Law and Order

[Guest guest]

Yep, that was painting!!!!! Wow that was exciting.

OK now for my review: I think it was very well done and " our " kids were

portrayed very positively. The content was tough, and that I warned everyone

of, but it also made me think.... That is a subject that maybe I do need to

discuss with amanda. And also, maybe I do need to let go a bit.

Jeanna's dad was iming me during the show and we liked how the shift went

from " the crime " to allowing to make her own descisions and live her

own life.

performs with most of the adults that were in the show, so it was fun

recognizing them all as well. Oh about her scene, there were about 9-10 kids

in that scene and they ended up only showing about 3 of them. being

one! But I do feel bad for the other kids that didnt get on the show.

Aahhhhhh, the rewards of stardom!

~ Mom to 11 DS and Diabetes Type 1 and 7 NY

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/10/2002 10:47:04 PM Central Standard Time,

linman42@... writes:

> Yep, that was painting!!!!! Wow that was exciting.

>

HI

Well I am sooooo disappointed I set up my VCR upstairs to tape the show, I

was downstairs with company. We had the show on down stairs but I must have

missed 's scene...........Tater spilled Koolaid and I left the room to

get a towel, must have been then Kaite was in her room and came down

stairs to see if I was watching the show, she said she wanted to cry. It was

so noisy downstairs I did not get to really watch it with any comprehension

but I thought that's OK I'll watch the tape..........now the bad news, the

VCR was set to turn on at 9pm only the clock in the VCR was set at 9am so it

never came on I am sooooo disappointed, not only did I totally miss

, I also messed a tear jerker..........as Kaite says. I can only hope

for summer reruns.

One good thing happened..... all who know Sara watched the movie heehee while

I was trying to watch the show plus watching Tater open up bday presents then

I had the phone, RINGING off the hook with everyone calling me to say there

was a show on with kids with DS in it heehee

Kathy mom to Sara 10

[Guest guest]

I thought the show was done in good taste and realistically, too. There are

many overprotective mothers and many parents keep their child away from sex ed.

Amen to the day hab counselor for advocacy (taking to court the guardianship

issue).

The camera did not stay on very long -- that really disappointed me! LOL

Law and order

So was that her painting?

What do you guys think of the show?

I miss the Life Goes on Series.

I was in college then, and watched it, not faithfully, i wish they would

show reruns of it again.

I just hate our kids being portrayed as victims, and " Has the mind of a

child " .

Gotta go still watching the show!

Love to hear others thoughts on it.

Kelli in Oregon.

_________________________________________________________________

Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/10/2002 11:46:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

linman42@... writes:

<<

performs with most of the adults that were in the show, so it was fun

recognizing them all as well. Oh about her scene, there were about 9-10

kids

in that scene and they ended up only showing about 3 of them. being

one! But I do feel bad for the other kids that didnt get on the show. >>

is beautiful and such a natural. I would have felt awkward or looked

up at the camera, but she's a pro. I hope this is her first of many TV

appearances.

I, too, was happy that the character was given options and that the DA &

psychologist supported her. I think we all have to relate at least a little

to the mother's protectiveness. The hardest thing for me was to sit back

with other mom's and let Liam play with other kids on the playground, when he

first started walking.

I couldn't relate to her attitude that her decision to have her child ruined

her life. If he never progressed further than he is today, having Liam will

always be the best thing that happened to me. So Pffffftttt! to her.

Kathy, Liam's mom(4)

[Guest guest]

Jessie and Kathy,

I can't believe that you 2 of all people missed 's debut! Well some

people in Brooklyn who missed it will be coming over to my house to see it.

Do you two want to come too??????

And Kathy this should make you feel worse, I'm gonna bring the tape to WV and

we'll have a showing at one of Kent's relatives (if he lets us LOL).

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/11/2002 8:12:05 PM Central Standard Time,

linman42@... writes:

> And Kathy this should make you feel worse, I'm gonna bring the tape to WV

> and

> we'll have a showing at one of Kent's relatives (if he lets us LOL).

>

>

Waaaaaaaaaaa I am so sad Im going to miss the Suaree this year BUT I have

a family reunion I have to go to. This is my father's family and ever since

he passed away I make sure we stay close..........they were my fav bunch of

folks as a child

This year the reunion is Destin FL WOW Ill be at the beach for a week, even

with all of the kids it will be relaxing...........my kids are sooooo well

behaved at the beach.....the waves must sedate them heehee

Well I will be at the next Suaree 2003, lol our family reunions are

every 3rd year lol

Kathy Mom to Sara 10...............why I made sure I went to the Lancaster

getaway, I knew in advance I would have to miss Suaree

[Guest guest]

Kathy,

And I am so glad we did get to meet in Lancaster. Dont forget, were already

booked for the same time next year!

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/4/2005 7:01:45 A.M. Central Standard Time, cpsobczak@... writes:

There was one sentence in the whole show where they said that most people with aspergers are not like that but the guys whole defense was that he had aspergers and couldn't read the social cues. Therefore, he didn't know that the women he raped didn't want it

That is just awful. I knew there was a reason we don't watch TV much.

Geriwife to mom to Logan, Krista, and Abigail¸...¸ ___/ /\ \___,·´º o`·,/__/ _/\_ \__\```)¨(´´´ | | | | | | | || |l¸,.-·²°´ ¸,.-·~·~·-.,¸ `°²·-. :º°As for me and my house, we will serve the LordAdoptiveParentsSupport/

[Guest guest]

No, I didn't see it but I recorded it. I had no idea what it was about though. Thanks for the heads up, good to know that I would make me angry. I hate it when they do stuff like this! Was it SVU?

law and order

Did any of you see last nights Law and Order? I was pretty upset that they portrayed the murderer/rapist as having aspergers. They made it seem as if people with aspergers can't control themselves at all. There was one sentence in the whole show where they said that most people with aspergers are not like that but the guys whole defense was that he had aspergers and couldn't read the social cues. Therefore, he didn't know that the women he raped didn't want it. Is it not bad enough that our kids already have problems with others who think they are just the product of bad parenting or just plain spoiled? Now we have to contend with tv shows that portray people with aspergers as dangerous.

Carol, mom to

, 3/14/94

, 2/18/97

Lily, 9/7/04

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Yes, and that is usually my favorite. It also went into Trial by Jury so it was 2 hours long. After you see it let me know what you think. Maybe I'm being too sensitive.designs <scottdesigns@...> wrote:

No, I didn't see it but I recorded it. I had no idea what it was about though. Thanks for the heads up, good to know that I would make me angry. I hate it when they do stuff like this! Was it SVU?

Carol, mom to

, 3/14/94

, 2/18/97

Lily, 9/7/04__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Thats our favorite too but we were watching the Shield so we recorded it. I messed up and forgot that it was a back to back until 20 minutes into the Trial By Jury so I am missing a chunk of that one but do have most of it.

I'm sure you are not being too sensitive

Re: law and order

Yes, and that is usually my favorite. It also went into Trial by Jury so it was 2 hours long. After you see it let me know what you think. Maybe I'm being too sensitive.designs <scottdesigns@...> wrote:

No, I didn't see it but I recorded it. I had no idea what it was about though. Thanks for the heads up, good to know that I would make me angry. I hate it when they do stuff like this! Was it SVU?

Carol, mom to

, 3/14/94

, 2/18/97

Lily, 9/7/04

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I think we should complain, that's just not right!

Re: law and order

Yes, and that is usually my favorite. It also went into Trial by Jury so it was 2 hours long. After you see it let me know what you think. Maybe I'm being too sensitive.designs <scottdesigns@...> wrote:

No, I didn't see it but I recorded it. I had no idea what it was about though. Thanks for the heads up, good to know that I would make me angry. I hate it when they do stuff like this! Was it SVU?

Carol, mom to

, 3/14/94

, 2/18/97

Lily, 9/7/04

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I do not watch that show but I totally agree with you all. That was in bad taste to do what they did. If the producers son had AS would they still have done it this way? Who knows. I'm sure someone out there with AS could have been watching that show also. TERRIBLE. designs <scottdesigns@...> wrote:

I think we should complain, that's just not right!

Re: law and order

Yes, and that is usually my favorite. It also went into Trial by Jury so it was 2 hours long. After you see it let me know what you think. Maybe I'm being too sensitive.designs <scottdesigns@...> wrote:

No, I didn't see it but I recorded it. I had no idea what it was about though. Thanks for the heads up, good to know that I would make me angry. I hate it when they do stuff like this! Was it SVU?

Carol, mom to

, 3/14/94

, 2/18/97

Lily, 9/7/04

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I watched it sporadically and the suspect seem to

fantasize and had a bad case of OCD. When he would

see a woman he would go into his routine. But then

he ended up raping a bunch of women.

--- Weber <shell.belle@...> wrote:

> I do not watch that show but I totally agree with

> you all. That was in bad taste to do what they did.

> If the producers son had AS would they still have

> done it this way? Who knows. I'm sure someone out

> there with AS could have been watching that show

> also. TERRIBLE.

>

> designs <scottdesigns@...> wrote:I

> think we should complain, that's just not right!

> Re: law and order

>

>

> Yes, and that is usually my favorite. It also went

> into Trial by Jury so it was 2 hours long. After

> you see it let me know what you think. Maybe I'm

> being too sensitive.

>

> designs <scottdesigns@...> wrote: No,

> I didn't see it but I recorded it. I had no idea

> what it was about though. Thanks for the heads up,

> good to know that I would make me angry. I hate it

> when they do stuff like this! Was it SVU?

>

>

>

> Carol, mom to

> , 3/14/94

> , 2/18/97

> Lily, 9/7/04

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

I have to say that I did watch Law & Order, but missed the part where they

identified him as AS. While watching it though, I kept thinking, " man, that

guy sure acts like he is on the spectrum " . I kept hoping that he wouldn't be

the guilty one, that he was just being watched closer than he would have

otherwise just because of his eccentricities and his wealthy grandmother who

wanted to " protect " him. Yet, in the end, he was guilty...

I can see why this would really hit some nerves on this site. Many have had

kiddos unjustly accused just because they are innocent. Others worry about

the effects watching this will have on others views' of our kiddos. For

some, it just hits too close to home, and they secretly hope that their

future doesn't include trying to protect their child from this sort of

accusation/crime/etc.

Having worked with many spectrum children, having one biological AS child of

my own as well as several who are step/foster/etc, I can honestly say that

our kiddos are not immune to either potentially becoming the perp or the

victim of crimes. There is no badge out there that says that just because

our kids are special, they will never do something like this or that they

are excused if they do because of their disorder...

This took me a long time (years) to come to. One of my most loved children,

my " lost boy " , had to be institutionalized at the age of 12 due to his

grooming and deviant behaviors. (grooming means that he was preparing his

victims prior to victimizing them in order to have a greater chance of

getting away with the behaviors over the course of longer periods of time.

It meant that he could repeatedly victimize the same children over and over

again without getting caught). Now, as his foster parent, you would think

that I despised this child, that I wouldn't be able to stand him. Quite the

opposite is true. I could see past the abuse he incurred, see past his OCD,

see past his spectrum disorder and his inability to bond with others

appropriately. Deep down, I still believe there is a little boy in there,

permanently scarred and yet unable to control his sexualized behaviors. Now,

had he not been abused so badly for the first six years of his life, would

he have been so deviant? I really don't know. I do know that it gave him

ideas on how to cover it up/get away with it. I do know that the drugs he

was fed made his OCD worse as they leaked out of his spinal fluid during

growth spurts. I also know that normal kids going through puberty have

curiosity and sexualized thoughts, and those with AS and OCD may have less

of an ability to curb their impulses, even when they deal with inappropriate

activities.

Now do I think all kids with AS or OCD will act out in this way???

Absolutely not!!! I have worked with many, and the majority do not express

themselves this way... just as the rest of the public or those with other

disorders do not act out in this fashion... AS or OCD may be a contributing

factor, but it isn't a cause!!!

Just my honest, heartfelt opinion here!

~hugs~

Rabecca

(who loves her kids no matter what, even when she can't stand the choices

they make!!!)

[Guest guest]

Rabecca,

I totally agree. People on the spectrum are not immune to problems

like this, in fact, I think that they might be more vulnerable to

these things sometimes. We villify criminals and sex offenders in

general, but some believe that these things are actually signs of a

major imbalance within society and those that are a little more

vulnerable can be pulled into this imbalance a little easier.

I used to work in corrections, and the very first place I heard the

term Aspergers was when I was working there. I think that adults on

the spectrum are overrepresented in the system (not as sex offenders,

but just generally), especially those who werent identified as

children and given the intervention that they needed. But also, since

the lack of support for adults (especially) with DD & mental illnesses

in general has drop to an all time low in recent years, there are lots

of people in the corrections system who should instead be in the

MH/treatment system.

JMHO

-------------------

[Guest guest]

I agree, Rabecca. There certainly is the potential for anyone to do wrong. What I had a problem with is that many already have preconceived notions about our kids and dd kids in general. While it is possible that an AS person could act out in this way I didn't think it was necessary to perpetuate a stereotype that could easily adversely effect our children. I find it chalenging enough trying to expalin what Aspergers is without that. I also used to work with a troubled population. I was a psychologist for emotionally disturbed children. My goal was to specialize in forensic psych. I think that people with dd and mental illness may be overrepresented in the penal system, I don't think that many of them have aspergers or autism. Of course, I haven't done any studies on it so I can't be sure but that's what I think and that's why I wrote about this episode.

Rabecca Whalen <rabeccawhalen@...> wrote:I have to say that I did watch Law & Order, but missed the part where theyidentified him as AS.

Carol, mom to

, 3/14/94

, 2/18/97

Lily, 9/7/04__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Carol,

I definately think they are over-represented, because I think often

their behaviors are not identified and go untreated until they

become criminal. Too often, people slip through the system and end

up as inmates when intervention could have had a major positive

impact earlier in life. Why do we consider those with mental

disabilities to be disposable?

Case in point... I have a very good friend whose son was passed all

the way through high school and the first two years of college. He

needed a LOT of home support and didn't have the social/emotional

skills to really survive independantly. Yet, he was not " disabled "

enough to " warrent special services " . In fact, not even the mental

health system thought that he really needed a full evaluation, and

his parents' insurance plan wouldn't pay for it at his level of

ability. Well, four years ago, right after taking his third final of

the day, he flipped out. He went to a local gas station that had two

police cars parked out front with policemen in it taking a break,

took a toy gun out of his bag (he had used it in a squirt gun fight

the previous weekend at a church event), walked past the police cars

and tried to hold up the gas station. Now, this was a kid who had

over $200 on him and over $3000 in the bank. He only asked for $50

and looked right into all the security cameras. The police, who were

no more than 25 feet away, rushed him, causing him to go into panic

mode and he fought the police.

Now... Now he is finishing up a minimum 6 year sentence (no

posibility of release prior to 6 years) for armed robbery, assulting

4 police officers, use of a deadly weapon (his hands were considered

deadly due to him having taken martial arts training and it held up

in court)and for attempting to flee the scene of a crime... Once

this happened, this kid who had never ever even had laid hands on

another before, who had always been mild mannered and quiet, who

just never seemed to fit in with the crowd, finally was evaluated

and diagnosed. Guess what they found? He is HFA, has late onset BP,

and extreme sensory issues. It is no wonder he reacted the way he

did to the stressors he was going through, and it escalated quickly.

Yet, he was guilty of doing the crimes he was charged with... Is

prison the right place for him? Did he deserve to stay longer than

drunk drivers and those charged with manslaughter? I don't think

so... There are so many other options that would have been more

appropriate, but mental health just isn't given the attention or the

weight it needs... We would rather lock them up and pretend we don't

have a problem... He isn't alone... There are many more in there for

no other reason than the fact that they are undiagnosed or can not

afford treatment. Some do not follow their treatment plans and end

up in over and over again... Yet, there has to be a balance between

their needs and public safety... I can't say where that line is, but

I do know that I want to know that we are safe when we leave our

house, that no one will get away with harming us just because they

have a disability (whether or not diagnosed). Wouldn't it be nice if

everyone could get the help they need before it becomes a safety

issue???

~hugs~

Rabecca

> I agree, Rabecca. There certainly is the potential for anyone to

do wrong. What I had a problem with is that many already have

preconceived notions about our kids and dd kids in general. While

it is possible that an AS person could act out in this way I didn't

think it was necessary to perpetuate a stereotype that could easily

adversely effect our children. I find it chalenging enough trying

to expalin what Aspergers is without that. I also used to work with

a troubled population. I was a psychologist for emotionally

disturbed children. My goal was to specialize in forensic psych. I

think that people with dd and mental illness may be overrepresented

in the penal system, I don't think that many of them have aspergers

or autism. Of course, I haven't done any studies on it so I can't

be sure but that's what I think and that's why I wrote about this

episode.

[Guest guest]

I also recently saw that stupid law and order episode about the mom on trial for

not vaccinating her son against measles because another kid died, could that

actually happen????