Autistic Boy Put In Pants Too Small: School Gives Autistic Student Pants Sized Too Small After He Has Accident

An autistic boy was issued pants by his school that were too small pants when he had to change them. The incident occurred in Greenfield, Indiana, and a mother was outraged when she went to pick up her 6-year-old son from school and saw him in a pair of ill-fitting pants. He was upset and in tears because he was wearing pants that were several sizes too small for him.

Emily Miller says that her son, Joseph, has autism and has difficulty communicating his needs to school staff, WTHR reports. She noticed that the pants were so tight, they were all the way up to his chest.

Apparently, the child had an accident in his pants when he couldn’t get to the restroom in time. On Wednesday, Weston Elementary School administrators found a spare pair of pants for Joseph, but they weren’t at all suitable for him.

Miller is upset because the school didn’t call her before putting her son in a pair of pants that were too small. She said she would’ve rushed over a change of clothes for him instead of having him go through humiliation at school.

The autistic boy who had pants on that were too small was being made fun of by the other students, according to his mother. Miller said that Joseph was confused about what was going on, and the other kids were pointing at him. He was covering his face in an attempt to conceal his embarrassment.

After the report had been published, the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation superintendent said instances like this are rare, and it’s not their policy to call parents.

That wasn’t a good enough answer for Joseph’s mother.

“Here’s another roadblock. I just want to rip [the pants] up. I am leaving the care of my babies in their hands thinking that they are going to treat my children like they would treat their own and I am thinking there is no way that they would let their kids walk out like that,” Miller said.

Administrators said that they’ll review their policies. Miller hopes that for the sake of students and parents, they will change them.

“I am in parent protective mode right now. I don’t want another child to go through this,” Miller said.

Miller planned to keep all of her children home for the remainder of the school week. She’s not sure what her next step will be.

This story is very similar to another report that was posted on the Inquisitr in which a 6-year-old girl was sent home after also having an accident at school. The girl was sent home without any pants because Terre Elementary School in Florida said they didn’t have any extra pants for the young student. Her father was outraged that his daughter was sent home in just an oversized t-shirt and underwear.

The girl in the article didn’t have autism, but she had medical issues. According to the report, the girl had to use the restroom while class was in session, but her requests were ignored, and she was unable to get to a restroom before she soiled her pants.

One report about the girl going home without any pants stated that it’s a good idea for parents and guardians to be sure an extra change of clothes for them is at the school just in case of emergencies. This is especially true for special needs students and for those who have medical problems. Accidents do occur with students and sometimes school-issued clothing may not be the best alternative if they don’t have the right size.

In the case of the autistic boy having on pants that were too small, the embarrassment he experienced could have been prevented if the school had called his mother. It’s unclear why calling a parent for an emergency like this would not be in line with school policy.

[Photo Credit: WTHR video screenshots]