An Autism Dad on “The Father I Already Was. The Man That I Became”

My name is Stuart Duncan, creator of http://www.stuartduncan.name. My oldest son (5, Cameron) has Autism while my younger son (3, Tyler) does not. I am a work from home web developer with a background in radio. My wife and I do our very best to stay educated and do what ever is necessary to ensure our children have the tools they need to strive. I share my stories and experiences in an effort to further grow and strengthen the online Autism community and to promote Autism Understanding and Acceptance.

The father I already was. The man that I became.

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Locking autistic man in padded room ruled illegal

The Court of Protection has ruled that an 18-year-old man with autism and severe learning disabilities who was regularly placed in a padded seclusion room more than six times a day was unlawfully deprived of his liberty.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken as a 16-year-old to a residential school for children with complex needs. The teenager went with his mother’s permission but a dispute broke out in 2010 between care workers and the boy’s family after specialists began regularly relying on a special cell known as “the blue room” to control his behaviour.

The court heard how the boy, who is referred to in proceedingd as “C”, was placed in the padded room 192 times in a single month, the equivalent of 6.4 times a day.In a ruling in the Court of Protection at the High Court, Mr Justice Ryder described the case as “complex” and “tragic” but ruled that the use of the room was a deprivation of C’s liberty and was unlawful because the special needs school had not sought a deprivation of liberty order through the court.

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