@elissahawke without your post I would have never known to look :)
My kids are so amazing and challenging, but ever since we realised they were likely to be non verbal at least for the foreseeable future it has been a constant concern.
Unfortunately abuse of children with autism is rife in Australian schools public and special alike, it was only a couple of days ago I heard of another case of abuse at an Autism school - with people who are supposed to be trained to safely interact with children with autism - they had left a boy to sit outside for pretty much an entire year on a bean bag, even through winter and it was in Melbourne.
Then the article casually mentions, the coffin they used for children they couldn't control. I am so worried something might happen or could have already happened and they have no way to let us know - that is the terrifying part.
We live in such a sick world and it's all just a vicious cycle often the abused grow up to be abusers and around and around we go, all we can do is try and make people realise not talking about it won't fix anything - no one wants to think about it or talk about it but until we face the issue and get willing to deal with it, sadly I see no end in sight.
Thats it. we have to listen to anyone who can get the word out, Fiona is currently getting a lot of death threats, she reports on fb, we all know its because she is effective and strong, but the more that can speak up, we must listen to, so many cant tell, cant talk, wont talk, so many dont live, so many are silenced by their own priviliges...so these people who are able and brave and selfless enough to talk, at least deserve a safe space to be heard
Dam straight Hun I couldn't agree more!