At the end of 20 minutes of talking a single question was asked "Does he speak?" I answered, "No" , The legal aid lawyer I was talking to said, "He has no rights". Period.
An example of how Danny’s "behaviour" was impacted by staff behaviour. I remember a conversation between caregivers. One staff member had been fired because of physically abusing the autistic. One staff member, visibly upset of his firing, commented, "he should have been offered the chance to participate in an anger management program instead of just fired him". No programs of comfort or words of sympathy for my son, who was the end receiver of his anger. "He admitted to drink, he should have received help...". He was the one who roughed up Danny so he wouldn’t get "attached" to him. He was the one who told me that he took him to a strip club "I should have let her dance on his lap". Would that been his "treatment" for Danny’s autism? Then, commenting that sometimes Danny couldn’t settle to sleep, "Tylenol 3 knocks him out". Other staff members had a lot to say about management hiring "immature young guys with unresolved sexual problems still interested in experimenting with drugs". Yes, I agree. What about my son?
Danny liked that young guy at the beginning, but after taking his holidays he came back changed, he was angry, brusque and I observed that Danny was upset, scared, confused about him. That staff openly lied to me, he would say that he gave his supplements and breakfast and there was nothing in the fridge, also the pills were not touched. Danny came out of his care lips pale, dry and wide eyes, scared. Inside the car, he would stuck his face close to Danny’s talking in a threatening tone and Danny scared would roll in his lower lip, rocking in distress. It would take me a long time to calm him down.
Would having cameras prevented abused? Good staff said yes. To take the autistic to traceable places? Yes, it would help. Close monitoring by supervisors? Yes. All those combined would be excellent.
And, again, what trauma or psychological impact would have on Danny? Unable to verbalize his fears, he would act up and bang his head which would be considered "behaviours".
Staff would collect data on Danny’s "behaviours", the behaviour therapist would transfer it into colourful graphs and presented to Danny’s doctor. Graphs explained by the behaviour therapist or by one particular staff member presenting a dimmed and negative view of Danny’s "behaviours". The apparent intention was that his doctor would increased his tranquilizer or added other drugs (or more to the real intention get the doctor to admit Danny to a psychiatric ward) the graphs didn’t explain the factors behind the increased of SIB: sickness, negative interaction with staff, inability to move from excessive sedation and frustration from being unable to move. But the fancy graphs were done to look "professional".
Data which didn’t do any justice to Danny and it was a waste of staff time and waste of money.
My opinion was emotionally involved, not "objective" enough, so my voice didn’t count.
In those appointments staff were not allowed to speak if the doctor asked for their opinion, they answered in a cryptically way or their answers didn’t make sense. Until one staff member dared to explain the data contradicting Danny’s liaison presentation. I couldn’t believe my ears, I was impressed !!!
The abuse continued and Danny unable to speak and defend himself he learned to lash out in self-defence.
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