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Second Page: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition'
Posted on Friday, August 25 @ 16:25:27 EDT by | 
A single mother says her only son, who had Asperger's syndrome, lost his life because the authorities did not understand his disability.
Glennys Jones' son, David, 23, was found dead on December 31 last year, following an overdose of prescription drugs. Last week, a coroner recorded an open verdict at an inquest into his death.
Now Miss Jones is calling for more awareness of his condition.
David was found at his home in Belvedere Road, Crystal Palace, where he had been moved seven months earlier by Bromley Council. He had previously been a Broomleigh Housing Association tenant in Crown Lane, Bromley, but had to be relocated after falling victim to homophobic abuse.
As Broomleigh was unable to rehouse him at the time, it was decided David would go into temporary council care.
A social services meeting in April last year concluded that David needed to remain in the area so he could continue receiving his network of support.
Despite this advice, Bromley Council rehoused David in Crystal Palace, forcing him to register with a new doctor.
Miss Jones says she stressed her son's vulnerability but was told that, as David had accepted the offer, it would not be reconsidered.
The 56-year-old said: "I told them their actions were totally irresponsible and, by moving David out of his safety net area, they were putting his life at risk."
Following the move, David's drug prescriptions for conditions which included anxiety and stress increased dramatically and he began to rely heavily on out-of-hours surgery services.
Miss Jones, of Newbury Road, Bromley, said: "If Bromley Council had not ignored recommendations from myself and social services, my son would still be alive. Neither Bromley Council nor David's new GP understood his disability. Although it was not visible, he was not able to comprehend and assess information in the way you or I can.
"I can no longer do anything to help David, but I can raise awareness of this disability so another parent does not have to suffer such a tragic loss."
A council spokesman said: "The council expresses its sympathy. While it would not be appropriate to go into detail about this particular case, the council can confirm that assistance with rehousing was provided to Mr Jones at his request."
Asperger's syndrome was first identified in 1944 but it did not become a clinical diagnosis until the mid-90s. A developmental condition affecting the way the brain processes information, there is no cure for the syndrome, which affects more men than women. Symptoms of the disorder can include poor communication and social skills, and sometimes physical clumsiness. Sufferers can have difficulty reading body language and making eye contact. Establishing set patterns and routines is also common, which can lead to distress when these are changed.
Strong attention to detail and the ability to memorise facts and figures also characterises Asperger's syndrome. Renaissance artist Michaelangelo, the Victorian botanist, Charles Darwin, and the scientist, Albert Einstein, are all thought by some researchers to have had the disorder.
(Source: News Shopper, August 23, 2006)
CRYSTAL PALACE, London, UK
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I don't know if I sympathize... (Score: 1)
by NateSean Saturday, August 26 @ 11:41:19 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message) http://www.cafepress.com/thestreetreader | | With the mother that is.
It's true, doctors and indeed most others are unaware of Asperger's Syndrome. But that doesn't excuse anyone killing themselves.
If his mother had spent more time teaching him to adapt, instead of babying him, maybe he'd have handled better.
Yeah, maybe it sounds crass. But I've dealt with Asperger's all my life, and at 23 years old, living far from my family and my hometown, I'm doing all right for myself.
Why? Because my mother didn't baby me. She didn't just say, "oh, well that's okay son. You don't have to try at all to adapt to this situation. You can go back to where things are easier."
Sorry if that sounds frigid on my part, but it's how I feel. |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by LePetitPrince Saturday, August 26 @ 12:26:07 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message) | | ^^ there s nothing in the article that shows that his mom was babybing him and remember the severirty of austim differ between individuals. |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by Lonermutant Saturday, August 26 @ 16:26:31 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message) http://home.online.no/~ojmalm/ | | Another Aspie who is the victim of homophobic attacks just because he only knows women as bullies... |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by Fiz Monday, September 04 @ 16:18:46 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message | Journal) | | I think what we all have to bear in mind here is the AS comes in a vast array of severities and people display different characteristics of it, hence it is part of a spectrum and not a category.
Some of us can deal with day to day life better than others. David obviously struggled with this. Hence he took the very harsh decision of taking his own life. I don't condone suicide in any way, but, unfortunately for some, they feel it is their only way out. As there is no evidence to suggest whether the mother did wrap him up in cotton wool or not, there is no point in speculating. The only person who will fully know why David is dead is, unfortunately, David. No one will ever know the real reason why he did this to himself, and his mother will always be left wondering what she could have done or the social in order to prevent this. This is affecting the lives of the people who knew him so our hearts really should go out to these people as suicides are, very often, unexpected for those around the suicide victim. |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by hypermind Sunday, October 01 @ 00:21:09 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message) | | funny: my name is david and im 23. no joke. im still alive though.
also funny is its not saying how come he took an overdose. he cant read prescriptions? and no one told him? or he cant count? or he cant set boundries for himself? what? |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by MSEMT Monday, October 16 @ 10:25:03 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message) | | There is nothing in this article that proves about this guys death. |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by Namiko Saturday, October 21 @ 12:05:40 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message | Journal) | | It is unfortunate that things have to happen, but it's life. If he needed someone to stay with him and help him in his everyday activities, then he should have had someone. Or he should have been forced to grow up and cope with the real world.
Coping with the real world is the better answer. The world does not understand people with AS if they are very different, so aspies must learn to adapt themselves and learn to function in the world. |
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Don't Blame the Mother (Score: 1)
by Sappho Friday, January 26 @ 14:20:36 EST
(User Info | Send a Message) http://www.HealingGrove.com | | Her son was living independently and you have no evidence that she did anything wrong. The council went against advice and a young man died. As for the homophobic attacks being related to Asperger's, does it occur to you that the young man might have been gay? Or would that be his mother's fault, too?
I blame the queer bashers, who should have been the ones evicted, and the heartless council who moved the wrong person. |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by catlover02 Wednesday, October 17 @ 21:18:57 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message | Journal) http://www.myspace.com/256135532dbrown | | First of all I am really sorry for what happened to your son. I have Asperger's too and I am really independent. I have my own apartment. Asperger's is not a disability, it is a disorder. Professionals told me that. I don't like when people say that Asperger's is a disability. It's a disorder. Hope your doing better. |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by space-nerd Thursday, April 05 @ 04:07:24 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message | Journal) | | I found what I read very dishearting and it shows that AS awareness should be raised and should be taken as a very valueble lesson to learn |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by dhand59 Sunday, May 13 @ 22:45:38 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message | Journal) | | Yeah, well, doctors and politicians all think they know best... What does some poor AS queer's mother know? Docs and pols can't be bothered with such concerns, even if it results in a death... they are "so sorry"... |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by Lonermutant Tuesday, June 05 @ 12:06:54 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message) http://home.online.no/~ojmalm/ | | I could very easily have ended up like this...
Sometimes I wonder if I should arm myself or not in case some dimwit who doesn't understand that the rumors and lies about me are just rumors and lies attacks me. |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by aspieboy Sunday, July 01 @ 08:44:54 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message) | | i remember this because i went to school with david. thoughts went out to his mother. another friend of mine from the scdhool told me about this when it happened. neither of us could believe it. |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by mamanana Friday, August 03 @ 12:37:33 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message) | | While interesting and disturbing, It would have been nice to know more background on this young man as well as results of any followup |
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Re: 'My Asperger's son died because authorities did not understand his condition' (Score: 1)
by mamanana Friday, August 03 @ 12:37:43 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message) | | While interesting and disturbing, It would have been nice to know more background on this young man as well as results of any followup |
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I understand (Score: 1)
by yeniquencos Wednesday, August 29 @ 01:02:23 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message | Journal) | | Up until recently the only psych disorder I knew I had was Bipolar disorder. In that respect I am no stranger to suicidal thoughts. I don't think we can blame anyone. It wasn't my parents fault and to be honest I was not in my right mind and in that respect I don't believe it was my fault either. Whatever David did, he did out of desperation and I think we should pray for he and his family, that they find peace in the midst of this. |
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I understand (Score: 1)
by yeniquencos Wednesday, August 29 @ 01:02:47 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message | Journal) | | Up until recently the only psych disorder I knew I had was Bipolar disorder. In that respect I am no stranger to suicidal thoughts. I don't think we can blame anyone. It wasn't my parents fault and to be honest I was not in my right mind and in that respect I don't believe it was my fault either. Whatever David did, he did out of desperation and I think we should pray for he and his family, that they find peace in the midst of this. |
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I understand (Score: 1)
by yeniquencos Wednesday, August 29 @ 01:02:49 EDT
(User Info | Send a Message | Journal) | | Up until recently the only psych disorder I knew I had was Bipolar disorder. In that respect I am no stranger to suicidal thoughts. I don't think we can blame anyone. It wasn't my parents fault and to be honest I was not in my right mind and in that respect I don't believe it was my fault either. Whatever David did, he did out of desperation and I think we should pray for he and his family, that they find peace in the midst of this. |
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I have a creepy feeling about the ethnic background of the b... who beat him up! (Score: 1)
by Lonermutant Tuesday, January 01 @ 06:29:11 EST
(User Info | Send a Message) http://home.online.no/~ojmalm/ | | Not to sound or be racist or anything, but I have a suspicion that the little bastards who beat him up and spread the rumors that he was gay ironically could have another ethnic background than just British.
That would be total irony. Victims of racism themselves nearly beating one of our "brothers" to death for being different. |
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