One of the reasons that it is difficult for people with autism to advocate for ourselves is that we often shut down when the stakes are highest. I am so angry about the Washington Post's article called
"In Va. assault case, anxious parents recognize 'dark side of autism'" that I am having some trouble writing this. Reporter Theresa Vargas has approached the case of Reginald Latson in a way so bigoted and misleading that I have trouble understanding how a paper as well-respected as the Post would publish it.
Latson's case is troubling, and worth the attention. He has Asperger's syndrome, intermittent explosive disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. He was waiting for the library to open one morning when some children became frightened of him and the police were warned of the presence of "a suspicious black male, outside the library, wearing a hoodie and possibly carrying a gun." Latson was approached by school resource officer Thomas Calverley:
The deputy approached. He squeezed the front pocket area of Latson's sweat shirt and lifted it to check for a gun. There was none. According to authorities, no gun was found, and the children, when questioned later, said they never saw one.
Calverley said he asked the teenager his name several times and, after the teen refused to give it, he grabbed Latson, told him that he was under arrest and bent him over the hood of a car. That's when the two started wrestling and fell to the ground.
At one point during the struggle, Calverley said, Latson flipped him hard onto his back, causing his head to hit the pavement. The teenager then hit him dozens of times and, at one point, took his pepper spray from him.
Latson has been found guilty of assault and is waiting for sentencing.
14 Mar 2011, 12:54 pm
