"Caged Kids" Update
I'm sure alot of you have read or heard of this case by now. A rural Ohio couple modified several of their children's bunk beds in order to, as they said, provide for the childrens' safety from themselves and their siblings.
The news first broke back in September and, wow!, my initial response, like that of most other people hearing about this, was of shock and incredulity. The court has been studying the family's situation for several months now and Judge Timothy Caldwell is apparently going to revisit the case in court some time today.
[Link]Cardwell found no clear evidence that the Gravelles neglected to provide the children with adequate food, clothing, shelter or specialized services. But he said that the children's psychological, behavioral and health problems became too much for the couple.
Whatever happens, I sure hope someone with experience is going to start lending these folks some assistance. They may have done nothing malevolent but, as Judge Caldwell points out, there are some serious issues going on here.
Oh, this is just so sad. They were getting these kids specialized services? I can tell you that any behavioral specialist or neurologist will say that keeping the children in cages is not a good thing.
ReplyDeleteWhat it want to know is how they were *allowed* to adopt 11 special needs children. 1 is a lot of work!! I don't know... I'm thinking that these children would be better off without these people in their lives. But then again, it would be very sad to split them all up.
... how they were *allowed* to adopt 11 special needs children.
ReplyDeleteAnecdotally speaking, it sure seems like there are just certainly folks who, whether they're unable to conceive kids themselves, or just have some kind of drive to adopt these kids who've been "left behind", are equivalent to professional foster parents. I know there is a huge difference 'tween adopting and fostering, but the latter does naturally, and frequently, lead to the former.
You'd think (I would anyhow..) that this concentration of people who adopt would make it easier for the authorities to keep track of the children's development. It's really one of the few areas I feel it's important for the State to be a little more autocratic and hands on.
A Financial priority it apparently is not though...
At times like this, I just keep reminding myself that we are a young species; no matter how long our 100 or so thousand years may seem intellectually. I hope this particular case helps us, as a whole, figure out what we need empirically because there are a lot more kids who're going to pass through such Institutions as Foster Families before we can consistently assure their safety and relative emotional security.