.

Someone already asked you earlier how many planes have been downed by autistic children. You didn't have an answer. Maybe you have a higher than normal fear of flying to the point you're a touch paranoid when a child acts up and you let your imagination run away, visualizing the child ripping open the emergency exit at 30,000 feet.

Just pop some Xanax and chill out.

 

[Gracie]

Yep. But a restaurant is not 36,000 feet in the air either.

While some of the passengers may have agreed with them being removed do you think any of them were applauding? Of course not. They likely just saw it as an unfortunate situation. People with autism and their parents have it hard enough without people applauding their misfortune.

I would applaud for ANY person removed due to threats of violence, Aaron.
Look, I am not going to argue this further. If I were on that plane, I damn sure would want every cent I spent worth me paying for it. That includes not being around noisy brats, screaming babies, drunken fools, huge people sitting next to me and gouging my gut with their elbows, belligerent teenyboppers, etc.
If you want me to be Mother Teresa because of someone elses problem, it ain't gonna happen.

 

[TheOldSchool]

Yep. But a restaurant is not 36,000 feet in the air either.

While some of the passengers may have agreed with them being removed do you think any of them were applauding? Of course not. They likely just saw it as an unfortunate situation. People with autism and their parents have it hard enough without people applauding their misfortune.

I would applaud for ANY person removed due to threats of violence, Aaron.
Look, I am not going to argue this further. If I were on that plane, I damn sure would want every cent I spent worth me paying for it. That includes not being around noisy brats, screaming babies, drunken fools, huge people sitting next to me and gouging my gut with their elbows, belligerent teenyboppers, etc.
If you want me to be Mother Teresa because of someone elses problem, it ain't gonna happen.

I would applaud for YOU to be removed from the plane.

 

[Papageorgio]

It's sad how terrified people in this country are of people with autism; as evidenced in this thread. Thank goodness awareness is increasing.

I don't think anyone on this thread (though I do disagree with some posters'comments) is 'terrified'of people with autism. If you fly regularly, you are aware of the perspective of regular passengers regarding a calm, orderly and safe flight. The mother herself warned of the potential for violence.

This issue is not about being afraid of autism. It is about how this type of situation should be handled by the parents so what happened here doesn't happen.

Calming down an autistic child can be difficult and sometimes impossible. If you know their triggers, you can often avoid problems. However, once triggered, it can be very difficult to calm them and sometime impossible.

You have to figure out a way to put them back in control of their environment. It can be very challenging.

And taking them out of the situation that is causing the agitation would,be the best result. Regrouping at the Salt Lake City Airport, was probably a good place to relax, eat and get on another plane to go home.

 

[Esmeralda]

It's sad how terrified people in this country are of people with autism; as evidenced in this thread. Thank goodness awareness is increasing.

I don't think anyone on this thread (though I do disagree with some posters'comments) is 'terrified'of people with autism. If you fly regularly, you are aware of the perspective of regular passengers regarding a calm, orderly and safe flight. The mother herself warned of the potential for violence.

This issue is not about being afraid of autism. It is about how this type of situation should be handled by the parents so what happened here doesn't happen.

Calming down an autistic child can be difficult and sometimes impossible. If you know their triggers, you can often avoid problems. However, once triggered, it can be very difficult to calm them and sometime impossible.

Well, that really is the point, isn't it? Given the situation, the mother should have acknowledged this very issue and agreed to disembark, and then rebook for a day or two later when the child was in a better position to fly. I know you don't want to blame the parent, but parents of children with disabilities are not paragons of virtue or always right: they are as fallible as anyone else. They make mistakes, they use poor judgement on occasion. This parent should not have been uncooperative or contentious with the airlines. To proceed so, i.e., her attitude, is not good for the child, as well as anything else.

Initially, when I went to college, because my sister has MS, I wanted to be a teacher for disabled children. I've done a lot of work with these children and had a lot of involvement with their parents. The parents are not often objective and also often not wise about what to do or how to manage things. Their vision is clouded by their love for and protectiveness of the child.

I changed my major, btw, for varied reasons. One was that I spent a term as an assistant in a school for this type of special needs children. The teachers told me that they spent all year knocking themselves out trying to improve the skills and behavior of the children but every year after summer vacation, the kids came back having lost most of the work done all year because the parents did not continue to reinforce the work done all year. Very frustrating for the teachers.

 

[Esmeralda]

It's sad how terrified people in this country are of people with autism; as evidenced in this thread. Thank goodness awareness is increasing.

I don't think anyone on this thread (though I do disagree with some posters'comments) is 'terrified'of people with autism. If you fly regularly, you are aware of the perspective of regular passengers regarding a calm, orderly and safe flight. The mother herself warned of the potential for violence.

This issue is not about being afraid of autism. It is about how this type of situation should be handled by the parents so what happened here doesn't happen.

Calming down an autistic child can be difficult and sometimes impossible. If you know their triggers, you can often avoid problems. However, once triggered, it can be very difficult to calm them and sometime impossible.

You have to figure out a way to put them back in control of their environment. It can be very challenging.

And taking them out of the situation that is causing the agitation would,be the best result. Regrouping at the Salt Lake City Airport, was probably a good place to relax, eat and get on another plane to go home.

Exactly.

 

[Muhammed]

We have a couple as friends and their daughter is autistic, very difficult situation and I take my hat off to parents that raise children with it. Until you walk in their shoes it's best not to judge

I girl I know had a kid with autism. When he was 11 years old he over 6 foot tall and 200 pounds. He would have temper tantrums and hurt her, his father and the other kids. And killed a few pets and neighbors' pets.

Bottom line, they couldn't handle him because of his superhuman strength. He had to be institutionalized.

And him name was Michael. It reminds me of Michael Meyers from the Halloween movies.

 

[Papageorgio]

It's sad how terrified people in this country are of people with autism; as evidenced in this thread. Thank goodness awareness is increasing.

I don't think anyone on this thread (though I do disagree with some posters'comments) is 'terrified'of people with autism. If you fly regularly, you are aware of the perspective of regular passengers regarding a calm, orderly and safe flight. The mother herself warned of the potential for violence.

This issue is not about being afraid of autism. It is about how this type of situation should be handled by the parents so what happened here doesn't happen.

Calming down an autistic child can be difficult and sometimes impossible. If you know their triggers, you can often avoid problems. However, once triggered, it can be very difficult to calm them and sometime impossible.

You have to figure out a way to put them back in control of their environment. It can be very challenging.

And taking them out of the situation that is causing the agitation would,be the best result. Regrouping at the Salt Lake City Airport, was probably a good place to relax, eat and get on another plane to go home.

Exactly.

You realize this is probably the first time we have agreed?

 

[LoneLaugher]

Holy shit. Does every person here have to take a rigid stand on every fucking issue that gets introduced?

It's an unfortunate situation. What it is not is political. Shit.

 

[Linkiloo]

The airline made the right decision. The mom couldn't control her child. No one could. End of.

 

[Papageorgio]

Holy shit. Does every person here have to take a rigid stand on every fucking issue that gets introduced?

It's an unfortunate situation. What it is not is political. Shit.

I don't see everyone taking a rigid stand. I see a lot of compassion for the girl and an obligation to the passengers.

 

[LoneLaugher]

Holy shit. Does every person here have to take a rigid stand on every fucking issue that gets introduced?

It's an unfortunate situation. What it is not is political. Shit.

I don't see everyone taking a rigid stand. I see a lot of compassion for the girl and an obligation to the passengers.

Yeah? Cool.

 

[Papageorgio]

Holy shit. Does every person here have to take a rigid stand on every fucking issue that gets introduced?

It's an unfortunate situation. What it is not is political. Shit.

I don't see everyone taking a rigid stand. I see a lot of compassion for the girl and an obligation to the passengers.

Yeah? Cool.

Yeah, Cool.

 

[Esmeralda]

I don't think anyone on this thread (though I do disagree with some posters'comments) is 'terrified'of people with autism. If you fly regularly, you are aware of the perspective of regular passengers regarding a calm, orderly and safe flight. The mother herself warned of the potential for violence.

This issue is not about being afraid of autism. It is about how this type of situation should be handled by the parents so what happened here doesn't happen.

Calming down an autistic child can be difficult and sometimes impossible. If you know their triggers, you can often avoid problems. However, once triggered, it can be very difficult to calm them and sometime impossible.

You have to figure out a way to put them back in control of their environment. It can be very challenging.

And taking them out of the situation that is causing the agitation would,be the best result. Regrouping at the Salt Lake City Airport, was probably a good place to relax, eat and get on another plane to go home.

Exactly.

You realize this is probably the first time we have agreed?