The 8 year old boy is identified in court documents as S.R and the little girl as L.G. The grown up in the room is Kenton County Sheriff Deputy, Kevin Sumner and the court documents referenced above is a federal lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children’s Law Center.
In the disturbing video below, the traumatized kid is seen crying, handcuffed above his elbows because his wrists were too small for the restrictive device, and the macho officer – like a hunter circling his lifeless catch – proudly surveys his handy work. Their crime? Misbehaving.
And what makes this scene even worse, as if that is even possible, is the fact that the girl is a special needs child and both kids are diagnosed with ADHD.
According to the ACLU, “Nationally, students with disabilities make up 12 percent of students in public schools, but are 75 percent of the students who are physically restrained by adults in their schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education. These disciplinary practices also feed into the “school-to-prison pipeline,” where children are funneled out of public schools and into the criminal justice system. Many of these children have disabilities, yet instead of receiving necessary educational and counseling services, they are often punished and pushed out.
Toxins in the environment have been revealed in a new study to possibly cause autism.
A team of researchers from the University of Chicago concluded that exposure to toxins such as pesticides while in the womb can lead to a significantly greater risk of developing the disorder.
The findings published this week in the PLOS Computational Biology Journal were culled from health records of over 100 million Americans in an effort to shift research from almost exclusively genetic to include environmental factors.
Harmful: Exposure to environmental toxins while in the womb is believed to contribute to increased incidences of autism, a new study has revealed
Essentially what happens is during pregnancy there are certain sensitive periods where the fetus is very vulnerable to a range of small molecules – from things like plasticizers, prescription drugs, environmental pesticides and other things,’ study author Andrey Rzhetsky told Fox News.
‘Some of these small molecules essentially alter normal development,’ the University of Chicago professor of genetic medicine and human genetics continued. ‘It’s not really well known why, but it’s an experimental observation.’
The defects were especially noticeable in boys’ reproductive systems, Rzhetsky noted.
Rates were compared against those reproductive system defects and the findings were alarming – instances of autism rose 283 per cent against every one per cent rise in outnumbered congenital malformations such as micropenis, Fox News reported, citing the study.
Not just genetic: Airborne toxins such as pesticides are now believed to also cause autism
Other intellectual disabilities increased by 94 per cent for ever one per cent increase in malformations, findings showed.
‘Malformations predict very strongly the rates of autism, and the rate of malformation per person varies significantly across the country,’ Rzhetsky told Fox.
‘Some counties have low rates and some have very high. And rate of malformations is higher in counties with higher rates of autism.’
Instances were much higher in young males, but females were affected to – just not as highly.
One in 88 children suffers from autism, and diagnoses in boys greatly outnumber those in girls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No clear cause has been established for the disorder.
‘The environment may play a very significant role in autism, and we should be paying more attention to it,’ said Rzhetsky. ‘We should definitely take into account environmental factors.’
Sen. Charles Schumer says new legislation proposed in the name of Avonte Oquendo, the 14-year-old New York City boy who disappeared from his school and was found dead three months later, would fund voluntary tracking devices for children who have autism.
Schumer (D-N.Y.), accompanied by Avonte’s mother and grandmother, Sunday to announce “Avonte’s Law.” The legislation would create a program that provides tracking devices and expands support services for families with autistic children.
Schumer says it would be similar to a federal program that tracks seniors who have Alzheimer’s disease. The $10 million in funds would go to police departments, which would hand out the devices to parents who request them.
“It will help put parents at ease, save precious lives,” Schumer told reporters, including 1010 WINS’ Glenn Schuck. “Avonte’s Law will allow his memory to live on while helping to prevent more children with autism from going missing.
“The technology will allow parents of all children with autism, no matter how much or how little money they have, to enjoy the benefits of a high-tech solution to an age-old problem.”
Avonte’s mother and grandmother weren’t ready to speak to reporters, but their lawyer, David Perecman, told WCBS 880′s Monica Miller that a tracking system would be a fitting tribute to the teen.
“The goal today, because we can’t go back in time, is to make sure … never again,” Perecman said. “And this will help.”
Evidence gathered along the East River — body parts, clothing and a pair of sneakers — almost certainly brought to a tragic end the desperate three-month search for autistic teen Avonte Oquendo.
All that remained to confirm the parents’ worst fears was a comparison of DNA taken from the remains with the sample that Avonte’s mother, Vanessa Fontaine, rushed to investigators.
“Unfortunately, there is good reason to think it’s him,” the family’s lawyer, David Perecman, warned. “It’s more than just speculation.”
Still, Avonte’s parents were clinging to dwindling hope that their 14-year-old son was still alive.
“They’re distraught, but they’re hopeful it’s not him,” Perecman said. “They remain optimistic that he’s still out there.”
Avonte walked past a security guard and out of the Riverview School in Long Island City, Queens, on Oct. 4. Avonte was obsessed with the subway system and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials made announcements on trains for weeks asking for help finding him. The MTA sent subway workers into the tunnels in Brooklyn and Queens to check out tips that the teen had been spotted wandering the tracks.
The NYPD went so far as to enlist the help of psychics in the search for the boy, sources told the Daily News. Police, relatives and volunteers posted flyers and combed waterways. The search generated dozens of false tips and a reward grew to nearly $90,000.
The case gripped the city with curiosity, hope and, finally, the beginnings of despair when a photographer spotted remains along the rocky shoreline in College Point on Thursday afternoon.
Just after 7 p.m. Thursday, police found a left arm that police sources said appeared to have separated via decomposition — rather than a violent act. Police divers returned to the cold and murky water on Friday, feeling around the underwater rocks while wearing heavy gloves. Other cops searched the shoreline using cadaver dogs. They shut down the search by nightfall and were expected to resume at 7 a.m. Saturday.
In all, they found legs in boys’ size 16 Old Navy jeans, a size 51/2 Air Jordan sneaker and a striped shirt — all consistent with the outfit Avonte was wearing when he went missing.
The desperate, three-months-long search for missing autistic teenager Avonte Oquendo appeared Friday to be coming to a tragic close.
Skeletal remains clad in clothing that appeared to match the outfit 14-year-old Avonte was wearing when he ran off from his school on Oct. 4 were discovered by a teenaged photographer in Queens along the East River shoreline.
All that remained to confirm Oquendo’s parents’ worst fears was a comparison of DNA taken from the body parts with the sample that boy’s mom, Vanessa Fontaine, rushed to investigators. The DNA of the boy’s father is already on file.
“Unfortunately, there is good reason to think it’s him,” said the family’s lawyer, David Perecman. “It’s more than just speculation.”
Still, Avonte’s parents continued to cling to a slim piece of hope that their son was still alive.
The headless body found in College Point was wearing Fruit of the Loom underwear, size large, police said.
Fontaine dressed her son in Hanes brand underwear.
“They’re distraught, but they’re hopeful it’s not him,” Perecman, said. “They remain optimistic that he’s still out there.”
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly paid a visit Saturday to the father of Avonte Oquendo and expressed regret for saying he feared the missing 14-year-old autistic boy was dead.
“He was very nice to me,’’ Daniel Oquendo told The Post. “He apologized.’’
Kelly assured the family the search would continue for Avonte, who walked out of his Long Island City, Queens, school more than three weeks ago and hasn’t been seen since.
On Thursday, Kelly told WABC/Channel 7: “Unfortunately, we are not hopeful that we’re going to find this young man alive, but we are continuing our search.’’
The pessimistic comment infuriated the boy’s family, prompting the commissioner’s visit.
“Come to the flashing lights Avonte.” ~ Vanessa Fontaine, Avonte’s mother
Fourteen year old Avonte Oquendo, a severely autistic teen from New York City, has been missing for two weeks. He doesn’t speak and has trouble performing many basic tasks on his own according to his mother, Vanessa Fontaine’
He was last seen on school video cameras at the Center Boulevard School in the Long Island City section of Queens by a school safety agent on duty at the front door. The videotape shows Avonte walking down the hall, and exiting the school through a side door.
Avonte has an affinity for trains so subway tunnels to train yards are being scoured by police and volunteer search teams.
A van from Citywide Disaster Services, using a recording of Avonte’s mother’s voice, tours the Queens neighborhood near where Avonte disappeared.
Police have also elicited the help infra-red cameras that detect heat signatures of live bodies, multi language missing posters and even psychics to locate the teenager. A $70, 000 award is being offered for Avonte’s safe return to his family, who are frantic.
Recently the teen’s family has indicated that they may file a lawsuit against the city, angered over the fact that Avonte, who needs constant supervision, was able to just walk out of the school without an aide. The school waited an hour before notifying police and his parents that he was missing according to interviews.
New York’s police commissioner James Kelly, however, says the school safety officer, who was the last person to see the boy did nothing wrong.
“We have spoken to the school safety agent who was on duty at the front door. We looked at the video tape. She directs the young man to go back upstairs [when] he’s just at the front door. He goes down the hall and actually exits the building from a side door. You see nothing after this juncture that shows the conduct of the school safety agent was inappropriate or there was any misconduct involved.” says Kelly.
Really. Ms. Fontaine’s attorney, David Perecman, questioned why a side door would even be unlocked and unguarded in a school with autistic students. He also questioned whether it was sufficient for the guard to simply tell Avonte to return to his class, or should he have followed to make certain he did. Or at least contact someone else to have done so.
“They dropped the ball; there’s no other way to put it,” Daniel Oquendo Sr., Avonte’s father, told the New York Daily News. “He was seen, but nobody did anything!”
One thing’s for sure, either Avonte’s family has some pull, or — and not to devalue in any way the importance of the safe return of that boy to his mother — the commissioner is envisioning the possible repercussions of a lawsuit. Many in black neighborhoods have repeatedly complained that less effort and media attention are given to missing black children, than white ones. There have also been calls for more and better security to be provided in city schools. In response, The New York City Police Department is pulling out all the stops to find Avonte. Mr. Kelly said Wednesday;
“We’re using a significant amount of resources to look for this young man,”
And the police department has devoted a significant number of officers to the search and has deployed water and air search teams to aid in the effort.
A psychic’s tip sent police to search a tunnel in the East Village section of Manhattan, but there was no sign of Avonte.
The family told CBS New York that they believe Avonte is alive. I hope so.
Avonte was last seen wearing a gray striped shirt, black jeans and black sneakers, police said. He is 5 foot 3 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. You can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By agreeing to this, we can analyze browsing behavior and unique IDs on this site. Declining or revoking consent may affect certain features.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
