CirrusMonkey
No Real Usefulness
That's retarded......
American Airlines Won’t Let Teen With Down Syndrome Fly First Class
- Thread starter Bandit_Driver
- Start date
Krystal
Dispatch Betty
As a mother of a special needs child who has spent MANY MANY hours in the classroom with differently abled children of a widely varrying degree, Id like to add a little insight into this.
I side with the Pilot and AA.
Downs children, as a whole tend to be docile and very sweet, however ANY time you are dealing with mental and physical disabilities, you WILL deal with moments when the child becomes insecure, overstimulated, and frustrated. Unlike a quote "normal" child, Downs children as well as kids with other disabilities (Aspergers, Autism, mental retardation, CP etc) lack or are deficient in the coping mechanisms that many of us take for granted.
For us, long lines, grating boarding announcements, lots of new sights, smells and textures, long waits et are just irritating. To a child who may have difficulty coping with frustration, insecurity, overstimulation, fear etc, this can prove to be a recipe for sudden verbal outbursts, hyperactivity, anger, fear, and difficulty cooperating. When this happens, it is imperetive to separate the child from the situation and get them into a place where they feel secure. Loading them onto a crowded airplane (first class or not) is doing the exact opposite and could lead to non-compliance, agitation and has to potential to disrupt the safety and security of the other passegers on board.
IF you read the articles, it wasnt because they were flying first class. If the airline didnt want them flying first, they would have just downgraded them and put them in coach. The captain....not the airline...was the one who recognized the problem and felt that it was safest for everyone if the child take a later flight and have the time to calm down and adjust to his surroundings.
Granted, Im no child psychologist, but Ive spent more than my fair share working with my daughter and other special needs students.
I side with the Pilot and AA.
Downs children, as a whole tend to be docile and very sweet, however ANY time you are dealing with mental and physical disabilities, you WILL deal with moments when the child becomes insecure, overstimulated, and frustrated. Unlike a quote "normal" child, Downs children as well as kids with other disabilities (Aspergers, Autism, mental retardation, CP etc) lack or are deficient in the coping mechanisms that many of us take for granted.
For us, long lines, grating boarding announcements, lots of new sights, smells and textures, long waits et are just irritating. To a child who may have difficulty coping with frustration, insecurity, overstimulation, fear etc, this can prove to be a recipe for sudden verbal outbursts, hyperactivity, anger, fear, and difficulty cooperating. When this happens, it is imperetive to separate the child from the situation and get them into a place where they feel secure. Loading them onto a crowded airplane (first class or not) is doing the exact opposite and could lead to non-compliance, agitation and has to potential to disrupt the safety and security of the other passegers on board.
IF you read the articles, it wasnt because they were flying first class. If the airline didnt want them flying first, they would have just downgraded them and put them in coach. The captain....not the airline...was the one who recognized the problem and felt that it was safest for everyone if the child take a later flight and have the time to calm down and adjust to his surroundings.
Granted, Im no child psychologist, but Ive spent more than my fair share working with my daughter and other special needs students.
Krystal
Dispatch Betty
and that is not appropriate.
CirrusMonkey
No Real Usefulness
Well, it is.
You can buy all the materials on eBay for not a lot of money and believe me, it's gotten widespread. If you even look at them sideways when the animal starts running around the cabin like a Tasmanian Devil and having a poop and urine party, it gets 'actionable'.
Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
Due to HIPPA, I can't go into details. But we recently put severely autistic kid (very low functioning) on a plane. With a adult supervisor, and hopefully a very powerful psychiatric cocktail prior to t/o.
He was under the age of 11 and like 300 lbs. easy. It took 4 1/2 people upon admission to subdue him. I can't say the airline or the destination. But during that kids stay at our facility he was beating up staff left and right. Sent several to the ER.
I was listening out the entire day he was discharged to hear if their was an air emergency.
Didn't hear anything. Musta been a damn good cocktail!!!
He was under the age of 11 and like 300 lbs. easy. It took 4 1/2 people upon admission to subdue him. I can't say the airline or the destination. But during that kids stay at our facility he was beating up staff left and right. Sent several to the ER.
I was listening out the entire day he was discharged to hear if their was an air emergency.
Didn't hear anything. Musta been a damn good cocktail!!!
USMCmech
Well-Known Member
I grew up around special needs kids and adults. My aunt was seriously disabled and my mom taught the special needs sunday school class at our church.
Generally speaking a Downs Syndrom kid would be just fine on a flight and probably would be one of the best behaved passengers on the plane. However, if that kid is having a bad day or something about the airport/plane/flight/weather set them off they can become a liability to everyone. Don't forget that Downs kids are typically VERY strong.
Generally speaking a Downs Syndrom kid would be just fine on a flight and probably would be one of the best behaved passengers on the plane. However, if that kid is having a bad day or something about the airport/plane/flight/weather set them off they can become a liability to everyone. Don't forget that Downs kids are typically VERY strong.
pullup
Homewrecker
So a person with Downs makes you uncomfortable so they should not be on your flight?
So you guys think paying $20 to upgrade six feet forward will buy you some peace and quiet?
Bandit_Driver
Gold Member
I would love to see the airport security footage of that area for the real answer. I flew a Saab full of physically and mentally challenged people to the Special Olympics several years ago. They were some of the most well behaved and interesting people. They were more polite and well behaved than the majority of people we hauled to HPN.
Assuming a challenged person is conducting themselves in a reasonable manner they should be allowed to sit anywhere but an exit row. This is going to be interesting to follow if it makes the news any further.
On the service animal note, the idiots buying and selling counterfeit service animal vests are going to set back the privileges those who use them legitimately have fought for, for years.
Rudabega, I know what you mean. I was dead heading home one day on a CRJ. Hope in my seat and doze off, only to be woken up by the guy in the seat next to me going bananas about being being in the clouds and light turb and on top of me. I was about to clock him when I realized he was pretty mentally challenged. Long story short the priest, FA, and I got him called down and to destination, where the airline banned him from further travel. WTF, who puts a person on the plane that severely challenged. I would guess the guy had a mental age of 6 or 7...
Boris Badenov
This is no laughing matter.
Any media story about people being treated unfairly on an airline is immediately suspect. If the kid was well-behaved and didn't seem like he's be a problem, of course they should have let him on. If he wasn't, they shouldn't. Curious how fact-free these stories always seem to be. Almost like the media are trying to SELL things based on our natural OUTRAGE about just about everything.
Bandit_Driver
Gold Member
The news stopped being news years ago. They are all about getting ratings and will mfr, bend, twist, distort, etc just to get people to tune in. I wish journalism would grow a set and objective report the news. As Sgt Friday would say "just the facts"
Boris Badenov
This is no laughing matter.
Hold your breath on that one, Captain. Meanwhile, allow me to chat up the fat one while you score. Least I could do. 
Krystal
Dispatch Betty
CirrusMonkey
No Real Usefulness
Well, see. Blue's dead. Frank's divorced. I lost my house. Nicole thinks I'm a total jackass. And now we got nine kids who are gonna get expelled from school, and you're not even gonna help them.
Damn man, I just watched part of that last weekend!
I've hated that Piven guy ever since. Just like I still hate Mohr from his role in Jerry McGuire.
jtrain609
Antisocial Monster
You should learn to relax.
My sister has downs syndrome, and I had to learn from a very young age that people are going to say stuff like this just to get a rise out of you. Somebody attacks somebody in your family PERSONALLY? It's on like donkey kong. But somebody drops a few "retardeds" to get you jazzed up? By responding like this, all you're doing is giving them more ammo and egging them on because they know that you're going to respond.
If I were you, I'd learn to walk away.
Soul Brotha'
Off to go do Black guy stuff
Damned if you do, damned if you don't. None of us were there and as always there are two sides to the story where the truth is somewhere between the two.
No no no!
Social media revolution!
American was wrongz! That poor family! Passenger Bill of RIGHTZ!
Sent from my TRS-80
Bandit_Driver
Gold Member
I would love to see about 30 minutes of airport security footage of the gate area....That would settle it..
Bandit_Driver
Gold Member
Conspiracy theory alert: Just to throw this out there. Could the pilot just have created the PR nightmare for AA mgmt as the court system just screwed the pilot group?
