State Finds Killed Autistic Teenager Was Abused
From the
Associated Press.
Trenton, N.J.- An autistic teenager was abused and neglected in the month before
he died at a facility for the developmentally disabled, the state Department of
Human Services has concluded.
Matthew Goodman, 14, of Buckingham, Pa., was improperly restrained by staffers
at Bancroft Neurohealth Inc. of Haddonfield, and on several occasions left him
unattended, the agency said in a ruling issued Tuesday.
However, the probe did not link Goodman's treatment at the facility, known as
The Lindens, to his Feb. 6 death from pneumonia, respiratory distress and a
blood infection at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The report, prepared by the state Division of Developmental Disabilities,
acknowledged that Goodman was harmed at the facility, where he had lived since
he was 9. An inquiry in the spring found no problems, but was re-opened after
his mother, Janice Roach, presented the state with photographs of her son on the
floor in arm restraints.
Goodman's parents contend that Bancroft's care -- which including a regimen of
medications and physical restraints -- compromised his immune system and
contributed to his death. The Camden County Prosecutor's Office is
investigating.
For the last 16 months of his life, Goodman lived at a neuro-behavioral unit.
Doctors required him to wear shoulder-to-wrist arm restraints and a helmet to
prevent self-injury. That is not uncommon for people with autism, a
developmental disability that impairs a person's ability to communicate to and
relate with others.
Goodman's parents objected when they realized the devices were seldom removed,
that he was no longer going to school, and that he was being given escalating
doses of mood-controlling medications.
Roach filed a complaint with the state in March 2001, but the human services
department did not investigate the allegations until 10 months later. Ed Rogan,
a department spokesman for the Human Services department, said part of the delay
was due to Bancroft's reluctance to turn over videotapes of the boy.
Paul Healy, a Bancroft spokesman, said company officials have not seen the
report but will investigate the state's findings.
In June, the state Health Department fined Bancroft $127,000 for violations
found in surprise inspections. The violations included failure to report and
prevent abuse, inadequate staff training and failure to inform parents of
treatment changes. Bancroft has appealed the fine.
