Mother physicaly abused autistic son

[helfen72]

Hi

I recieved my 10 year old autistic son last weekend 14th April  for visitation and noticed severe bruising to his leg and backside. I took him to the hospital where a doctor examined him and a social worker asked questions and took pictures.

I live in Ohio, child resides with mother in Indiana, Social worker at hospital contacted Indiana social worker where an investigation was to be made.

Indiana social worker called me on Sat night and said she had called at the mothers house where she had seen the paddle with my sons name on it that she had paddled him with and the locks on the outside of his bedroom door where she locks him in at night and he is forced to soil on himself.

Sunday 16th April Indiana social  worker paid me a visit at my home and said the child would be in my custody till the case was looked at and all actions taken, but my wife and myself needed to get routine fingerprinting on the Monday morn which was fine.

We dropped my son off at school and was in social workers office by 10.30am where upon we were told by the directors descression that my son was to go back into the mothers home that day.

1. No explanation was given to me as to why this desission was made so quickly

2. Social workers are now ignoring all my telephone calls and refuse to give me any information regarding my son ( we have joint custody of him)I have put it in writing to them to release records

3. I am in fear for my sons safety as he hasent the mental capability to call me if he is in any danger.

4. I have documented proof that the child has been with me for 6 months of the year for the past 2 years but i pay child support to the mother all year and she also recieves disability allowance all year for the child.

5. iv even called my local counsiler to see if they can help me and was told its not in there duristican

6. Just because my son can be interviewed and tell them outright who did this to him he shouldent be treated with less rights than a typical child.


7. My lawyer can see me till next Friday im going out my mind with worry and dont know where or who to turn to next for help.

[socrateaser]

>Hi
>
>I recieved my 10 year old autistic son last weekend 14th April
> for visitation and noticed severe bruising to his leg and
>backside. I took him to the hospital where a doctor examined
>him and a social worker asked questions and took pictures.
>
>I live in Ohio, child resides with mother in Indiana, Social
>worker at hospital contacted Indiana social worker where an
>investigation was to be made.
>
>Indiana social worker called me on Sat night and said she had
>called at the mothers house where she had seen the paddle with
>my sons name on it that she had paddled him with and the locks
>on the outside of his bedroom door where she locks him in at
>night and he is forced to soil on himself.
>
>Sunday 16th April Indiana social  worker paid me a visit at my
>home and said the child would be in my custody till the case
>was looked at and all actions taken, but my wife and myself
>needed to get routine fingerprinting on the Monday morn which
>was fine.
>
>We dropped my son off at school and was in social workers
>office by 10.30am where upon we were told by the directors
>descression that my son was to go back into the mothers home
>that day.
>
>1. No explanation was given to me as to why this desission was
>made so quickly
>
>2. Social workers are now ignoring all my telephone calls and
>refuse to give me any information regarding my son ( we have
>joint custody of him)I have put it in writing to them to
>release records
>
>3. I am in fear for my sons safety as he hasent the mental
>capability to call me if he is in any danger.
>
>4. I have documented proof that the child has been with me for
>6 months of the year for the past 2 years but i pay child
>support to the mother all year and she also recieves
>disability allowance all year for the child.
>
>5. iv even called my local counsiler to see if they can help
>me and was told its not in there duristican
>
>6. Just because my son can be interviewed and tell them
>outright who did this to him he shouldent be treated with less
>rights than a typical child.
>
>
>7. My lawyer can see me till next Friday im going out my mind
>with worry and dont know where or who to turn to next for
>help.

You need to get a different attorney. There's really not much else to say. It doesn't make sense that the investigator found a paddle with the child's name on it and bruises on the child and then chose to do nothing.

You won't be able to do much until Monday, but there's nothing much else that I can suggest, because government authorities have apparently decided to do nothing.

[helfen72]

thanks soc for your input

<<
Thats exactly what I have been thinking to, non of this makes any sence to me as to why they would do this.

I have one other question, as I have explained to you my son is autistic what would your advise be in introducing a therapist to this situation to see if they could talk to him on his leval and get some information from him.

If so where would I start to find someone like this? And do I have to inform his mother that I am doing this?

[socrateaser]

>thanks soc for your input
>
><<>with the child's name on it and bruises on the child and then
>chose to do nothing
>
>Thats exactly what I have been thinking to, non of this makes
>any sence to me as to why they would do this.
>
>I have one other question, as I have explained to you my son
>is autistic what would your advise be in introducing a
>therapist to this situation to see if they could talk to him
>on his leval and get some information from him?

If you can obtain competent testimony via a "translator," then it would be admissible in court.

>
>If so where would I start to find someone like this? And do I
>have to inform his mother that I am doing this?

I have no clue where you might find such a person. As for informing the other parent, ordinarily, if you have joint custody, you don't need to inform the other parent, unless the court orders state otherwise.

If you have only visitation, then you have no authority to take the child to a doctor except in an emergency.

However, if the reason for your visit to a therapist is to elicit evidence for a legal action, then if the other parent were to refuse permission, you could seek a court to order you permission as part of the discovery process for your legal action.

On your posted facts, I think you probably are safe either way, to take the child to a therapist, because you suspect abuse, and no court would sanction you for trying to protect the child from such abuse.

[helfen72]

Thanks for everything soc going down the therapist road is the only way im going to get some justice here. As for now it is the mothers word against my silenced sons, And it seems like the social work department is falling for the poor mother syndrom in which she is very good at.

Ill get in contact with a therapist A.S.A.P

[Bradley]

http://www.autismindiana.org/ check websites like these, join a support group asap and contact a child advocate for children with autism...

[dipper]

I agree with the child advocacy....

A question I have though....is your child capable of picking out words or pictures?  I work in a life skills class - teenagers.  We had one student who could not talk at all, but we had a book with velcro words and he could spell out sentences using that.  We have another child who can talk to a certain degree but as far as getting him to do something, he responds highly to pictures.  

My personal thought was just on finding a way for this child to communicate to authorities what he is experiencing.  

[helfen72]

Yes he can talk some what though skills are very mimimum. He does relate to pictures better but when asked by my wife in a non probing way ie...... was someone mad at you....yes...... was it daddy.......NO......was it mommy......yes......did you get smacked.....yes.......who smacked you.....mommy........did she smack you with her hand.........NO PADDLE

But because when the social worker came he didnt know this person he wouldent talk nothing was done as he couldent tell her what happened. Iv called everyone and I cant get a child advocate privetly and they wont appoint him one because at the Directors of social services desgression he sent him back to the mothers home.

Iv called our local councilor to see if they could help me and they said it was out of there duristiction.

I just dont understand how a social worker could have seen the paddle in the mothers house with my sons name on it and the locks on the outside of his door where she locks him in and he has to soil himself at night and in less than 24hrs they put him back into that situation without even an investigation into anything. It just seems as if the mother knows or has had some other communication with this director in the past as things are to cut and dry for me. Iv spent the past week trying to get the report that was done on this case and im getting totally railroaded all the time as if im the bad guy in all this. So iv now put it in writing and registered the letter to see if that helps me get it.
I just feel like im hitting a brickwall no matter which way I turn surley there has to be someone out there that can help me.
many thanks.

[dipper]

Any way you can have him videotaped while questioning?  I understand him being too shy to talk in front of others....maybe even invite a third party to be near during the taping to prove he is not coached...

As for the social worker - there is a local board over this person...I would call and ask social services for the name of all on the board....and write to each and everyone of them...Also, there is a state board as well.

In Virginia, there is an 1-800 # to call for the state level and you can report problems with your local agency.  

Also, I have had great success in contacting my local representative and even the governor's office regarding child support.  I would contact them....someone in their office WILL investigate this situation - they want to keep their voters happy.  And when the governor's office is wanting to know why a handicapped child is in a house in which he has been abused without even a hearing, someone better have some answers....

I would start off with going over the local director's head though.....

Best of luck....