Connecticut school district on lockdown after shooting report at a Newtown elemen #5

[Disguiseduser0308]

I don't think that meds had anything to do with this. The problem seems obvious to me: this young man, who had Asperger's syndrome, should not have had access to guns. Something should be done about gun-happy attitudes in the US.

JMO -- but there was something more than just Asperger's going on here.

 

[JBean]

I did really wonder about the "graduated HS" with him, and wonder if that's what they meant.

Now there are reports that she was looking at Engineering schools for Adam, and maybe moving to Washington.

I'm wondering what his status was, so that she thought him going to Engineering school would be good, or even possible for him? Whose idea was it to look into sending him to Engineering School - did Adam want to, or did she want him to, or ???

So many unanswered questions right now. We'll probably understand better as time progresses.

I have found this information most consistently reported:


Lanza appears to have left high school early, and at age 16 began taking classes at Western Connecticut State University in nearby Danbury, where he earned a B average.

He dropped out of German as he was about to fail the class, but earned an A-minus in American history and a B in macroeconomics. He took his last class at the university in summer 2009, the year before he would have been a senior in high school.Starting college at 16 would have been jarring, Novia said, especially as Lanza's older brother left for college and later for a job in Manhattan, and their parents separated, leaving Lanza at home with his mother

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-shooter-lanza-20121217,0,6774489.story

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Newtown plans burials as school's future debated

By MATT APUZZO and PAT EATON-ROBB, AP
34 minutes ago

NEWTOWN, Conn. — A grieving Connecticut town braced itself Monday to bury the first two of the 20 littlest victims of the school gunman. Authorities could not say when or whether the school, now a crime scene and forever a place of tragedy, would reopen.

State police Lt. Paul Vance said that it could be months before police turn Sandy Hook Elementary School back over to the district. The people of Newtown, consumed by loss, were not ready to address its future.

"We're just now getting ready to talk to our son about who was killed," said Robert Licata, the father of a student who escaped harm during the shooting. "He's not even there yet."

Classes were canceled Monday, and Newtown's other schools were to reopen Tuesday. The district made plans to send surviving Sandy Hook students to a former school building in a neighboring town but could not say when.

On Sunday, President Barack Obama pledged to seek change in memory of the 20 children and six adults slain Friday by a gunman packing a high-powered rifle. The president slowly recited the first names of the children...

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20121217/US.Connecticut.School.Shooting/

 

[hockeymom]

I saw another report that said the same thing (need to find the link)... that he was taking college classes while in hs.

(fwiw, I did the same thing... it is possible.)

My son is a senior in HS and takes a college class.

 

[nursebeeme]

Same here. Media is all over the place. It's come to the point where I'm starting to doubt everything except if it's directly from LE.

Crazy.

I agree... I just read thread one as I was out hiking when this happened... it was crazy what was being reported and what has since turned out to be wrong.

 

[otto]

JMO -- but there was something more than just Asperger's going on here.

The family has acknowledged that he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. What other factual information do we have regarding Adam's health issues?

 

[QueenD]

Looks like presser is about to begin.

 

[Ricki]

http://www.wtnh.com/

Briefing starting

 

[hockeymom]

JMO -- but there was something more than just Asperger's going on here.

I don't know enough about Aspergers,but as far as I knew it was considered a developmental disorder,not psyciatric,anyone else know if thats true. And I never knew people with the disorder were prone to violence on others but could be wrong. Can someone help me with this .

 

[georgiagirl]

A friend of my family's son is in his early twenties and has aspergers. He never finished high school because he would get expelled for being disruptive. For instance throwing a school desk against the walk during class and once he stabbed a teacher pretty badly with a pen. He thought it was cool that he got to ride in a police car when that happened. He is very socially awkward and spend a lot of time on the computer playing games. He isn't allowed to drive a car. But last time I was with him he told me he would be doing that soon.


He still lives with his mom who is a very rigid woman too. He has an older brother whom he is estranged from as well. I think the frustration is because she won't put him in a group home to maybe learn to function in society. His bio dad was also estranged but recently died of cancer. His stepdad who is my dads college friend tells stories of him flipping him off behind his moms back. He gets aggressive sometimes and put of hand. I know every case is different. When this happened it reminded me of this guy.

 

[grammieto5]

Only his father, stepmother and brother and other close relatives can speak to what if any mental health issues he had, what his state of mind was the last time they saw him, what kind of relationship he had with his mother, everything else will be pure speculation until they speak if they ever choose to go public,as it appears he was not close to anybody else in the period preceeding his death

they appear to be helping LE build up a picture of Adam and if that is all they choose to do then that is enough, if they choose to remain private and not give interviews then that right should be respected and they should be left alone to come to terms with their own loss and begin to live with the knowledge that Adam shot and murdered his own mother, 20 beautiful children and 6 adults, and has damaged beyond measure all the survivors, the victims family and a whole community and country,

I weep for the dead and the families who grieve,my heart goes out to Adams father and brother who will live with this stain forever,

I hope as a country America takes a look at herself, and re examines gun laws, how the mentally ill are treated, and all and everything that may contribute to why some decide to act this way,

I also hope this issue will not be lost in the politics of gun control.

 

[kai]

My son is a senior in HS and takes a college class.

In our city many high school seniors graduate with an AA/AS degree from Casper College at the same time they are getting their high school diploma. We have a great program called BOCES in WY that makes this possible. Around here kids start taking college courses early and no one blinks.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

The family has acknowledged that he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. What other factual information do we have regarding Adam's health issues?

I can only cite a statement given by Ryan Lanza to LE (picked up by the media) stating his brother also suffered from a personality disorder. Exactly which disorder that is? We may never know.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/14/adam-lanza-school-shooter-suspect_n_2304708.html

If AL only suffered from Asperger's syndrome, this would be the first time in history an ASD sufferer conducted an a pre-planned massacre. Not impossible but also not likely.

I have two schools of thought: either he was misdiagnosed as ASD or he suffered another disorder along with ASD.

 

[nursebeeme]

http://www.wtnh.com/subindex/video/watch_us_live

 

[MissSunshine]

Asperger's did not cause AL to do this. Yes, there are people who have Asperger's that can be bad people just as there are people who don't have Asperger's that are bad. My child, who is an Aspie, has a hard enough time fitting in socially that I am really terrified for him now since it has been said that AL may have had AS.

Autism Speaks and GRASP have both spoken out on this matter.

http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/statement-newtown-connecticut
http://grasp.org/profiles/blogs/sta...n-the-newtown-ct-shootings?xg_source=activity

Here is also an article that may better explain what and how an Aspie may behave.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/art...erger-s-unlikely-to-break-the-law-experts-say

My son is just like any other "normal" child except he has some problems interacting socially because he doesn't quite grasp social cues. He is also a sweetheart, polite, extremely intelligent, and very well spoken.

 

[Kimster]

Columbine parent speaks out on Conn. massacre

Darrell Scott's daughter, Rachel, was killed in the Columbine High School shootings 13 years ago, in Colorado. He talks to Rebecca Jarvis and Anthony Mason about his work to prevent school violence.

Columbine parent speaks out on Conn. massacre - CBS News Video

 

[Ricki]

Guarding both crime scenes
Funerals today.
Each family have a liaison
Families have asked to afford them their privacy
Moving furniture to another school
2 threatening calls against church.
Making sure no stone left unturned
Significant evidence at residence be investigated
Will not discuss evidence
2 people wounded in lower extremities who are survivors
Will not identify witnesses
They have computer crime team which are experts of extracting evidence
Ridgefield schools cleared
Doing everything it takes to recover all evidence to paint a clear picture
Anything new will be posted on websites
Piecing together crime will take a significant amount of time...slow process
Will keep public informed

 

[gxm]

Thank you for that, it's interesting.

My former boss' youngest son has Asperger's...and this is what my boss had told us...that his son cannot feel pain as "normal" people do. He can hurt himself and not really be aware of it, or certainly to the extent that most of us would be aware. That damage could occur to him before he would move/retreat from the pain.

His son would come in the office and be pleasant (good manners), but seemed shy and quiet. He liked routine in everything, they worked their family life around Ben's routines.

When I first heard the comment that Adam didn't feel emotional or physical pain like others would, I immediately thought of what my boss described with his son.

I have an acquaintance who has a son with high functioning autism and though I've never met the boy, from what she says he seems like a very sweet boy. IMO, autism and/or Asperger's are not the cause of violent tendencies, there's something else at work. But I'm not a doctor or specialist, so what do I know. I'd be interested to see if brain scans of autism and Asperger's patients show a lack of functioning in the brain's empathy centers. Does anyone know if this has been researched and verified?

I will say that she is devoted to the boy and her world very much revolves around him and finding natural means (diet, etc.) to help his condition. IMO, this appears to be the case with a lot of mothers and family members, the autistic child becomes their life's work. There's a part of me that wonders if that may have a negative impact because once the child is grown, they are suddenly thrust into a world that doesn't revolve around them. I would think that would be very frightening and leave the grown child feeling exceedingly vulnerable. JMO and all that.

 

[fran]

Per FOX news and from the news conference, moving vans have pulled up to the elementary school and they're removing some of the furniture and such to set up a make-shift school room(s) for the students in another building.

This was to be the last scheduled press briefing, per LE.


JMHO
fran

 

[Kimster]

Asperger's did not cause AL to do this. Yes, there are people who have Asperger's that can be bad people just as there are people who don't have Asperger's that are bad. My child, who is an Aspie, has a hard enough time fitting in socially that I am really terrified for him now since it has been said that AL may have had AS.

Autism Speaks and GRASP have both spoken out on this matter.

http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/statement-newtown-connecticut
http://grasp.org/profiles/blogs/sta...n-the-newtown-ct-shootings?xg_source=activity

Here is also an article that may better explain what and how an Aspie may behave.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/art...erger-s-unlikely-to-break-the-law-experts-say

My son is just like any other "normal" child except he has some problems interacting socially because he doesn't quite grasp social cues. He is also a sweetheart, polite, extremely intelligent, and very well spoken.

THANK YOU FOR THIS POST!

My son is a young Aspie adult and I've been to numerous seminars, read books, been in groups, and helped our school district pave the way for Aspie students. There is NOTHING to suggest Asperger's had anything to do with this killing. It's something else. It's whatever caused Kip Kinkel or the others to kill in this way.

Here's an article about Kip Kinkel: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kinkel/kip/kristin.html