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Helping a Bullied Child with Asperger's Syndrome
Posted on Tuesday, February 14 @ 15:09:37 EST by | 
The Washington Post reports "One day in May 2004, a student at Short Pump Elementary School in Henrico County, Va., walked up to fourth-grade aspie David Henck in the cafeteria and said, 'It would be a holy day if you were shot dead by a sniper'"
That single incident would have been bothersome enough to David and his parents, Bill and Leigh Henck, but it was not the first time children at Short Pump Elementary had been cruel to David. He has Asperger Syndrome, a neurobiological disorder marked in part by social clumsiness. He was, as his father put it, a bully magnet, and his parents did not think the school was doing enough to help him.
I am telling this story based almost entirely on Bill Henck's account. I asked the Henrico County school system for a response, but at first got only two short and relatively general statements from the superintendent, which did not surprise me in the least. I have been investigating several cases of communication between parents and school officials in difficult circumstances, and the standard official response to the parents, and to any reporters who might inquire, is often as little a response as possible.
Read the full Washington Post Article.
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Re: Helping a Bullied Child with Asperger's Syndrome (Score: 1)
by wandrew Tuesday, February 14 @ 19:10:44 EST
(User Info | Send a Message) | | This is an excellent article. Jay Matthews shows sympathy for the parents while echoing their frustration at the bureaucracy that won't solve the problem and won't help the parents when they feel forced to send their child to private school. While I don't expect the school system to pay private school tuition for every child who opts out, they were clearly negligent in not coming to David's aid sooner. The student who made the sniper comment could have been suspended or given community service.
As for the lawyer who defended his cross-examination of David's mother, he seems to have forgotten that he was not in a courtroom and, that although it was a legal hearing, courtroom rules do not necessarily cross-apply. Also, that comment caused him to appear boorish and insensitive. If there is a transcript of that hearing, it would make interesting reading, I'm sure.
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Re: Helping a Bullied Child with Asperger's Syndrome (Score: 1)
by Keeno Thursday, March 09 @ 16:45:08 EST
(User Info | Send a Message) | | God will judge the person who made that comment to David Henck. |
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