Vicious attack on autistic girl of 14 - outraged

Post Reply New Topic

It's VERY saddening and infuriating to see that youth on the spectrum must be ever-vigilant against attackers pretending to be friends, and are thus discouraged from making friends due to the risks involved - because they don't have "NT privilege".

Case in point: recently, in Ottawa, Canada, a 14-year-old girl with autism was the victim of an aggravated assault by two other girls who left her with a concussion and in hospital.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/h ... -1.7380849

After the girl, Sloane Foster, was invited to a friendly get-together for lunch, she was attacked en route by a group of violent girls with the "leader" nearly killing her after things got more heated. I even question whether the lunch invite was made in good faith as there's been anecdotal evidence of NT kids inviting ND kids to places knowing full well that they'd d take the bait, due to desperation to make friends from a lengthy spell of rejection; then they attack them. This sadly resulted in murder in certain cases - google the tragic case of Shaun Rossington, a young UK man with autism who was gang-murdered at the age of 21.

The article goes on to say, once again, that school authorities aren't doing enough to prevent bullying. When the sad reality is that it can't be stopped. After several decades on the planet and having left bullying long behind save for a couple of past work experiences, this is what I rather pessimistically conclude.

But back to that "NT privilege" mention I made: the aggressor girl only got 1 week suspension w/o any criminal charges, for what was basically an attempted murder and aggravated assault. Guess that comes from the victim being regarded as "less-than"
Whereas, if the tables were turned, and the neurodivergent girl was forced to defend herself and left the bully with a concussion, you can be sure that she'd be expelled from school, and sent to some sort of institution. Because NTs just viscerally regard mental disorders of any kind as "danger" and "unstable".

One more reason I was reluctant to physically stand up to bullies back in the day - the NT establishment wouldn't have my back. Even though I was undiagnosed yet (this was the 80s and 90s), I KNEW my brain worked differently.

Also casting a backward glance to the '80s as a boy, when I told my mother that I didn't want to go play outside somewhere because other kids might attack me and she replied by saying that I'm just being paranoid or difficult, well, gee whiz, I was clearly on to something!! ! And I was reluctant to go to any house gatherings in my teens, even if invited, due to the same hyper-vigilance. Thus the misconception that "Aspies want to be left alone". NO, it was a lack of "NT privilege" - people won't target you if you have the same gait, mannerisms, social norms, etc. of their own neurology.
Unfortunately, back then, many parents were in denial that their child was "permanently different" due to the stigma/taboo of mental disorders, and they just needed to try a bit harder to fit in. Nowadays, THERE ARE NO EXCUSES.

The poor girl's father has some very legitimate concerns - especially after her hearing on mobile/cell phone her daughter's cries for the violent girl to "stop it". This excerpt from the article says plenty:

For now, Warren Foster is still hesitant to send his daughter back to school and has made a habit of escorting her to and from the building.

"I walk her into the school," he said. "It's been very scary, life-changing. It's been stressful on Sloane, myself, the whole family."

Back in the 80s, I got attacked by bullies in a similar fashion. They liked to set me up at school functions. I do not want to go into details (to prevent triggering others). After the first attack, I started carrying defensive items on me at all times. You would be surprised on what you can use when pushed that way.

Humans are naturally wired to be cruel to each other. This behavior will not change until something forces the change to happen.

I guess I was lucky, most other girls were cold and indifferent to me in junior high and didn't try to kill me. Meanwhile the boys would throw rocks at me, scream at me, spit on me, sexually harass me, and call me names wherever I went.

I guess the boys bullied me and not other girls because they didn't see me as a girl, even when I was wearing makeup and pink shirts and writing with a pen shaped like a fairy wand. But that's okay, as adults I would not see them as "men", no matter how manly they would act.