Autistic 6th-grader suffers videotaped beating at bus stop in Cecil County Maryland

[SimbaRises]

Do you guys even understand what Autism is?

This kid is not handicapped -which would be beyond low for a bully to go after . He simply learns and processes things differently. He's not 100% helpless in the physical defense department.

This is all I'm trying to say ...

I'm not validating bullying, but this whole recent news trend of focusing on bullying and hazing by the mass media, like it hasn't been around for centuries is absurd.

The woe is me stuff needs to stop, the kid is more than intelligent and capable enough to defend himself from PHYSICAL attacks.

The fact that I give the kid credit enough to have confidence he could defend himself, in a way shows I'm more on the kid's side and believe in him more than the people demonizing the other children.

 

[SimbaRises]

And you condemning him for it makes you just about as bad as the bully who punched

Oh really? haha

Deacon didn't demonize anyone, either.

Ummm yes he did. He called all the other children jerks.

Helping up someone who falls is not pity, it's called compassion.

Compassion? Dude quit your balling. All he did was fall down. Kids, especially boys fall all the time.

It wasn't like he was on the ground and kids were kicking him.

Other kids were supposed to be compassionate enough to help the kid get on his feet? What? They're kids. And they were probably playing themselves. Something as simple as getting back on your feet needed to be helped with?

But the whole world should stop for the autistic / aspergers kid (not a mental handicap that makes one totally defensless BTW) and show all this compassion for a kid who simply fell down.

Man up, dude, and teach your son to man up. If he's that intelligent, I'm sure he can grasp these concepts. Stop pitying your own damn son, you are essentially handicapping him and his potential yourself.

 

[SimbaRises]

I would probably be in jail right now.

If you really want to talk about who is being as bad or worse than a young child bully, who doesn't have the rationalizing and temperment of an adult. You should look in the mirror, bucko.

Because tell me, why would you be in jail? Would you be harming the kid who threw essentially one very weak punch at a kid much bigger than himself, who refused to stand up for himself or even throw his arms up in defense?

 

[Hotwire]

Oh really? haha


Ummm yes he did. He called all the other children jerks.


Compassion? Dude quit your balling. All he did was fall down. Kids, especially boys fall all the time.

It wasn't like he was on the ground and kids were kicking him.

Other kids were supposed to be compassionate enough to help the kid get on his feet? What? They're kids. And they were probably playing themselves. Something as simple as getting back on your feet needed to be helped with?

But the whole world should stop for the autistic / aspergers kid (not a mental handicap that makes one totally defensless BTW) and show all this compassion for a kid who simply fell down.

Man up, dude, and teach your son to man up. If he's that intelligent, I'm sure he can grasp these concepts. Stop pitying your own damn son, you are essentially handicapping him and his potential yourself.

Ah, the old, "Man up," logic. You fell down? Man up and pick your own self up, I ain't gonna help you up. Oh, someone and his buddies are bullying you? Man up and fight back. What's that, you're about to get hit in the face? Man up and defend yourself.

You realize how that logic makes you sound? It makes you sound like one of those pompous d-bag dads you see in a movie that's always telling his kid to, grow up and be a man!

You make it sound as though showing someone any form of compassion is taking undeserved pity on them and making them weak. I'm willing to bet this is how your daddy raised you.

It's one thing to be a helicopter parent who constantly hovers over their child and protects them from absolutely everything. It is another to stand up for them when they are incapable of doing it themselves. Why can't you understand that? Why can't you fathom the idea that autism can inhibit a person's ability to understand danger the way you do? No, the kid is not physically handicapped. Yes, he's bigger than the other boy. But, none of that matters here, because he's unable to fully comprehend what's going on. With the mentality you seem to have, I hope you don't have to deal with anything like this. Because I would truly pity your child if they were put in that situation.

 

[Hotwire]

If you really want to talk about who is being as bad or worse than a young child bully, who doesn't have the rationalizing and temperment of an adult. You should look in the mirror, bucko.

Because tell me, why would you be in jail? Would you be harming the kid who threw essentially one very weak punch at a kid much bigger than himself, who refused to stand up for himself or even throw his arms up in defense?

I explained this several posts back. Man up, and go read them.

 

[SimbaRises]

I explained this several posts back. Man up, and go read them.

Says the woe is my son, child beater.

Please show compassion. He fell on the playground and no one helped him up ???

 

[Hotwire]

Says the woe is my son, child beater.

Please show compassion. He fell on the playground and no one helped him up ???

Contrary to you beliefs, acting like a d*** will not make yourself any bigger.

If you had read my posts, you would know I don't have a son. I was defending RjngDeacon and his son.

As for compassion, I don't have any for you and your attitude. Go read my posts before you start suggesting I would hit a kid.

 

[Golgo-13]

I'm curious if you have any autistic students? Or know any self defense instructors who have?

Had, as in, past tense. Their ability to learn may take a little more patience; but hell, even i don't pick things up really fast. Don't have any at the moment. Don't understand why they stopped coming. Maybe they lost interest. Maybe it was their parents. But once they grasped a move, they were no different than any other student.

 

[KalMart]

Imagine if you visit the bully's father...and it turns out the father is autistic...and he hatched this whole plan and knew you'd come, because the kids were switched at birth and he just wants his son back.

 

[SuperFerret]

Terrible, but this **** happens.

 

[Hotwire]

Imagine if you visit the bully's father...and it turns out the father is autistic...and he hatched this whole plan and knew you'd come, because the kids were switched at birth and he just wants his son back.

Sounds like a bad movie.

 

[KalMart]

Sounds like a bad movie.

Doesn't it?

Or a pretty good comedy...like the Farrely brothers or something. t:

 

[Ring Deacon]

First off I never said my son fell on the playground, in fact it has been too cold to go outside. When my son fell it was going into school after getting off the bus. He was walking in through the second set of doors with his heavy back-pack on and carring his science project in front of him. there was lots of chaos going on before first bell, and he slipped and fell. He may not have been kicked but his project was and got stepped on. What upsets me is that the amount of people students and faculty that were around and no one offered him help getting up and picking up his things.

Now back to the whole an autistic kid should defend himself theory. You are failing to understand that they just simply cannot do that. Yes they know they should, yes they know the steps needed to do so, but they fail to grasp how to do it. It is a social skill they lack. Autistic / Asperger's kids are always in danger of being taken advantage of. They accept things they way they are. Like this boy, he knew he was going to get beat up and he knows it is going to happen again. It is black and white thinking. Even as an adult they are at danger of being taken advantage of. They can be taught enough social ques to get through life, but fighting will never be one of them.

 

[Hotwire]

First off I never said my son fell on the playground, in fact it has been too cold to go outside. When my son fell it was going into school after getting off the bus. He was walking in through the second set of doors with his heavy back-pack on and carring his science project in front of him. there was lots of chaos going on before first bell, and he slipped and fell. He may not have been kicked but his project was and got stepped on. What upsets me is that the amount of people students and faculty that were around and no one offered him help getting up and picking up his things.

Now back to the whole an autistic kid should defend himself theory. You are failing to understand that they just simply cannot do that. Yes they know they should, yes they know the steps needed to do so, but they fail to grasp how to do it. It is a social skill they lack. Autistic / Asperger's kids are always in danger of being taken advantage of. They accept things they way they are. Like this boy, he knew he was going to get beat up and he knows it is going to happen again. It is black and white thinking. Even as an adult they are at danger of being taken advantage of. They can be taught enough social ques to get through life, but fighting will never be one of them.

Pretty much. Something tells me that, unlike SimbaRises, you've done your homework on this subject.

And as I pointed out, helping your boy back to his feet is not about pity, it's about being a decent human being with some compassion. Honestly, it doesn't matter if it was your son, a teacher, or any other student. You see someone fall and drop their stuff, you help them out. It's called, just being nice.

 

[captainrogers]

First off I never said my son fell on the playground, in fact it has been too cold to go outside. When my son fell it was going into school after getting off the bus. He was walking in through the second set of doors with his heavy back-pack on and carring his science project in front of him. there was lots of chaos going on before first bell, and he slipped and fell. He may not have been kicked but his project was and got stepped on. What upsets me is that the amount of people students and faculty that were around and no one offered him help getting up and picking up his things.

Now back to the whole an autistic kid should defend himself theory. You are failing to understand that they just simply cannot do that. Yes they know they should, yes they know the steps needed to do so, but they fail to grasp how to do it. It is a social skill they lack. Autistic / Asperger's kids are always in danger of being taken advantage of. They accept things they way they are. Like this boy, he knew he was going to get beat up and he knows it is going to happen again. It is black and white thinking. Even as an adult they are at danger of being taken advantage of. They can be taught enough social ques to get through life, but fighting will never be one of them.

Agreed.
I read thru some posts, and am left semi-slack jawed.
Now, I am the type of guy that will tell his daughter to defend herself if confronted with a bully...but in a lot of situations, it's gang mentality. It's usually several children physically or mentally assaulting a victim.
Outside action is required.
Bullying is Common, yes.
It happens, yes.
But are you telling me that makes it RIGHT?

 

[terry78]

Yeah, that's rough. But this has probably happened throughout history, back when they didn't know it was autism and just referred to those kids as the oddballs or whatever term they chose.

 

[Golgo-13]

Terrible, but this **** happens.

Sure does.

A few years ago here in MD, a group of mentally challenged kids were being escorted around a local mall (as i routinely see them doing). Well, one wondered off from the group, walked up to a group of teenager boys and slapped the crap out of him. You know what happens next; a group of boys; his friends laughing at him and egging him on.

They beat the hell out of this kid.

 

[LOBO3315a]

Agreed.
I read thru some posts, and am left semi-slack jawed.
Now, I am the type of guy that will tell his daughter to defend herself if confronted with a bully...but in a lot of situations, it's gang mentality. It's usually several children physically or mentally assaulting a victim.
Outside action is required.
Bullying is Common, yes.
It happens, yes.
But are you telling me that makes it RIGHT?

It depends on your viewpoint. There is the viewpoint that bullying is all a part of growing up. How you react to it can make it a good thing or a bad thing. Teaching your kids that they shouldn't bully is a good thing. Teaching them how to handle it is a good thing as well. Just because you teach them not to, doesn't mean it won't happen to them.

Live is rough. People will form groups to do constructive things, and destructive things. passing judgement on whether it is right or wrong won't change that. Equipping your children on how to deal with those situations when the time comes is all you can do.

 

[terry78]

Never can make excuses for it since I have been bullied in the past, but kids are *******s. They just are. Some grow out of it, some don't. At that time in your life, if you go against the group, you're basically targeted next.

 

[Hotwire]

Never can make excuses for it since I have been bullied in the past, but kids are *******s. They just are. Some grow out of it, some don't. At that time in your life, if you go against the group, you're basically targeted next.

Seconded.

 

[Hotwire]

A nice update on the original story!

Link

Community rallies around bullied Elkton Middle School student


People around the world are watching the video of an 11-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with autism, Kaleb Kula, struck by a classmate as another classmate recorded it with a cell phone camera. The original story on abc2news.com had more than 36,000 hits, as of Monday night.
In that story, Kaleb told us he’d been the victim of bullying, for years. “(Other students) call me, homosexual. They try kicking me, pushing me, punching me, and a lot of other things,” he said.
Now, Kaleb is back at school at Elkton Middle, and he’s getting some support from some pretty unexpected places. The video brought outrage from Cecil County residents like Donald Ball.
“This is in our neighborhood. This is our back yard. This is ridiculous,” he said.
Ball leads the county's chapter of the “Hogs and Heroes Foundation” -- a group of bikers who raise money for children of first responders.
“It disturbed me,” he said. “It literally made me sick to my stomach that this is happening.”
Ball said his members will be heading to next week's meeting of the Cecil County School Board. They'll be asking if anything can be done regarding the school system's policy on bullying, and offering their help with volunteering and fund-raising.
“Instead of just being one of those ones that just steps back and says, aw there's nothing we can do. Well what can we do? Well we're going to step up and say what do you need, we're here,” he said.
The school system could not speak about any punishments that have been handed out. But Kaleb's family says the boy who punched him, the student who made the video, and other students in the video have all been suspended from school.
“Right is right and wrong is wrong. And that was just wrong,” said Donnie Smith, a member of the Cecil County band, “Born Again Outlaw.”
“When I saw that video, part of it made me mad and the other part made me say you know we need to help in any way we can,” Smith said.
He and his girlfriend are organizing a benefit concert for autism awareness, which is set for next month. The guest of honor will be Kaleb Kula.
“The fact that that little boy got picked on, we want to give him the chance to stand up and hear the crowd cheer for him for a change,” Smith said.
They’re calling it “A Concert of Caring in Honor of KALEB.” It’s set for on February 18th starting at 6pm, at the V.F.W. hall in Port Deposit. Donations will go to A.R.C. Northern Chesapeake Elkton Office, and N.A.M.I. Walking For Will to raise awareness and support for autism.

​

 

[DIRECTOR]

so, the person who gave the punch get's punished. How about the kids just watching and cheering. How about the kid video taping the fight........

If this was an episode from Seinfeld, they all would be punished

 

[Hotwire]

so, the person who gave the punch get's punished. How about the kids just watching and cheering. How about the kid video taping the fight........

If this was an episode from Seinfeld, they all would be punished

It actually says in the article that they were all suspended. The school wouldn't comment, but the bullied boy's parents did.

 

[C. Lee]

so, the person who gave the punch get's punished. How about the kids just watching and cheering. How about the kid video taping the fight........

If this was an episode from Seinfeld, they all would be punished

Did you not read this part of the post above? -

A nice update on the original story!

But Kaleb's family says the boy who punched him, the student who made the video, and other students in the video have all been suspended from school.