# Autistic man is also victim of his violence



## niteowl1970 (Jul 7, 2009)

Telegram.com - An edition of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and Sunday Telegram

A crime clearly occurred when 23-year-old Adam Koumoutseas slammed his mother's head against an asphalt driveway, but the perpetrator wasn't Adam, according to his father.

"The crime is the lack of services," said John Koumoutseas of Southboro, a sentiment echoed across the country by parents plagued with the near-impossible challenges of caring for older - and sometimes aggressive - autistic children. "If you took the time to know what I've been through in the past 20 years, you'd say my story can't be true."

But the elder Koumoutseas was too emotionally drained to share his story when we spoke Tuesday night. Exhausted and likely overwhelmed, he was at the hospital waiting to learn the condition of Pamela Koumoutseas, 60, who was out for a drive with her son on Saturday when he allegedly head-butted her repeatedly and then smashed her skull against a driveway in Westboro. Police arrived to find her lying on her back, semiconscious and covered in blood. When police tried to question Adam, he responded with grunts and unintelligible sounds.

The profoundly autistic young man was arrested and has thus begun his odyssey through a criminal justice system that doesn't know what to do with people like him. Legally an adult, but unable to control or appreciate the wrongfulness of his behavior, Adam is the latest sad poster child for a system at a loss. And his violent outburst once again exposes the dark and controversial nature of the mysterious disorder.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20101216/COLUMN01/12160854#ixzz18MJm56AC​


----------



## EnforceOfficer (Jun 1, 2010)

Some people need to be locked up in institutions...


----------



## Guest (Dec 17, 2010)

EnforceOfficer said:


> Some people need to be locked up in institutions...


Agreed. I think its sad, and of course a parent doesn't WANT to have their child institutionalized, but sometimes it is necessary. Maybe if our genius government spent less money on lazy, selfish welfare recipients, health and education benefits for illegals, and a hundred other ridiculous programs, there might be more funds available to cover or help subsidize the cost of facilities equipped to care for the mentally unstable.


----------



## HistoryHound (Aug 30, 2008)

It sounds like in this case being institutionalized would have been in the best interest of the child. Clearly the parents can't handle him and I have a hard time believing that everything was good for 23 years until now. As sad as it is, you have to look at what is best for the child and if he can't control himself in society; then, he needs to be someplace where they have the staff and resources to keep him under control for the safety of others and himself.

I agree with RaR completely. It's time the government stops funding all of these ridiculous programs, like the one I heard of today where they want to study clams. Cutting all that garbage alone would free up substantial funding for services for those truly in need. Then, they can start cutting funding to all the gimme girls and their baby daddies and all of the "disabled" folk out there that have no problem doing the things they enjoy but are too sick/injured to work.


----------



## rg1283 (Sep 14, 2005)

The problem is with Autism is that they are neither developmentally disabled nor mentally ill. So the DMH and DMR fight over it. Even if an autistic person was severely mentally ill it is a very long hard process to get into a State Hospital. Which besides forensic, the geriatric mentally ill and rare cases not many people stay there for life anymore.

The commonwealth's idea of mental illness is everyone being bipolar and collecting a check.. sure there are bipolar people who need help... there is no way a whole family can be bipolar.. All 30 kids getting SSI.. Section 8, etc.


----------

