Autistic child leaves school alone and is found by a resident in Arraial do Cabo: 'If I took him, no one would know', says mother

Six-year-old child leaves municipal school alone in Arraial do Cabo A 6-year-old autistic child left Francisco Luiz Sobrinho Municipal School, in Monte Alto, district of Arraial do Cabo, in the Lakes Region of Rio, without supervision last Monday (10) and spent around 15 minutes outside the unit, according to the family. The boy, who is non-verbal, was found by a woman who was passing through the area. She called police officers who were nearby, and the child was identified and returned to those responsible. According to the boy's mother, the school only contacted the family after the child had already been located. She said she was informed that the episode occurred during recess. The assistant responsible for monitoring the student had recently started work and was not yet completely familiar with the child's routine or the structure of the unit. According to the mother's report, the boy ran across the courtyard and, at a certain point, went to another area of ??the school. The professional would have believed that he had returned to the classroom. When the absence was noticed, employees began searching inside the unit and in the surrounding area. ? Follow the g1 Região dos Lagos channel on WhatsApp. The institution reported that a gate was open for unloading food at the time of the incident, which allowed the student to leave. The unit's management also said that they had never recorded a similar incident. The mother states that she does not exclusively hold the professional who accompanied her son responsible and believes that there was a sequence of failures. For her, the assistant was still in the adaptation phase and did not know enough about the child's characteristics. She also questions the fact that the gate remains open during recess and argues that there should have been greater integration between new professionals, the school and families before services began. The family also highlights that the boy is non-verbal, which increased concern during the period he was missing. According to the mother, the child might not have been able to give her own name, address or ask for help if she had been taken to another location. Another reason for concern was the school's proximity to a lake. The mother stated that her son likes water, which increased fears about the risks while he was outside the unit. “If I put my son in the car and took him anywhere else, no one would know,” reported the mother. Autistic child leaves school alone and is found in Arraial do Cabo Disclosure Families report lack of assistants The case has increased the concern of parents and guardians of atypical students in the municipal network, who report difficulties after changing the professionals responsible for monitoring the students. The episode occurred amid the change of professionals responsible for monitoring atypical students in the municipal network. The service is now provided by the Social Support Network Institute, responsible for hiring caregivers and mediators. Other mothers interviewed by the report stated that their children remained unattended for more than a week after returning to school. One of them, mother of a 6-year-old autistic girl with level 2 support, said that she took her daughter to school on the first day of school, but there was no professional available to accompany her. According to her, the girl remained at home for more than a week. After contacting the Education Ombudsman, a new caregiver was assigned to care for the child. The guardian reports that her daughter had to go through a period of adaptation again and had crises after the change in routine. She also states that the child will have to build a new bond with the professional responsible for monitoring. The mother also says that other families continue without helpers and that there are reports of professionals caring for more than one child at the same time. Another complaint involves communication between school and family. According to her, before outsourcing, the school diary recorded information about eating, using the bathroom, changing diapers and other aspects of the routine. After the change, these records would no longer be made in some cases. Another mother, responsible for a 9-year-old autistic boy, non-verbal and with level 3 support, also stated that her son was left unattended for more than a week. According to her, the school itself advised the family to take the child home due to the lack of available professionals. The person in charge said that she contacted the municipal ombudsman's office and that a caregiver only started accompanying the student on Tuesday, after more than a week without attending classes. She states that the change in routine caused changes in her son's behavior, including crises, crying episodes and reduced therapy performance. The mother also reports that the professional who previously accompanied the boy already knew his characteristics and was able to identify behavioral changes. With the change of caregiver, the adaptation process had to be restarted. After the episode involving the 6-year-old child, she decided not to take her son to school the next day. For the person responsible, the problem is not only in hiring new professionals, but also in the lack of an integration period between caregivers, schools and families. According to her, professionals should receive prior information about each child, know the structure of school units and identify possible risks before starting monitoring. The mothers interviewed by the report also state that the change to the outsourced service occurred during the school holidays and that there was not enough prior communication with the families. According to them, many guardians only found out about the change shortly before classes returned. What the City Hall says In a note, the Arraial do Cabo City Hall reported that the episode recorded in Monte Alto was a one-off situation and that