At no point did the parents of the girl report that staff failed to be patient with their child or fail to understand their child’s autism. The mother took it upon herself to make assumptions about the staff (which is the very thing she doesn’t want anyone else to do!), and instead of giving the keychain to her husband and saying, “Buy this; I’ll wait outside with her,” she instead walked out of the store with an unpaid product. She was WRONG. Furthermore, what were these parents thinking when they decided to take an autistic child who’s easily overwhelmed by sights, sounds, crowds, etc., to an amusement park? They KNOW this will have the very stimuli that will be highly uncomfortable for their child. This was VERY irresponsible on their part. There’s also no mention of using noise cancelling head gear, nothing; just take her there raw and cross their fingers? Very irresponisible, but then they want to blame the park’s staff. They could’ve gotten her a Mario elsewhere or online.
So you don’t care if a kid has autism and doesn’t understand. Gotcha. What a hateful way to live. This is the kind of person who supports eugenics but claims to be pro-life — as long as the kid is perfectly white and perfectly normal.
The first half of your comment is great. 100%. But then there’s the second half where you go totally off the rails and out of left field basically accuse the poster of racism and apparently being a n__i. Just know that you are just as judgemental, incorrect, and off your rocker as they are.
I didn’t see the person you responded to say anything about hating autism ~ the parents are responsible for handling the situation better! Leaving a store with something that is not paid for is stealing no matter who takes it.
What does this child not understanding have anything to do with her mother walking out of the store with an unpaid item? If the kid didn’t understand the concept of “Wait till we buy it before you can have it,” then this was a perfect time to teach the child how things work in the world, and that sometimes there are no shortcuts. Or don’t you think autistic kids are capable of learning? And what does race have to do with anything? This kid WAS white! Do you have an ID or something?
If you make an exception on one theft you have to reverse course on thousands that came before it. Sounds like it was treated as a policy violation and charges were not filed. Florida respects the rights of businesses to set policy on their property. If your kid cannot go into a shop without you using that as an excuse to steal, then do not bring your kid into a shop.
So kids with autism don’t deserve to go to Disney. Welcome to the age of exclusionism. How hateful and rude. I hope you face the same kind of ignorance some day.
While Universal definitely should have handled it better, as the parent of an autistic teen, I feel much of the blame here rests with the parents. Why were they off shopping or whatever and not paying attention to their child? You need to watch these kids like hawks. It’s not just stealing. They can pick up stuff and try to eat it or pretty much anything. Yes, it’s hard to deal with. I know and I sympathize, but it is what it is. Watch. Your. Child.
The child in this story didn’t take the item. Her mother GAVE IT TO HER and then went outside with it, leaving husband inside the shop with only the bar code sticker for the item. Review the story; it’s the mother who technically stole.
TeeFry2 ~ you are once again making assumptions. The responder didn’t say people with austism shouldn’t be able to go to amusement parks. There is something called Personal Responsibility and the parents are responsible for this situation.
So autism is an excuse for stealing? How would you feel if YOU owned a shop and someone took an item without paying for it, then said their kid with ADHD or obesity or this or that was too impatient to wait a few minutes for the purchase, so they gave the bar code to a friend to make the purchase while they went outside with the item? What if hoards of parents came into your store and made some excuse? You must have an ID. None of this has anything to do with hating autism.
It’s the parents responsibility to watch their children; their using Autism as the excuse after getting caught. They probably have done this before and feel entitled.
Comments for Epic Universe Controversy: How a Mario Keychain and an Autism Misunderstanding Sparked a Legal Battle and Possible One-Year Ban
ImAutisticToo
At no point did the parents of the girl report that staff failed to be patient with their child or fail to understand their child’s autism. The mother took it upon herself to make assumptions about the staff (which is the very thing she doesn’t want anyone else to do!), and instead of giving the keychain to her husband and saying, “Buy this; I’ll wait outside with her,” she instead walked out of the store with an unpaid product. She was WRONG. Furthermore, what were these parents thinking when they decided to take an autistic child who’s easily overwhelmed by sights, sounds, crowds, etc., to an amusement park? They KNOW this will have the very stimuli that will be highly uncomfortable for their child. This was VERY irresponsible on their part. There’s also no mention of using noise cancelling head gear, nothing; just take her there raw and cross their fingers? Very irresponisible, but then they want to blame the park’s staff. They could’ve gotten her a Mario elsewhere or online.
Amm cat
Stealing is stealing
TeeFry2
So you don’t care if a kid has autism and doesn’t understand. Gotcha. What a hateful way to live. This is the kind of person who supports eugenics but claims to be pro-life — as long as the kid is perfectly white and perfectly normal.
Douglas Moss
The first half of your comment is great. 100%. But then there’s the second half where you go totally off the rails and out of left field basically accuse the poster of racism and apparently being a n__i. Just know that you are just as judgemental, incorrect, and off your rocker as they are.
Carol
I didn’t see the person you responded to say anything about hating autism ~ the parents are responsible for handling the situation better! Leaving a store with something that is not paid for is stealing no matter who takes it.
Catherine
The father paid for it and had the receipt
ASD'er
What does this child not understanding have anything to do with her mother walking out of the store with an unpaid item? If the kid didn’t understand the concept of “Wait till we buy it before you can have it,” then this was a perfect time to teach the child how things work in the world, and that sometimes there are no shortcuts. Or don’t you think autistic kids are capable of learning? And what does race have to do with anything? This kid WAS white! Do you have an ID or something?
Harry Potter
Your a moron. Does being white have any purpose to this subject?
Nitroboy
If you make an exception on one theft you have to reverse course on thousands that came before it. Sounds like it was treated as a policy violation and charges were not filed. Florida respects the rights of businesses to set policy on their property. If your kid cannot go into a shop without you using that as an excuse to steal, then do not bring your kid into a shop.
TeeFry2
So kids with autism don’t deserve to go to Disney. Welcome to the age of exclusionism. How hateful and rude. I hope you face the same kind of ignorance some day.
Douglas Moss
While Universal definitely should have handled it better, as the parent of an autistic teen, I feel much of the blame here rests with the parents. Why were they off shopping or whatever and not paying attention to their child? You need to watch these kids like hawks. It’s not just stealing. They can pick up stuff and try to eat it or pretty much anything. Yes, it’s hard to deal with. I know and I sympathize, but it is what it is. Watch. Your. Child.
ASD'er
The child in this story didn’t take the item. Her mother GAVE IT TO HER and then went outside with it, leaving husband inside the shop with only the bar code sticker for the item. Review the story; it’s the mother who technically stole.
Carol
TeeFry2 ~ you are once again making assumptions. The responder didn’t say people with austism shouldn’t be able to go to amusement parks. There is something called Personal Responsibility and the parents are responsible for this situation.
ASD'er
So autism is an excuse for stealing? How would you feel if YOU owned a shop and someone took an item without paying for it, then said their kid with ADHD or obesity or this or that was too impatient to wait a few minutes for the purchase, so they gave the bar code to a friend to make the purchase while they went outside with the item? What if hoards of parents came into your store and made some excuse? You must have an ID. None of this has anything to do with hating autism.
Harry Potter
neurodivergent? Good god. Keep an eye on your kids if you know this is something that can happen.
J
It still needed to be paid for. Parents fault.
Ronald Paladino
It’s the parents responsibility to watch their children; their using Autism as the excuse after getting caught. They probably have done this before and feel entitled.