Autistic Boy and Mom Kicked Off Plane?!?

Question

Did you hear what hapened? I think this is sickiening what is your opinion?

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=5238571&page=2

Answer 1

thats WRONG MAN!! When we went on a plane they let a drunk man on and gave him more beer!!! and was swearing and i was 9 but they didnt kick him off!!

Answer 2

The kid refused to wear his seatbelt as required by LAW. The mother refused to even try and control her kid and started crying herself making everything worse. The pilot and flight attendant did everything in their power to try and fix the problem, but to no avail. Everyone else on the plane paid hard earned money on their tickets and didn't need to be put in this position.

For parents who think the who world should revolve around their kid, all I can say is grow up. Part of being a parent is taking responsibility for your own kids and not expecting the whole world to be your kids parents. This lady was very selfish and was holding a whole plane basically as hostages because she wanted the convience of taking that flight and felt nothing for what she was inflicting on everyone else.

Answer 3

well though I'm going to be a mom myself in about 7 days give or take, I can't help but understand WHY they were thrown off. First off, have you eevr worked with autistic children? well if not maybe you should, just so you can get an idea of how they are. I've worked with lots of autistic children as a sub in the local school district, and they are VERY difficult to deal with, you have to be very patient, and not get angry. They have trouble understanding and thus following directions, and they act out when they don't understand something. and though they are merely children, and this boy was only a toddler, they CAN be physcially aggressive and yes even violent. I once had a 7 year-old girl get really mad at me and she grabbed my shirt and neck and started clawing at my enck and chest and it HURT! and she then got resstrained by another woman,  who she also began to attack physically. and we can't do anything back to ehr bc she's a kid. all we could do was "try" to restrain her.

now I'm not saying ALL autistic children behave violently, and I'm sure this little 3 year-old probably wasnt being violent, but rowdy and non-compliant yes. and the mother should've followed the directions more closely and obeyed the flight attendants' instructions. She shouldn't expect people to give her and her son any special treatment just bc he has special needs. They would've done it to anyone who didn't comply. And I don't think it's discrimination, although I'm sure she is trying to say that.

Answer 4

to the first answer ''ANDY'' you are a sick idiot who should 'f***k' off and never have children.

i think that it was harsh, how they were behaving didnt seem any different from an overactive 4 year old and wouldnt have caused any danger to other passengers and would have been just as disturbing as a screaming child.  People need to learn to accept differences in people.

EDIT: oh hes been deleted but he was very very rude

Answer 5

I agree that is awful. I think Andy's answer is also awful. You know how embarrassed that parent probably was. It is bad enough that there are people out there that are always critize the way she's teaching her child and her child is most likey going to have a hard life because of jerks out there find it funny to pick on someone who can't defend themselves. What a bunch of sick people. I know I would be going after that airline for everything its got that is just pure discrimination. They should be ashamed.

Answer 6

Obviously I wasn't there to see it, but I sure don't like the sound of it. Did the mom really refuse to put her bag away or is that the story that the airline is telling to protect itself? I don't know all of the circumstances, but I have a hard time believing that this mom, with all of the difficulties that she was already having, decided to make a huge fuss over putting her bag away. How likely is that?

And from the sound of it, the airline employees could have been much more sensitive to the child. Most children with autism have significant sensory issues that make different noises, strange people, and tight spaces very difficult for them to cope with. When they react poorly, it isn't a behavior problem but more of a sensory overload. Imagine shutting yourself into a small closet, turning up very loud horrible music, and having someone turn the lights on and off.......that is very well how that airplane could have felt to that little boy at that moment.

The employees could have tried moving the mom and child to a private area, they could have allowed the mom to handle the seat belt, they could have tried getting the child a snack or drink, maybe a blanket or pillow.........maybe that would have helped. 1 out of 99 boys are diagnosed with autism these days, so the world is going to have to get educated on how to accomodate for it!

Answer 7

I honestly am siding with the airline on this one. The mother refused to stow her bag, and it is against federal law for the plane to take off while knowing that the FAA rules are being violated. I do realize that toddlers in general are expected to misbehave and if they have special needs it can become more aggravating, but he was taking off his seatbelt and began rolling on the floor. Autistic or not, that behavior is unacceptable. That is not safe for him on takeoff and he could have been seriously hurt. The airline escorted them off the plane, and I agree with them in this situation.

Answer 8

I don't think it sounds like the kid acted any different than any other 2 year old kid, but if it was a manifestation of his disability then kicking him off is technically illegal. It's against the People with Disabilities Act. If he was kicked off due to his disbaility, that is. Reports state though that there were other reasons they were kicked off, one being that the mother didn't properly stow away a bag. Honestly I wasn't there to see the tantrum to know if they acted appropriately or not, but I feel that everyone should be entitled to flying and flight attendants need to have more patience with small children.

Answer 9

The airline should be ashamed of itself and the employees on board should all be fired for their conduct.Autism is one of the fastest growing conditions around today and they need to learn how to deal with it as parents do.

Answer 10

ok,I am autistic too, but I didnt roll around on the floor and throw temper tantrums like an idiot,I was not allowed.

there is no excuse for bad behavior, autism or not.

I read stories that this family has mulitple autistic kids and they are allowed to go into a restaraunt and touch other ppl's food,run around unsupervised and ppl allow it! I was not allowed to bother other ppl or leave my seat when we went out in public. To do so would have humilated my mom. this woman should have had more control of her child.

I will have to side with the airline on this one. Rules are in place for the safety of everyone, and should not be broken for any reason. What the airline did was well within reason.

Answer 11

I think they did the right thing. An 8 hour flight with a crazy, loud autistic kid? no thanks.

Answer 12

I am sitting on the fence with this one. The airline could of handled it better for sure but if the child was acting out then they had to act for the child's safety and the others around them. Special needs child or not the airline has to maintain certian standards.

And this may sound mean, but i have flown many times and there is nothing worse than a misbehaving child on board... they probably made a judgement call... p**s off the mother or the rest of the passengers.

Answer 13

From the article, I gathered that I don't think the boy was ready for an airplane. As desert mama stated, kids (and adults) with autism have sensory issues. The whining of the engine and flickering of the overhead lights could have been more than the boy could bear. Having to stop moving and sit still w/o being able to rock and then having mom cry is beyond scary and he reached his breaking point. The airline wasn't ready for him either, and I don't excuse their crass behavior. I believe they made the right decision to remove the family from the flight. There could have been a disturbed person aboard who could have become violent @ the boy's agitation once airborne, but there was NO EXCUSE to penalize, persecute and shame the toddler and his family.