Ms.
Hi, I am writing to tell my story of a young man, 20 years old living in a home taken from his mother at the age of seventeen and not allowed to see her whenever he’d like. My son has autism and has no voice. I raised him his whole life. I was a stay at home mother. My son was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. My mother helped me to raise my son. She worked as a clinical social worker for the federal government. I was receiving social security disability due to a back injury and chronic type 1 diabetes. When my son turned fourteen his insurance, was not allowing him to receive much needed services. My mother was receiving excellent medical insurance through the federal government and she suggested to adopt my son so that he could receive better insurance for better services that he needed to receive along with more social security money. After much debate I finally complied and allowed my son to be adopted by my mother for the sake of making his life better. This was in 2009, in Montgomery, Alabama. Within three years, my mother died of colon cancer, and my son did not take her death well. He had extreme behavior issues because he could not express himself, and the only way he could cope was to do self-injurious behaviors. His doctor at the time put him on several medications to try and calm him down. Two of the medications were also used in others as blood pressure medications.
One day I sent him to school and it ended up that an ambulance was called to the school because my son’s blood pressure dropped dangerously low. I was called and rushed to the hospital frantically. My son was fine after two days but his doctor claimed that she told me to take him off of one of the blood pressure medications. I did not recall her telling me this. County of Children and Family Services decided to take my son out of the home stating that I caused dependency and that because I allowed my mother to adopt my son I have no legal right to him. They kept him in the hospital laying in a hospital bed for a month because they had no place to put him and would not allow him to come home to me. My mother died in October 2012. County of Children and Family Services got custody of my son in December of 2012. I spent all the money my mother left me taking cabs to and from the hospital to visit my son because we had just moved to Cleveland Ohio in 2011 and I did not feel comfortable driving in the snow.
Fast forward to today 2015. My son has been transferred to two residential homes since he has been in the care of County of Children and Family Services. He is in school here. He will graduate at the age of 21 or they can keep him until he is 22. This will be 2016, he will turn 21 years old. I have been fighting to juvenile court to allow me to get guardianship of my son. They say I have no rights. I am allowed to see my son once a week for up to six hours. My son cannot speak. He is now suffering from depression and beats his face to the point of possibly causing long term damage. He cries when I have to take him home. He lives in a residential house with two other young men with autism. It is very loud and my son is hypersensitive to noise. On days he does not go to school he lays in bed all day long. They rarely take them out. I know because I call and check on him. He has a full time staff that take care of the young men’s needs provided by County of Disabilities. We recently went to court for an annual review hearing. I expressed my son’s depression. House staff members have called me and told me that my son is sad and cries all the time. I talk to him on the phone, but he doesn’t respond because he cannot speak. The judge says she will not go against anything that County of Children and Family Services decides to do. My son is alone. I am all he has. He lays in bed all day long when he does not have school and during the summer. No one wants to accept that he is suffering from depression and lonliness. The psychologist at his school says he has the cognitive ability of a seven year old. Yet, County of Children and Family Services say they want him to be independent and self-sufficient. I want my son home with me. I think everyone needs to feel loved and all that are involved think that my son is not capable of love or feeling loved. One staff member said in court that the only reason my son wants to be with me is because I bribe him with sweet treats. The judge found it amusing. I take it seriously. I have to watch my son suffer every time I drop him off. His eyes pleading with me not to make him go in when we pull up in his driveway. I just want to take care of my son and give him lots of love and no seems to care.They treat my son like a dog except they feel he has not heart or feelings. I need help. I am currently going to graduate school and getting my degree in Special Education. I will be working with Children with autism and teaching others that children and adults do feel love, and need to feel acceptance in our society. I know I will need a lot of help in caring for my son. I am willing to go anywhere to get it. Please help me rescue my son, he feels alone, depressed and helpless. He needs to be with me. His mom. Thank you, Kant Speak.