By Will Brown, Attorney & David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Alisha Schlagenhauser, a 27-year-old woman, was charged with assaulting an autistic child in Wildwater Kingdom in Aurora, Ohio. Witnesses said Schlagenhauser was drunk when she was seen yelling and hitting the child. She was also seen dragging him by his harness through the park so forcefully that she caused him injury.
By Sara Powell, Attorney & David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Quest Alliance, a day care center for special needs children located in Phoenix, Arizona, is charged with negligence for the second time after 6-year-old Tanner was left in a hot van, in the middle of the day, for more than an hour.
By Robert Chaiken, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A Texas state inspection revealed that in April 2008, staff workers at Daystar, a center for distressed children 30 miles south of Houston, provoked seven developmentally disabled girls into a fight. The staged fight resulted in biting and bruising as the staff members laughed and cheered on the spectacle. If the fight is not disturbing enough, no criminal indictments were sought against the perpetrators nor did Texas lawmakers press a state agency for answers about how this despicable act could have occurred. Instead, two staffers were quietly fired and their names have been kept secret by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).
By Steven Smith, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Gigi Jordan, a pharmaceutical representative from New York City, recently checked into the Peninsula Hotel in Midtown Manhattan with her eight year old son, Jude Michael Mirra, who has been described as profoundly autistic. While in her hotel room, she allegedly caused her son to overdose on medication, and was herself found unconscious on the floor, surrounded by sheets of paper containing a suicide note and a large amount of prescription medications.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Oxytocin has long been called the “love hormone,” primarily because it is released at childbirth and during sex to aid in human bonding. It is now being used in the United States in a trial on young people with Autism spectrum disorders. Autism is a disorder that is marked by anti-social behavior and repetitive behaviors.
By David M. Baum, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
An Illinois Court of Appeals recently upheld the right of an Autistic child, Carter Kalbfleisch, to bring his service dog to school. The court upheld an earlier ruling by the Monroe County Court that allowed the child to bring his autism service dog, named Corbin, to school with him. The Monroe County Court decision had been appealed by the Columbia School District. The School District argued that the dog would be disruptive and that some of the other students might be allergic to it.
By Aaron Edwards, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
After a ninety day investigation into abuse and neglect charges, Paul Jensen, a former Special Needs teacher, was charged with two counts of unlawful neglect towards a child or helpless person. He turned himself in to police.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
A study released by the University of Washington has shown that an intensive intervention program designed for toddlers with Autism, called the “Early Start Denver Model” can actually improve their IQ, language and social skills. Some of the children involved in the study were even able to attend regular preschool classes. Participants in the study were provided with intensive therapy in all areas of development by trained professionals who worked with the kids one-on-one for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. The program also included training the parents so that they can reinforce lessons throughout the day.
By Scott A. Marks, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Consumer Watchdog has filed a lawsuit alleging that California state insurance regulators allow insurance companies to deny necessary treatment to autistic children in violation of state law. The lawsuit seeks to compel the California Department of Managed Health Care to order health plans in the state to cover applied behavioral analysis (ABA) for autistic children if it is deemed medically necessary and is appropriately administered. A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, James Chalfant, has ruled that the case may proceed to trial.
By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Diane Stephenson, a Pfizer researcher, has two nephews and a niece who suffer from Autism. Her colleague, Howie Mayer, has two children of his own with Autism. The two have worked together at Pfizer to create a research unit that focuses on curing the disease. Stephenson believes that recent advances in genetic studies of Autism have made this the opportune time to start the research unit. They were given permission to start the unit despite the fact that Pfizer has been downsizing of late.
Child Injury Lawyer Blog