AIBU to expect parents to keep autistic son safe in supermarket?

[middleagedbread]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2936089/Parents-seven-year-old-autistic-boy-asked-leave-Iceland-not-controlling-son-running-aisles.html

I've checked and can't see this thread started anywhere else. I think that the security guard was within his rights to ask both parents to supervise their son or leave store and I don't see where they were being discriminated against. The £20 'apology' from the store after they complained isn't enough it seems; they want com-pen-say-shun. Cue sadfaced pics in article. I am certain that, should their son have injured himself while not being supervised, these same parents would be featuring in an article about 'unsafe supermarket injured my child'.

Parents of autistic children have enough to cope with without these sort of negative articles.

Wow. Poor response MNHQ

Funnily enough someone posting a racist thread having other posters agree because their best mates are whatever ethnicity WOULD be deleted.

Polter I know. I guess at least we know that if the disabled child was of a minority ethnicity, the thread might get pulled.

Oh, and Polter, the supportive ethos has never extended to parents of disabled kids - not as far as HQ are concerned.

We're here to educate (because we have the mental strength for that just as much as everything else(!)) and vile threads about people like our kids are allowed to stand in the name of 'debate'. Can you imagine the sort of thing - threads like 'there's a sn kid in my Pfb class and my Pfb is missing out because of it' - substitute sn for black and it'd be deleted like lightning.

TIMC seemed like a new start. But it wasn't. Lip service at best.

But it's not the same- we don't know the impact that the boy was having on others.

I grew up next to a family who had a son with SN- until he was put into residential care he used to go around threatening people in the streets with a shovel. Extreme yes, but how is that the same as living next to a family of a different race?

He is a 7 year old child running around and banging on things. That's all.

Seriously? We're making jokes about children with disabilities now?

I know the impact your anecdote about one child will be having on others blue.

Nowhere in the article does it say they are seeking compensation.

My bet is that Fanjo is correct: "I am pretty sure the staff in a Iceland were probably really rude and unsympathetic to their child's needs so they naively went to their local paper and then the DM offered them.money promising to fight their corner and stand up for autism. And then didn't."

It's a long time since I used to read the SEN Boards on MN but there were weekly distress posts about the embarrassment and humiliation that parents of children with ASD were facing: the child was doing whatever, and wall of aggressive / judgmental / gawping public and security staff would appear.

I do think it not good for the family to end up plastered across the DM and especially for the child to be shown - in which case, OP, why have you give the family even more judgmental exposure?

I assumed that is what Hatie meant, MrsDeVere - although it is hard to believe someone could be such an arsehole.

I assumed you were referring to Peter Andre taking Harvey to Iceland

I think that was exactly what Hatie was referring to.

I took it to mean 'how can Iceland use the (step)father of an SN child to advertise the company and then end up in a situation like this'. In other words, what would happen to Peter if Harvey behaved in the same way, would they be asked to leave? I don't think it was intended as a pisstake/insult, more as an ironic observation.

I could be very wrong though.

I seemed to me to be an off the cuff snide comment. Surely if they meant it in a more considered way, they'd have made that clear.

I think it wasn't as.nuanced as that

I agree with alice

I think it was a badly explained post by Hatie, she probably thought people would 'get it'. I don't think Hatie meant it as an insult based on this post of hers on another thread:

HatieKopkinsgob Thu 22-Jan-15 16:55:19
DWP hope that if they make it a battle we will give up, don't give up, ever.
I have ID twin DDs same ASD and learning disabilities, one got high for both, one got low for both. My DS who is more able than his sisters got high rate for both from aged 4 for twelve years, keep on trying

In that case, maybe it wasn't a crass joke, it was just that it was worded in the same way as the advert.

If that's the case - sorry.

I haven't had enough coffee today, my brain is suffering.

Ah ok well maybe.

I must admit that my initial thought process was:

1. Why would Peter Griffin take his son to Iceland? (I've been watching a lot of Family Guy recently!)

2. Oooooh, yes of course Peter Andre/Harvey. Wow, what a nasty fucking comment.

3. Hmmm, maybe it was an ironic comment based on Iceland using PA as a figurehead and not having more understanding of SN because of Harvey.

Which is when I posted re: I think she was being ironic.

Then I doubted myself and did an advanced search of her posts and found that she has SN children so I'm pretty sure it was meant to be ironic rather than insulting.