Couple Angered Over 9-Year-Old’s Handcuffing
(Denver Post)
August 17, 2011
DENVER, COLORADO– [Excerpt provided by Inclusion Daily Express] Donald and Raiko Johnson detest what happened to their son.
They still do not understand it fully, yet they came to me to speak out about it, to maybe prevent another autistic or special-needs child from also ending up in handcuffs.
The Johnsons’ son, the oldest of their three, is 9 years old. He was born prematurely at 26 weeks, and in 2009 was diagnosed with autism.
Denver police ultimately decided to place him on a 72-hour psychiatric hold, and transported the boy, his hands cuffed behind his back, to Children’s Hospital Colorado.
When Donald and Raiko Johnson arrived, attendants were attempting to take their son’s blood pressure, but they couldn’t get a reading.
“It wouldn’t register because his hands were restrained so tightly behind his back,” Raiko Johnson explained.
Entire article:
Johnson: Parents concerned by handcuffing of autistic boy
http://www.denverpost.com/billjohnson/ci_18696227
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