Aspies For Freedom

There was a recent even where I live where an autistic boy was asked to leave a store because he kept repeatedly entering with his hired caregiver and not buying anything.  The caregiver (whose first language is not english) claims that the owner, when asking them to leave, said the autistic boy made him "uncomfortable."

Well there has been mass hysteria here among the autism mothers' groups and they are picketing the store,calling for a boycott etc.. even though it is a "he said she said" case and likely we will never know exactly what happened.  The parents have also asked for a civil investigation, and my guess is that they are going to sue for a financial award.

This whole thing has bothered me because 1) I feel the parents should have known better to let their child repeated enter a store (more than once a day) without purchasing anything-- I never would allow my child to do this without clearing it with the store owner (this is a small privately owned store, not a big department store).  And, 2) the mothers' groups answer to all this is to cry for better "autism awareness."  But of course their "awareness" consists of informing people of the "epidemic" and "tragedy" of autism (i.e. the store owner should have had more "pity" I guess-- if he even did make the controversial statement, which of course cannot be proven).  Some of these women are even posting on the website of the local paper promoting chelation therapy and other "cures" for autism, and calling for a stop to vaccines because "they cause autism."  

And these people are supposedly our advocates??  No thank you!

It all makes me sick!

First, the parents should have been more careful, and second, they should not use their child as a centerpiece for this nonsensical dramafest.

I don't want to put a link to the news stories because I live in a small community but if anyone would like to read about it, PM me and I will give you the links.

"recent event," not "recent even..." sorry

I wonder if going to the store without buying anything could be a routine thingy.

That is wierd... Of course anytime you mention autism the curebies will come out of the woodwork...

I don't understand what problem they were having with the kid visiting the store though... that seems odd. I guess if its a china shop may worry about a bull, but I guess I don't see the problem with visiting a store and looking around. But I guess since I don't have the facts on the case I can't know for sure.   

I'm pretty poor. My kids and I go to stores and look around all the time. We often go to a locally owned toy stores for a few hours and just play around.

I agree with Erk, and I would go further and suggest that there may be a special interest target in there. I wonder if there's any particular section the child is targetting?

But I think you're right, Dinosaur. The parents should be handling that better. On the other hand there is an issue with the store owner if that's what he said, Autism awareness is therefore a reasonable point. I think this situation calls for a little of column A and a little of column B (if you see what I mean there).

If you live in the US though, it is just possible that the store owner may have thought the boy was a - dare I say it - spy for terrorists. Not an ASD kid. Paranoid I know, but possible.

I agree with sarahjoke. Honestly, I don't see what the store owner has to be so paranoid for. I often go into shops without buying anything, and it usually just means that either a) I am windowshopping and passing time, or b) the shop in question simply doesn't have what I want. Sounds like the store owner was just being stupid.

The store owner probably thought the boy and the caretaker were team-shoplifting.  I've heard some wild stories about what shoplifters will do to distract store managers and cashiers, including bringing kids to "misbehave" and set up commotion.  The caregiver should have taken charge and stopped it after maybe the second visit.  (Isn't that what such caregivers get paid to do, make judgement calls like that?)  Then this would have never happened and Al Cureda wouldn't have had a fresh situation to exploit for its own purposes.

Aces. Nice job.

Store owners who ask people not leave for visiting and not buying anything risk losing customers.  I doubt that the parents and friends of theirs will shop there.  I know I would not.