Publications
Partners
A 12-year-old boy with autism was arrested and charged with shoplifting after a store clerk saw him walking out of the store holding a greeting card in Boynton Beach, Florida, according to reports.
The clerk prevented the boy from leaving, called the police and pressed charges, prompting an outcry on Facebook, and outrage from the boy’s mother, who had been in a different shop at the mall at the time.
The red-faced store managers subsequently dropped the charges.
Absent-minded or criminal intent?
The Standard examiner reported that Jacqui Feldman, 48, had said she was shocked to find out the manager wanted to press shoplifting charges against her son, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome.
This form of autism causes forgetfulness and distraction, which likely led her son to forget he was holding the card when he left the store, Feldman said.
The boy was crying hysterically by the time Feldman and police got to the store, insisting that he wasn't stealing, the report said.
The boy’s mother was told that he wouldn’t be handcuffed, but that he faced a day in court, and possibly time in a juvenile offenders programme.
Part of the problem, an expert says, is that people lack understanding when it comes to these kinds of conditions- someone suffering from Asperger’s doesn’t appear handicapped. The condition causes the boy to be absent-minded- for example, he had already lost five cell phones in one year.
Autism support groups have rallied around the boy and his mother, although the primary concern is that the traumatic experience has set back years of therapy which he has received.
One of the challenges raised by the incident is how best to handle a child who suffers from something such as Asperger’s. No visible symptoms make it hard for the average person to understand the condition.
Commentators have suggested some form of labelling, such as a badge, necklace or bracelet, although the counter-argument for this is that it would unnecessarily stigmatise people who already struggle to integrate socially.
Want more? Follow Parent24 on Twitter!
Do you think the store and police acted inappropriately?
The clerk prevented the boy from leaving, called the police and pressed charges, prompting an outcry on Facebook, and outrage from the boy’s mother, who had been in a different shop at the mall at the time.
The red-faced store managers subsequently dropped the charges.
Absent-minded or criminal intent?
The Standard examiner reported that Jacqui Feldman, 48, had said she was shocked to find out the manager wanted to press shoplifting charges against her son, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome.
This form of autism causes forgetfulness and distraction, which likely led her son to forget he was holding the card when he left the store, Feldman said.
The boy was crying hysterically by the time Feldman and police got to the store, insisting that he wasn't stealing, the report said.
The boy’s mother was told that he wouldn’t be handcuffed, but that he faced a day in court, and possibly time in a juvenile offenders programme.
Part of the problem, an expert says, is that people lack understanding when it comes to these kinds of conditions- someone suffering from Asperger’s doesn’t appear handicapped. The condition causes the boy to be absent-minded- for example, he had already lost five cell phones in one year.
Autism support groups have rallied around the boy and his mother, although the primary concern is that the traumatic experience has set back years of therapy which he has received.
One of the challenges raised by the incident is how best to handle a child who suffers from something such as Asperger’s. No visible symptoms make it hard for the average person to understand the condition.
Commentators have suggested some form of labelling, such as a badge, necklace or bracelet, although the counter-argument for this is that it would unnecessarily stigmatise people who already struggle to integrate socially.
Want more? Follow Parent24 on Twitter!
Do you think the store and police acted inappropriately?
