Re: More abuse at state institution in Texas

[Guest guest]

To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Sent: Sat, August 14, 2010 9:59:29 PMSubject: More abuse at state institution in Texas

Teen boy physically abused at state home

State report blames staffer.

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/teen-boy-physically-abused-at-state-home-858855.html?page=2 & viewAsSinglePage=true

On June 12, Corey Baker shows the bruises he received while a resident at the Austin State Supported Living Center . Investigators suspect he received the injuries on his back, chest, arms and jaw early on June 8.

By Corrie MacLaggan

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Updated: 10:13 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, 2010

Published: 8:07 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, 2010

had a bad feeling about the Austin State Supported Living Center from the moment she put her teenage son there in March . When she visited a home on the campus, she smelled urine and saw residents sitting around idle.

Still, she didn't imagine that just three months later, she'd get a call

from the center saying that her son, Corey Baker , 17, had been found covered in bruises — on his back, chest, upper arms and jaw.

A state investigation would later find that in the pre-dawn hours of June 8, he had been physically abused by a recently hired direct-care staff member at the institution for Texans with mental disabilities.

When rushed to Corey's side from her home in Forney , east of Dallas , he kissed and caressed her hand and wouldn't let it go — unusual behavior, she said.

"His eyes were just pleading, 'Help me, Momma,'" she said.

The incident comes as the 13 state-supported living centers are under scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, which is monitoring the institutions as part of a 2009 settlement with Texas .

The department notified Gov. Rick in 2008 that the facilities failed to provide adequate health care or protect residents from harm.

In June, independent monitors examining the Austin living center — formerly the Austin State School — as part of the settlement reported a critical staffing shortage, a high staff turnover rate and "dehumanizing practices."

For , placing Corey at the living center was a last resort.

Corey had lived with 's mother in Colorado until her death last year. Corey, who has autism, developmental delays and behavioral problems, doesn't react well to change, said , a 37-year-old office manager for a construction company.

"His whole life changed; it was turned upside down," she said. "He was completely out of control."

When he came to live with her, she said, he hit her with the back of his hand on three occasions. He knocked glass picture frames to the floor, shattering them, and ripped a shower head out of a bathroom wall. , who is married and has two daughters at home, ages 1 and 2, was scared.

"I love him with my whole heart and soul," she said. But she didn't know how to control him.

She tried placing him at the living center in Denton because it was close to her home, but she said officials there told her he wasn't eligible to live there because of his young age.

She reluctantly sent Corey to Austin . She hoped it would be temporary, just until his behavior was under control.

"I hated it," she said. "I cried and cried."

It's unclear exactly what happened in the early morning of June 8.

The night before, a staffer was assigned to supervise Corey, according to an investigative report by the Department of Family and Protective Services.

Neither the Department of Aging and Disability Services, which runs the living centers, nor the Department of Family and Protective Services, which investigates allegations of abuse and neglect at the centers, releases such investigative reports to the public.

However, received a copy of the report and provided it to the American-Statesman. The report says that Corey "is on enhanced supervision at all times for aggression, instigating peers and feces smearing." That night, when Corey slept, he was in a room by himself with the staffer positioned at the doorway, the report said. The next evening, just before 6 p.m., another staff member discovered the bruises when Corey changed his shirt, the report said. When state investigators asked Corey whether he remembered how he got the bruises, he said: "No, I don't remember. I don't want to talk about it."

And when a sergeant with the Health and Human Services Commission's Office of Inspector General showed Corey pictures of himself with the bruises, the teenager said more than once, "sleeping," the report said.

The direct care staffer told investigators in a written statement that on that night, at "no time did any behavior or incident occur."

However, the investigative report concluded, "While the circumstances and/or motive cannot be clearly established, the preponderance of evidence indicates an incident of physical abuse occurred involving (the staffer) and Mr. Baker...when (the staffer) was isolated with the client for an extended period of time, resulting in bruising sustained by the client."

The staffer — who had been working at the facility only since May — was fired, said Geoff Wool , a spokesman for the state's health and human services agencies.

Wool declined to discuss details of Corey's abuse, but he did say that the center has recently hired additional night-shift supervisors and started requiring managers to make unannounced visits during both day and night.

"The safety of residents is our top priority," Wool said in an e-mail.

Austin police Cpl. said that the case is under investigation and that no charges have been filed.

took Corey to North Texas and placed him temporarily at Terrell State Hospital . She said she hopes to move him into a community-based setting soon.

Since the incident, said, when Corey stays with her, he insists on sleeping with his door open and the hallway light on — which he never did before.

She said she feels terrible that she wasn't there to protect him at the living center.

"They terrorized him," said. "It breaks my heart. He may be a big boy, but he's my baby."

..

I have a two year old Aspie and I was outraged after reading this. My son as severe aggression issues and I can't imagine how difficult it was for Corey's mother to make that decision to put him in a facility only to have him be abused. It really makes my blood boil. It's so ridiculous that the ball could be dropped that many times. It breaks my heart to think about what that boy must have gone through.

[Guest guest]

I've read this article on several sites now, and what I still want to know is

why this mom had her son first living with his grandmother for many years, and

then when grandma died, put him in this home. The whole time this mom had a

husband and two young children at home. Why didn't she have this boy living at

home with her ever? If grandma was able to care for him, why couldn't mom?

My son is pretty severely affected by autism and is often physically aggressive

and self-injurious, but I could never, ever stick him with relatives, let alone

put him in one of these homes!

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> ________________________________

>

> To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

> Sent: Sat, August 14, 2010 9:59:29 PM

> Subject: More abuse at state institution in Texas

>

>  

> Teen boy physically abused at state home

> State report blames staffer.

>

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/teen-boy-physically-abused-at-state\

-home-858855.html?page=2 & viewAsSinglePage=true

>

>  

> On June 12, Corey Baker shows the bruises he received while a resident at the

> Austin State Supported Living Center . Investigators suspect he received the

> injuries on his back, chest, arms and jaw early on June 8.

>

> ByCorrie MacLaggan

> AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

> Updated: 10:13 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, 2010

> Published: 8:07 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, 2010

>  

> had a bad feeling about the Austin State Supported Living

> Center from the moment she put her teenage son there in March . When she

visited

> a home on the campus, she smelled urine and saw residents sitting around idle.

>

> Still, she didn't imagine that just three months later, she'd get a call

> from the center saying that her son, Corey Baker , 17, had been found covered

in

> bruises †" on his back, chest, upper arms and jaw.

>

> A state investigation would later find that in the pre-dawn hours of June 8,

he

> had been physically abused by a recently hired direct-care staff member at the

> institution for Texans with mental disabilities.

>

> When rushed to Corey's side from her home in Forney , east of Dallas ,

he

> kissed and caressed her hand and wouldn't let it go †" unusual behavior, she

> said.

>

> " His eyes were just pleading, 'Help me, Momma,' " she said.

> The incident comes as the 13 state-supported living centers are under scrutiny

> from the U.S. Department of Justice, which is monitoring the institutions as

> part of a 2009 settlement with Texas .

>

> The department notified Gov. Rick in 2008 that the facilities failed to

> provide adequate health care or protect residents from harm.

>

> In June, independent monitors examining the Austin living center †" formerly

the

> Austin State School †" as part of the settlement reported a critical staffing

> shortage, a high staff turnover rate and " dehumanizing practices. "

>

> For , placing Corey at the living center was a last resort.

> Corey had lived with 's mother in Colorado until her death last year.

> Corey, who has autism, developmental delays and behavioral problems, doesn't

> react well to change, said , a 37-year-old office manager for a

> construction company.

>

> " His whole life changed; it was turned upside down, " she said. " He was

> completely out of control. "

>

> When he came to live with her, she said, he hit her with the back of his hand

on

> three occasions. He knocked glass picture frames to the floor, shattering

them,

> and ripped a shower head out of a bathroom wall. , who is married and

has

> two daughters at home, ages 1 and 2, was scared.

>

> " I love him with my whole heart and soul, " she said. But she didn't know how

to

> control him.

>

> She tried placing him at the living center in Denton because it was close to

her

> home, but she said officials there told her he wasn't eligible to live there

> because of his young age.

>

> She reluctantly sent Corey to Austin . She hoped it would be temporary, just

> until his behavior was under control.

>

> " I hated it, " she said. " I cried and cried. "

> It's unclear exactly what happened in the early morning of June 8.

> The night before, a staffer was assigned to supervise Corey, according to an

> investigative report by the Department of Family and Protective Services.

>

> Neither the Department of Aging and Disability Services, which runs the living

> centers, nor the Department of Family and Protective Services, which

> investigates allegations of abuse and neglect at the centers, releases such

> investigative reports to the public.

>

> However, received a copy of the report and provided it to the

> American-Statesman. The report says that Corey " is on enhanced supervision at

> all times for aggression, instigating peers and feces smearing. " That night,

> when Corey slept, he was in a room by himself with the staffer positioned at

the

> doorway, the report said. The next evening, just before 6 p.m., another staff

> member discovered the bruises when Corey changed his shirt, the report said.

> When state investigators asked Corey whether he remembered how he got the

> bruises, he said: " No, I don't remember. I don't want to talk about it. "

>

> And when a sergeant with the Health and Human Services Commission's Office of

> Inspector General showed Corey pictures of himself with the bruises, the

> teenager said more than once, " sleeping, " the report said.

>

> The direct care staffer told investigators in a written statement that on that

> night, at " no time did any behavior or incident occur. "

>

> However, the investigative report concluded, " While the circumstances and/or

> motive cannot be clearly established, the preponderance of evidence indicates

an

> incident of physical abuse occurred involving (the staffer) and Mr.

Baker...when

> (the staffer) was isolated with the client for an extended period of time,

> resulting in bruising sustained by the client. "

>

> The staffer †" who had been working at the facility only since May †" was

fired,

> said Geoff Wool , a spokesman for the state's health and human services

> agencies.

>

> Wool declined to discuss details of Corey's abuse, but he did say that the

> center has recently hired additional night-shift supervisors and started

> requiring managers to make unannounced visits during both day and night.

>

> " The safety of residents is our top priority, " Wool said in an e-mail.

> Austinpolice Cpl. said that the case is under investigation and

that

> no charges have been filed.

>

> took Corey to North Texas and placed him temporarily at Terrell State

> Hospital . She said she hopes to move him into a community-based setting soon.

>

> Since the incident, said, when Corey stays with her, he insists on

> sleeping with his door open and the hallway light on †" which he never did

> before.

>

> She said she feels terrible that she wasn't there to protect him at the living

> center.

>

> " They terrorized him, " said. " It breaks my heart. He may be a big boy,

> but he's my baby. "

> .

> I have a two year old Aspie and I was outraged after reading this. My

> son as severe aggression issues and I can't imagine how difficult it was for

> Corey's mother to make that decision to put him in a facility only to have him

> be abused. It really makes my blood boil. It's so ridiculous that the ball

could

> be dropped that many times. It breaks my heart to think about what that boy

must

> have gone through.

>