CO - LE peppers sprays rageful 8 yr. old, Lakewood

New Posts

Sounds like they need some pepper spray at home, how many times do the cops have to come?.

"Just kind of like whenever anybody upsets me," he said. "Like I just kind of want to tear them apart... I think it's not ever going to go away... It's just who I am."

And he has sharp sticks?, try and pick on the cops I dare ya.
 
I really HATE that an 8 year old got pepper sprayed.

But good lord, this child is BEGGING for someone to control him, who's bigger and stronger and not intimidated by his rage.

I don't think it was excessive. I think it was kind of creative. He got some serious consequences for his behavior.

I say this while understanding he may have a condition where he is unable to control his rage. But still, whether he can or not, acting out his rage will get him serious consequences. He'll need to take that to heart no matter what his mental/emotional condition is.

This particular consequence is NOTHING compared to what he's looking forward to (or his future victims).

I understand his mother's upset. I would be, too. I'm sure I would have called the media. I hope that this incident, followed up by intensive evaluation and treatment gives this kid a leg up on his condition.
 
At first it sounds completely out of bounds to pepper spray a child, but, heck, they couldn't just let him stab somebody with wood pieces! If he had been an adult, he may very well have gotten shot.

I sure don't envy those parents having to figure out what to do to help him.
 
STEADFAST said:
At first it sounds completely out of bounds to pepper spray a child, but, heck, they couldn't just let him stab somebody with wood pieces! If he had been an adult, he may very well have gotten shot.

I sure don't envy those parents having to figure out what to do to help him.
Click to expand...

The steps they take with kids today I find amazing, they are so heavy handed with zero tolerance policies that they just go way overboard and really get peeved.

This case is certainly different, and yeah he would have gotten pepper sprayed at best with a sharp stick and a tear, I might have zapped the mother with a Taser as well. Crazy people need to get that kid straight.
 
My first thought is what is going on in this child's life that is causing him to act out in such a way?

My second thought was he's 8 yrs old wasn't there an adult anywhere in that building that could outsmart him and take the sharp stick away? Instead of giving him a shot of pepper spray? He's 8 yrs old for pete's sake. :waitasec:

I know that sounds sassy but I'm not being flippant.

All JMHO.

ETA: Thank God no adults in that building grabbed a stun gun.
 
I'm glad he was pepper sprayed and I hope he hated it! If that was the consequence each and everytime he behaved that way, it would quickly stop.

I am quite certain he's capable of learning to control himself. The police where called THREE times for this child, this year.

He's out of control and his mother isn't doing him any favors. That child better learn NOW that his behavior will NOT be tolerated. The rest of the world isn't going to put up with it and they shouldn't have to.
 
Acting out in school is a bid for attention. Putting him on TV and interviewing him - isn't that positive reinforcement?
 
Acting out in school is sometimes a bid for attention. If the child is being serious that he wants to stab people, then that's not so much a bid for attention as a serious scream for help. He needs serious psych treatment, not pepper spray or TV exposure. JMO.

I am biased here, one of the men that I care about the most was diagnosed with "psychotic episodes, extreme homicidal rage toward males" at the age of 9. 25 years later, with intensive therapy, medication and other treatments, he is functional in society, but at 9, when he was attempting to attack adult males, it was not a bid for attention. It was the manifestation of a serious mental illness, and pepper spray wouldn't have helped a bit.
 
Kat said:
My first thought is what is going on in this child's life that is causing him to act out in such a way?

My second thought was he's 8 yrs old wasn't there an adult anywhere in that building that could outsmart him and take the sharp stick away? Instead of giving him a shot of pepper spray? He's 8 yrs old for pete's sake. :waitasec:

I know that sounds sassy but I'm not being flippant.

All JMHO.

ETA: Thank God no adults in that building grabbed a stun gun.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid if someone tried to outsmart him (by grabbing the stick, or grabbing his arm) then we'd be hearing that he was physically abused or manhandled. It was a no-win situation from the start. No matter what tactics were used, we'd be hearing that it was one type of abuse or another.

If this is a common occurence for this child, I'm not sure he belongs in a mainstream classroom, until he learns some different coping skills.
 
oh_gal said:
I'm afraid if someone tried to outsmart him (by grabbing the stick, or grabbing his arm) then we'd be hearing that he was physically abused or manhandled. It was a no-win situation from the start. No matter what tactics were used, we'd be hearing that it was one type of abuse or another.

If this is a common occurrence for this child, I'm not sure he belongs in a mainstream classroom, until he learns some different coping skills.
Click to expand...


He was already in a specialized, self contained classroom within a public school when this happened. He is now attending a "alternative school"

His mother was claiming this morning on tv that he's perfectly normal at home, out in public, at his grandmothers etc... Seems to me she's blaming the school for his out of control behaviors. If that's the case, why would she continually set him up to fail? She should keep him home and educate him there. IMO if he's fine at home it's because she never says no, sets limits or issues consequences for anything. She seems to be teaching him that he is not responsible for his actions, it's just the way he is. That HORRIFIES me.
 
Linda7NJ said:
He was already in a specialized, self contained classroom within a public school when this happened. He is now attending a "alternative school"

Hi
Click to expand...

Sounds like the parents need to be more involved in this issue, instead of counting on the school to come up with a workable plan for their son.
 
not_my_kids said:
Acting out in school is sometimes a bid for attention. If the child is being serious that he wants to stab people, then that's not so much a bid for attention as a serious scream for help. He needs serious psych treatment, not pepper spray or TV exposure. JMO.

I am biased here, one of the men that I care about the most was diagnosed with "psychotic episodes, extreme homicidal rage toward males" at the age of 9. 25 years later, with intensive therapy, medication and other treatments, he is functional in society, but at 9, when he was attempting to attack adult males, it was not a bid for attention. It was the manifestation of a serious mental illness, and pepper spray wouldn't have helped a bit.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, when the child is swinging around a pointed stick, threatening others, there is no time for a therapy session. They needed to do what they needed to do to make everyone immediately safe.
 
oh_gal said:
Unfortunately, when the child is swinging around a pointed stick, threatening others, there is no time for a therapy session. They needed to do what they needed to do to make everyone immediately safe.
Click to expand...

I get that, I was referring to whoever dropped the ball the first two times law enforcement had to be called to talk this kid down. It should never have been a matter of calming him down and sending him back to class. He should have been placed on a temporary psych hold immediately, as he was presenting as a danger to others, and then evaluated from there. From what I'm seeing, that wasn't done, and is only making it harder on everyone in the long term.
 
What is going on that an 8 yr old child has to have the cops called on him 3 times at school? I mean what is going on in his life? As NMK suggested could he have a mental illness issue? Is it possible that something in his life is causing him rage and acting out? (molestation...etc).

He's 8. Not 18, not 28 but 8 yrs old. Aren't there any entities that can step in and assure that he is okay? Evaluate if he needs help or not?

(the above is a serious question. I'm not familiar with public programs and how they work in the civilian sector).

I don't think it's a thing to be taken lightly but I do think that this 8 yr old child could be in a situation where he is not getting the help he needs. I am concerned for him. I'm kind of disheartened because IMHO you can kind of see the writing on the wall for this kiddo. KWIM? Makes me sad.

JMHO
 
And another thing, I find it hard to believe that medication has never been at least suggested for this child, as the school is obviously having problems with him, his mother is having problems, and he has been transferred first to special classes and then to a special school, all while he was under a doctor's care. Pardon me for saying it, but I fear that this will turn out that his parents, or just his mother, since she is the only one noted in the article, chose to keep him off meds, for whatever reason be it stigma, cost, or just preference, and is now attempting to blame the consequences of that on others, such as the school and LE. Don't get me wrong, I think that every option should be explored before turning to pharmaceuticals, but in this case, it seems that low dose, at least, medications would have been the way to go and if it has been recommended or prescribed and never filled, that is not really the fault of an eight year child, but rather those that are responsible for him. JMO.
 
http://www.rr.com/news/boy_peppersprayed_interview_video

The boy's mother stated on the interview that he has been on medication prior but it did not help and he just gained weight. In this video she is pretty much insinuating that the school is at fault and her precious little angel has absolutely no problems at home or anywhere else. Really? She is letting her son know that he is not at fault for his actions and that it is "someone else's" fault for what he had done. Even the boy recognizes that what he did was wrong, but the mother doesn't? Is this not part of the problem? He has shown more than once that he can be a danger to other children as well as adults. What exactly was the school to do, other than what they did? This child has some definite anger management issues here and if they are not addressed now, how will he be when he is older and stronger?
 
When I read the article, this particularly struck me:

Aidan admitted he has problems controlling his anger.

"Just kind of like whenever anybody upsets me," he said. "Like I just kind of want to tear them apart... I think it's not ever going to go away... It's just who I am."

I have seen children like this, volunteering in my son's elementary school. One child in particular, screeching at an aide, 'I'M GOING TO RIP YOU APART!' His tone of voice absolutely chilled me. Honestly, the first thing I thought of was, has this child been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder? The mother said her son was seeing a doctor but had not be diagnosed with any mental illness or is taking any medication. Um, maybe a change in doctors might be necessary? This goes above and beyond a misbehaving child imo...there is clearly a behavioral disorder at work here. I have friends who are struggling with ODD in their children...here is a link that might be of some interest:
http://aacap.org/page.ww?name=Children+with+Oppositional+Defiant+Disorder&section=Facts+for+Families
 
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42449949/ns/today-today_people/
Justified? Police use pepper spray to subdue 8-year-old
Despite son’s violent behavior, mom says police should have handled differently
By Michael Inbar
updated 4/6/2011 8:34:57 AM ET 2011-04-06T12:34:57

Twice before, authorities had to be summoned to “talk him down” after outbursts in school, his mother said. It is part of a pattern, she said, that seems to appear only when Aidan is in school, and only at particular times. “He’s a normal 8-year-old child at home with us, when he goes got see his dad in Wyoming, when he’s at soccer, swimming, [with the] baby sitter, he’s fine,” she told Vieira. “We don’t have these issues.” At school, however, things are different. “Usually it’s a transition period from a structured event, such as social studies or reading, into a free time and then going back into a structured event that he has a problem,” she said. Doctors and therapists have evaluated the boy, she said, and can find no cause for his periodic outbursts. “They all say there’s nothing mentally wrong with him.”
Click to expand...

So, he doesn't like to go from structured activities to free time to structured activity. Hmmmmm. Doesn't want to stop playing is how I read that, correct me if I am wrong. And these problems only happen at school. Hmmmmmm.

The therapists and doctors all say there is nothing mentally wrong with him. Hmmmmm.
 
Jen38 said:
When I read the article, this particularly struck me:

Aidan admitted he has problems controlling his anger.

"Just kind of like whenever anybody upsets me," he said. "Like I just kind of want to tear them apart... I think it's not ever going to go away... It's just who I am."

I have seen children like this, volunteering in my son's elementary school. One child in particular, screeching at an aide, 'I'M GOING TO RIP YOU APART!' His tone of voice absolutely chilled me. Honestly, the first thing I thought of was, has this child been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder? The mother said her son was seeing a doctor but had not be diagnosed with any mental illness or is taking any medication. Um, maybe a change in doctors might be necessary? This goes above and beyond a misbehaving child imo...there is clearly a behavioral disorder at work here. I have friends who are struggling with ODD in their children...here is a link that might be of some interest:
http://aacap.org/page.ww?name=Children+with+Oppositional+Defiant+Disorder&section=Facts+for+Families
Click to expand...

Oppositional Defiant Disorder was what came to my mind too Jen.

As an aside I have an adult nephew that was diagnosed with that a little before he turned a teen. His behaviors were never addressed and he never got any help or medical care for it. He was recently rediagnosed (I don't know the particulars so forgive me but he is in his late 20's now) and his new diagnosis is APD.

Interesting thoughts thanks for sharing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 162 more.
Total: 2,295 (members: 163, guests: 2,132)

Online statistics

Members online
163
Guests online
2,132
Total visitors
2,295
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,126
Messages
17,963,607
Members
228,689
Latest member
Melladanielle
Back
Top