So...my daughters major event at the fair yesterday, sigh. For all of those who are new to my page, my 5-year-old has Sensory Processing Disorder, as well as Oppositional Defiant Disorder -- along with several other things such as OCD and anxiety that havent been formally diagnosed, but dont really need to be. She is deeply affected by noise, overstimulation, hunger, thirst, temperature fluctuations and fatigue. So I work to keep her calm, on a schedule, fed, hydrated, dressed appropriately and rested. But, we were at the fair all day yesterday. Even with the stroller, she got tired by 7:30 pm. As we waited in line at the Ag building to sit in a tractor, she lost control and we had a major meltdown. All I could do was sit down and hold her snugly, so she wouldnt hurt me, herself or someone else. I spoke calmly to her. We dont have a lot of these episodes, and its been awhile since we had one at this level of severity. She is tall and strong for her age. So imagine seeing a parent, sitting with a young child that is struggling and screaming, scratching and kicking. What would be your response? Most people are kind, and if they approach, offer me assistance (not that they can help, as shes on her own planet during these episodes). So you can imagine my surprise when a woman came over and told me I had to leave because I was disturbing her customers with my daughters behavior. When I explained my daughter had special needs due to a disability, she insisted I had to leave. Because she was making the situation worse, and I suspected she was about to make a bigger scene, I had to pin my daughter in the stroller, still struggling, and keep it tilted backward to get her out of the area. Now...it takes a lot to get me mad. Even more to get me furious. But thats where I was last night. I waited overnight to think things through and calm down, but this morning I filed a complaint with the Dept of Justice under the Americans with Disabilities Act (we were in a public building). I also wrote polite complaint letters to the fair board, the local chapter that employed this woman (or used her volunteer services), the National branch, and for good measure -- the governors office. I dont want anything from them, mind you. Except to make sure she never does that again to another family with a special needs child...and to hopefully educate people. No one in this day and age of autism is this uneducated or ignorant -- or unkind and uncompassionate -- unless its by choice. I also feel there needs to be more education and support for families dealing with these struggles. How else will we help these kids reach their full potential, and be successful members of society someday?
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 13:07:58 +0000