Autistic boy kicked off Halifax bus

Well then it sounds like the driver did nothing wrong.

If he can not concentrate on the road and other drivers for the safety of everybody on the bus including himself, then something has to be done.

He stated the truth... if it's distracting his driving, he can't drive.

He could have pulled to the side of the road and waited until everything was calmed down, but if it was a regular bus route and let them on for free, then he has a time to meet for his route or faces a lot of crap and back logs everything else in the system.

And if they have camera footage showing they got off the bus themselves without being told to, then that's their own fault, not his.

And I don't see how he could have done things any better, esspecially if she's not going to elaborate/offer suggestions.

Frig, they get a free ride, explained the situation and complications to the counsellors and they still want them to do even more.

What do they want? The driver to keep driving distracted risking other people's lives, or to pull to the side of the road for however long it takes for the individual to calm down?

I've personally seen these drivers deal with a lot of crap each day and they handle things very well overall.

To expect them to somehow be experts in every individual situation, in every individual person's mental state, every individual person's mood is a bit short sighted, because if they could be that much of an expert, then perhaps they should be the ones running the country.

The kid was a safety threat to the other passengers and to himself. It was time for him to get off the bus and to get on Ritalin.

Maybe he needs to look for a desk job.

not to start an argument... just my opinion

Maybe he needs to look for a desk job.

not to start an argument... just my opinion

It doesn't really matter whether the driver acted properly or not, by the time the do-gooders are finished he will be made to look like pedophile.

Slow news day again? No squirrels in Banf to interview?
No new reports on the huge glut of reporters?

People need to get informed on Autism

Dont know, wasnt there. Im just wondering if a mother with a crying infant would have been kicked off as well....

yeah I guess if it doesnt fit into your Liberals are idiots, CBC is the shits and China sucks agenda then it isnt "news"

Yup. You can't stop the signal.
How's Itran doing these days?
See that another Democrat was up for investigation but the white house stepped in to protect their friends?

TattoodGirl makes a good point but this isn't really a national issue.

I am going to disagree. I know about Autism, but I am disagreeing not with people needing to get informed about Autism, but with the idea that people need to be informed on mental illness/disorders, or any disorders. Now there are some things that people need to be "informed" about, but breaking it down so that people need to know disorders is unreasonable. The amount of mental illness/disorders there are is insurmountable. All parents of children with mental illness/disorders, believe that people need to know about their children problem, and how to deal with it. So where do you decide what illness/disorders people need to get "informed" about, and what ones do people not need to get informed about?

The bus driver could have been more sensitive and professional, however, there's not much else you can get him on. He didn't kick them off and he didn't give them transfers because they were let on for free as a courtesy.

As for people in general being educated on disorders, it would be nice, at least the most common ones. Autism is common enough.

Autism is a disorder that manifests itself in many different ways, depending on the person. As the parent of an autistic child, I can tell you that you see some pretty strange things; some that are familiar and expected and some that come out of the blue. I've never, personally, had a situation where my son became so aggitated that it would cause a bus driver to lose his ability to safely operate a bus, but it doesn't surprise me that that could happen. The phrase "kicked off" in the thread title is a bit inflamatory. The driver's job is to operate his vehicle safely and it reads like he did what he had to do to live up to his professional obligations to the other passengers. Where the driver fucked up was not giving them transfers to get back on the transit system once the kid was calmed down.

I'm also surprised at the parent for making such a stink about this. Maybe the kid had never been on a bus before, creating an unfamiliar environment. In that case, dad should have anticipated that the kid might become easily upset. Those of us that live with autism, in my experience, tend to deal with outburts as part of the day and, again in my experience, you develop a sense of humour and a thick skin about it pretty quickly. The cost of an extra bus ticket and a few minutes of inconvenience is pretty much par for the course; no reason to go running to the press and crying foul.

It is but so are: Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Social Phobia, Agoraphobia, Eating Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer's Disease. Does that mean we need to learn about those and how to deal with them? You do know that people go to school to learn how to deal with people with these problems. Asking everyday Canadians to know that stuff is a bit steep.

I don't think it's too much to tell bus drivers: "If a kid on your bus starts freaking out, give the parents a transfer and ask them to get off the bus until the kid gets it together." They didn't need to go to medical school to have handled this situation better.

I am going to disagree. I know about Autism, but I am disagreeing not with people needing to get informed about Autism, but with the idea that people need to be informed on mental illness/disorders, or any disorders. Now there are some things that people need to be "informed" about, but breaking it down so that people need to know disorders is unreasonable. The amount of mental illness/disorders there are is insurmountable. All parents of children with mental illness/disorders, believe that people need to know about their children problem, and how to deal with it. So where do you decide what illness/disorders people need to get "informed" about, and what ones do people not need to get informed about?
in reference to comments on this thread...preaching to the choir dude. people need to be informed about the above you mentioned.