Connecticut school district on lockdown after shooting report at a Newtown elemen #9

[MyBelle]

If attending high school doesn't prevent murder then why are we blaming the decision to home school AL for it?

There is nothing that unfailingly stops everybody from committing a crime. No schooling decisions, no psychiatric treatment, no nothing.

Even if the parents went against the school recommendations at some point several years ago it is possible that his mother did all she could to get him help in recent times. It's not easy if the person is an adult and doesn't want it.

BBM. If it isn't easy then you just don't try at all? Being lazy is the answer? Let somebody else do it? Usually a personal value system and a respect for life is all that is needed to refrain oneself from engaging in mass annihilation of defenseless creatures.

You are making excuses for an inexcusable crime. Life isn't easy, taking care of difficult family members isn't easy nor was it every promised to be easy.

I'm betting a big help in preventing slaughter of such a grand scale would be to limit availability of automatic assault weapons, ammo and violent video games.

JMO

 

[Xavier]

I'm very curious about the author's statement that "Asperger's is nearly always first diagnosed as "childhood schizophrenia". Is this true? Can someone find a medical or scientific reference to this? TIA

Try looking it up on the www.mayoclinic.com site

 

[cityslick]

You are assuming Adam was treated by a professional. And the fact is that a mentally disturbed person who played violent video games DID massacre a large group of people. How many such attacks is it going to take to convince you that mentally disturbed people should not engage in violent hobbies?

While there may be a lot of men playing Call of Duty, I doubt they are unemployed and isolated in Mommy's basement. There are pretty clear signs but one has to open their eyes to see them or open the front door so others can see them.

JMO

BBM

I'll respectively disagree. Where do you think the video game nerd stereotype came from?

Since you're still hooked on the 'violent' game angle, here's a tidbit. Japan has one of the lowest levels of violent crime in the world. They must not play video games (violent or otherwise) over there. :waitasec:

 

[Marina2]

AL did not use an automatic assault weapon. He used a legal rifle. He could have shot just as many rounds in the time he did with his handguns.

 

[MyBelle]

I read the MAYO CLINIC site on Aspergers and other illnesses/disorders

These are the experts and they say Aspergers cannot be cured/treated with medication since it's not a disease but a congenital birth defect

So if AL had Aspergers, really the only things available to help him possibly could be some medications to subdue AL's anti social anxieties and therapy

But no one's stepped to discuss AL's medication/therapy if he was undergoing this treatment plan at all...So really we're all speculating since we don't have definitive proof yet what disorder/disease he had or treatment plans the Lanza family was committed to

I've no clue about this illness, but I will take the word from seasoned experts @ MAYO

One thing is crystal clear...AL was messed up, had some major anti social behaviors and likely would've killed people sometime in his life, since just about anything messing up his routine/lifestyle would've meant someone would've paid the price

No esteemed expert has said Adam had Asperger's.

JMO

 

[cityslick]

BBM. If it isn't easy then you just don't try at all? Being lazy is the answer? Let somebody else do it? Usually a personal value system and a respect for life is all that is needed to refrain oneself from engaging in mass annihilation of defenseless creatures.

You are making excuses for an inexcusable crime. Life isn't easy, taking care of difficult family members isn't easy nor was it every promised to be easy.

I'm betting a big help in preventing slaughter of such a grand scale would be to limit availability of automatic assault weapons, ammo and violent video games.

JMO

Many stores will not sell M rated games to a minor. AL was not a minor. What exactly do you propose?

The legal age to purchase alcohol in this country is 21. I guess there is no such thing as underage drinking and deaths due to underage drinking?

 

[MyBelle]

BBM

I'll respectively disagree. Where do you think the video game nerd stereotype came from?

Since you're still hooked on the 'violent' game angle, here's a tidbit. Japan has one of the lowest levels of violent crime in the world. They must not play video games (violent or otherwise) over there. :waitasec:

Here's a tidbit: Japan has a very strict gun control policy.

 

[Donjeta]

BBM. If it isn't easy then you just don't try at all? Being lazy is the answer? Let somebody else do it? Usually a personal value system and a respect for life is all that is needed to refrain oneself from engaging in mass annihilation of defenseless creatures.

You are making excuses for an inexcusable crime. Life isn't easy, taking care of difficult family members isn't easy nor was it every promised to be easy.

I'm betting a big help in preventing slaughter of such a grand scale would be to limit availability of automatic assault weapons, ammo and violent video games.

JMO

I am not against limiting access to weapons and violent games. I am not suggesting that family members do nothing. I am not making excuses for an inexcusable crime.

I am just saying that we should not blame the family for things we have no knowledge of. We don't have the evidence that the family members didn't try to do anything. It's possible that a lot of things were attempted. The bad outcome is not proof that nothing was attempted. Sometimes families run themselves ragged trying everything and it just doesn't work.

It's easy to second guess with hindsight and say that since things went wrong nothing was done or that whatever was done must have been wrong but we don't know that.

We don't even know that the schooling decisions were not well meaning attempts to help him at the time. There are students who feel extremely stressed and anxious in a school environment and sometimes it helps to change schools or to home school.

We don't know that the parents did not try to help him develop a good personal value system.

 

[cityslick]

Here's a tidbit: Japan has a very strict gun control policy.

Correct, so why are we focusing on violent games as if that was some sort of catalyst? Because if games make a person so 'violent', they will find other means other than a gun to cause problems.

 

[Foxfire]

Many stores will not sell M rated games to a minor. AL was not a minor. What exactly do you propose?

The legal age to purchase alcohol in this country is 21. I guess there is no such thing as underage drinking and deaths due to underage drinking?

'Unless you have your 24 year old brother's ID handy'...

 

[MyBelle]

Many stores will not sell M rated games to a minor. AL was not a minor. What exactly do you propose?

The legal age to purchase alcohol in this country is 21. I guess there is no such thing as underage drinking and deaths due to underage drinking?

Underage drinking is a crime in this country and deaths caused by it are prosecuted so I'm not sure of your point. Video gamers who engage in illegal activity are prosecuted aren't they?

I don't know who purchased the games or how AL came to be exposed to the game world but if someone in any way influenced his actions they are now the prey of the law enforcement and I'm certainly okay with that.

I've held the opinion from the beginning of this tragedy that someone else was involved.

JMO

 

[Donjeta]

I read the MAYO CLINIC site on Aspergers and other illnesses/disorders

These are the experts and they say Aspergers cannot be cured/treated with medication since it's not a disease but a congenital birth defect

So if AL had Aspergers, really the only things avaialble to help him possibly could be some medications to subdue AL's anti social anxieties and therapy

But no one's stepped to discuss AL's medication/therapy if he was undergoing this treatment plan at all...So really we're all speculating since we don't have definitive proof yet what disorder/disease had or treatment plans the Lanza family was committed to

I've no clue about this illness, but I will take the word from seasoned experts @ MAYO

One thing is crystal clear...AL was messed up, had some major anti social behaviors and likely would've killed people sometime in his life, since just about anything messing up his routine/lifestyle would've paid the price

Could you share the link to the Mayo clinic page saying it's a congenital birth defect? There appears to be a genetic component and prenatal risk factors that are associated but the usual term that gets used is a neurodevelopmental disorder which is not exactly synonymous with a congenital birth defect as some things that happen after the birth might possibly also play a role.

The term birth defect is more commonly reserved for those issues that are observable when the child is born. Asperger's syndrome is not.

 

[MyBelle]

Correct, so why are we focusing on violent games as if that was some sort of catalyst? Because if games make a person so 'violent', they will find other means other than a gun to cause problems.

I'm not focusing on violent games as the catalyst.

 

[katydid23]

I am not against limiting access to weapons and violent games. I am not suggesting that family members do nothing. I am not making excuses for an inexcusable crime.

I am just saying that we should not blame the family for things we have no knowledge of. We don't have the evidence that the family members didn't try to do anything. It's possible that a lot of things were attempted. The bad outcome is not proof that nothing was attempted. Sometimes families run themselves ragged trying everything and it just doesn't work.

It's easy to second guess with hindsight and say that since things went wrong nothing was done or that whatever was done must have been wrong but we don't know that.

We don't even know that the schooling decisions were not well meaning attempts to help him at the time. There are students who feel extremely stressed and anxious in a school environment and sometimes it helps to change schools or to home school.

We don't know that the parents did not try to help him develop a good personal value system.

THANK YOU so much. As I have already said, I spent years worrying that my little brother was going to harm somebody. And we were not ignoring the situation. But in California there is only so much you can do.

We tried to have him committed several times over the years. When successful, it lasted for 3 to 10 days at a time. Then he would be diagnosed as stable, and he would be released, and then would stop taking his meds. We would be back to square one.

Just because someone commits a heinous crime, it does not mean that his family did not try to help them, imo.

We don't know what Nancy Lanza was doing to try to help him. But she did seem to sacrifice her own life in many ways.

 

[Xavier]

I am not sure what is that supposed to mean? At one range, police found no Lanza at target practice? How does that prove anything at all? Did anybody claim she took her sons to every range in the area? I don't think so.

This article addresses simply the CT LE are looking into shooting ranges and according to this article the spoke of just one LE investigated...

Feeling pretty sure LE will check all the CT shooting ranges, I found a site with 43 shooting ranges in Newtown,CT

http://www.yellowpages.com/newtown-ct/shooting-range

Newtown Shooting range | Shooting range in Newtown, CT - YP.comwww.yellowpages.com/newtown-ct/shooting-rangeCached
You +1'd this publicly. Undo
Results 1 - 30 of 43 – 43 listings of Rifle & Pistol Ranges in Newtown on YP.com. Find reviews, directions & phone numbers for the best shooting range in ...

 

[MyBelle]

I am not against limiting access to weapons and violent games. I am not suggesting that family members do nothing. I am not making excuses for an inexcusable crime.

I am just saying that we should not blame the family for things we have no knowledge of. We don't have the evidence that the family members didn't try to do anything. It's possible that a lot of things were attempted. The bad outcome is not proof that nothing was attempted. Sometimes families run themselves ragged trying everything and it just doesn't work.

It's easy to second guess with hindsight and say that since things went wrong nothing was done or that whatever was done must have been wrong but we don't know that.

We don't even know that the schooling decisions were not well meaning attempts to help him at the time. There are students who feel extremely stressed and anxious in a school environment and sometimes it helps to change schools or to home school.

We don't know that the parents did not try to help him develop a good personal value system.

We do have knowledge that Adam was withdrawn from school and home schooled. We do have knowledge that Adam had not spoken to either his father or brother in two years. We do have knowledge that Adam was withdrawn socially, had knowledge of and knew how to use his mother's arsenal of weapons, played violent video games and spent much time alone in the basement. We do know that his mother told a babysitter to never turn his back to Adam. We do know that his mother told friends that the situation was deteriorating.

You keep referring to hindsight but these are known facts. It isn't all that difficult to form an opinion based on what is known.

JMO

 

[Ricki]

Watching on local news, WTNH. The reporters said that AL was not wearing a bullet proof vest but a utility vest with lots of pockets. It is not on there website yet but I did find this.

http://www.chicoer.com/breakingnews...-shooter-adam-lanza-wasnt-wearing-bulletproof
[B"It was a fishing type vest, a jacket with a lot of pockets; it was not a bullet-proof vest," Vance said. [/B]

 

[Donjeta]

We do have knowledge that Adam was withdrawn from school and home schooled. We do have knowledge that Adam had not spoken to either his father or brother in two years. We do have knowledge that Adam was withdrawn socially, had knowledge of and knew how to use his mother's arsenal of weapons, played violent video games and spent much time alone in the basement. We do know that his mother told a babysitter to never turn his back to Adam. We do know that his mother told friends that the situation was deteriorating.

You keep referring to hindsight but these are known facts. It isn't all that difficult to form an opinion based on what is known.

JMO

I don't see how any of that proves that nothing was ever attempted to help him.

 

[Xavier]

I thought some of you might be interested in this to read...Drugs used to help Aspergers patients

If AL was on Abilify & Zyprexa maybe he stopped taking it due to the weight gain effects...and could the reason he looked so emaciated in photos because maybe he had to take the drugs and stopped eating right not to gain weight...Just My Guess..


There are no medications that specifically treat Asperger's syndrome. But some medications may improve specific symptoms — such as anxiety, depression or hyperactivity — that can occur in many children with Asperger's syndrome. Examples include:

Aripiprazole (Abilify). This drug may be effective for treating irritability related to Asperger's syndrome. Side effects may include weight gain and an increase in blood sugar levels.Guanfacine (Intuniv). This medication may be helpful for the problems of hyperactivity and inattention in children with Asperger's syndrome. Side effects may include drowsiness, irritability, headache, constipation and bedwetting.Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Drugs such as fluvoxamine (Luvox) may be used to treat depression or to help control repetitive behaviors. Possible side effects include restlessness and agitation.

Risperidone (Risperdal). This medication may be prescribed for agitation and irritability. It may cause trouble sleeping, a runny nose and an increased appetite. This drug has also been associated with an increase in cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Olanzapine (Zyprexa). Olanzapine is sometimes prescribed to reduce repetitive behaviors. Possible side effects include increased appetite, drowsiness, weight gain, and increased blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Naltrexone (Revia). This medication, which is sometimes used to help alcoholics stop drinking, may help reduce some of the repetitive behaviors associated with Asperger's syndrome. However, the use of low-dose naltrexone — in doses as low as two to four mg a day — has been gaining favor recently. But, there's no good evidence that such low doses have any effect on Asperger's syndrome.

 

[Ricki]

Also found this on the local TV website. What a nice way to remember.

ww.wtnh.com/dpp/news/fairfield_cty/petition-to-name-street-after-vicki-soto#.UN4awXeWTIU
Petition to name street after Vicki Soto

It's an honor to have them even think about it, to have our sister's name put on the street right in front of the high school she graduated from," said Jillian Soto.

The town's mayor says whether it's the street or something else, he is working with Vicki's family to make sure her memory is honored in her hometown.

"We've reached out to them and there are a number of ideas out there to remember Vicky Soto and we look forward to supporting them," said Stratford mayor John Harkins.