7 Year Old Nonverbal Boy Found in Parking Lot Naked and Frightened
“On June 2 of last year, staff were just arriving to work at a Tim Horton’s located in the city’s north end when they found a seven-year-old boy in the parking lot “naked, frightened and non-verbal.” According to the article in Saskatoon CTV News, “it was later learned, that the boy had escaped from a group home over a kilometre away.”
The boy, who is on the autism spectrum and has a moderate intellectual disability, could only communicate by gestures.
Fast forward eight months later, the Saskatchewan Advocate for Children and Youth in Saskatchewan released a report on the incident that highlights issues of neglect and abuse at the group home, in which he lived at.
This group home is now closed, and points to deeper issues at the places charged with caring for Saskatchewan’s most vulnerable children.
The Advocate for Children and Youth titled her report as “Someone to Watch Over Us,” calls for stronger oversight at the roughly 130 group homes in Saskatchewan caring for children on behalf of the government.
The title of the report makes you wonder…why was no one watching?
It comes down to someone saying these children matter in this world and deserve better.
According to the report by the children and youth advocate, in one of the group homes, there was one child who was malnourished to a point of hospitalization. There were no sensory or therapeutic toys and tools in the home, and COVID protections were insufficient.
This is not only showing the flaws in our system we have in place for our most vulnerable, but that our system is built to not protect all children and youth.
No one knows there is a problem until it is too late.
But that is not the case for this situation, this is having the knowledge now.
As a province, things are falling apart and the most vulnerable just don’t matter to those in a position of power to make real change.
When does it matter?
It matters before it hits the headlines.
It matters before the most vulnerable gets hurt.
It matters before a child loses their life
It matters and I shouldn’t have to point it out.
But yet here I am advocating.
Here I am educating.
Yet no one cares.
I sit back most days wondering why.
I wonder if it matters to others as much as it does to me.
I wonder how we got to this point.
I wonder about our community and if people would care if my child lost his life due to a flawed system.
Would they send flowers?
Would they send sympathy cards that say, “sorry for your loss”?
Yes, they would.
I am sure our home would be filled with roses and over the top flower arrangements to make up for the silence this community shows as each tragedy hits the headlines.
They would be sorry for our loss but by then it’s too late.
Where were you before the ugly?
Where were you when I was advocating?
Where were you when I yelled from the rooftops that our system is flawed in Saskatchewan?
You wouldn’t have to write that sympathy card if you would have cared before the tragedy.
See I have a vision and an image pictured in my mind that I hope each child with special needs gets to experience.
My vision is support in schools for those most vulnerable.
I picture a system that puts kids that are most vulnerable first, instead of at risk of abuse and neglect.
I have an image of families not spending endless years with their child in crisis.
I have a picture in my mind where our most vulnerable aren’t making front page news headlines due to the incompetence of many government officials.
The voice I was given is a gift.
The voice I have needs to be heard.
My son has no voice yet, so I will be sure to use mine, always.
The voice I use each and everyday will never go silent.
This is bigger than me.
This is the Saskatchewan no one should be proud to live in right now.
We have a system that has failed our kids time and time again.
And I am truly bothered by that.
Be thankful that you aren’t us.
Be thankful that your child does not have to be in the flawed system.
Be thankful that your child is home safe under your roof with no need for additional supports in schools.
Be thankful that you don’t have a child that needs to go into a public group home at the age of four years old.
Be thankful you never got a call that a government ran facility just mentally and physically abused your vulnerable child.
When does it matter to others?
I wish one day someone would be able to answer that for me.
How many kids need to be hurt?
How many stories need to hit the front page headlines before people care?
Reality?
The answer should be none.
Our kids should matter and for some reason with each passing day, they still don’t.
One day I hope I wake up in a world where my child matters and is alive to see that world with me.
Written by, Katie Emde
Hey friends, I am Katie Emde. I live in Saskatchewan with my husband and three beautiful kids. My oldest son Avery was diagnosed with severe non verbal autism. Our daughter Natalie is learning so much while we do homeschooling this year. Our youngest son Jackson is only four years old and loves everything dinosaur. When me and my husband were getting Avery diagnosed and all the supports he needed when he was younger. We had found everything to be extremely overwhelming. I started advocating provincially for hundreds of families all over the province. I am on numerous IEP’s with various schools. I have done numerous fundraisers and supported various non profits over the years. I help families navigate everything autism in Saskatchewan. I found my voice when we struggled and now I use my voice for the many. I share our life on Facebook at A Journey With Avery and on Instagram at katieemde.
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