Disability as an Excuse for Misbehavior

Throughout my life, I have dealt with people tormenting me and then getting away with it because of their disability. Why in the world is this so rampant? I, for one, don't think one's disability, no matter what it is, should protect them from punishment for wrongdoing of any kind. I include myself in this, since as you, my readers, know, I have autism. If I do something wrong, I expect my disability to have ZERO effect on the severity of the punishment, or on whether I am punished at all. So any parents of special-needs children out there reading this, take note: Having a disability DOES NOT make one any less guilty of the bad behavior; a disability IS NOT a get-out-of-jail-free card (after all, this is real life, not the Monopoly board game); having a disability DOES NOT exempt one from one of the basic principles of life: knowing right from wrong; having a disability SHOULD NOT lessen the severity of punishment or protect one from it. Bad behavior is bad behavior, with or without a disability.

Now, I know that some behavior can be attributed to a disability (such as cursing and other vulgarities from someone with Tourette's); but there is a fine line between attributing the behavior to the disability and using the disability as an excuse for not holding the misbehaving person accountable. All too often, that line is crossed.

So please, readers, if you have a special-needs child or children, let them know that if they do something wrong, their disability DOES NOT and WILL NOT change the fact that it's wrong. Examples include: hitting/kicking/pulling the hair of other children; snatching food, toys, or anything else from others; saying mean or disrespectful things to or about others (such as name-calling). An excuse of any kind is not a magic wand that can turn a wrong into a right. Life doesn't work that way.

So stop pretending that your child(ren) did nothing wrong because of a disability. It is not in their best interests; it is not in yours either. Punish them as severely as you would if they were typical.