Restraints and abuse: What happened to Denis Maltez?
I read about an autistic boy who is restrained in a van while on an outing from the residential placement where he lives: He stops breathing. He dies. I think, I’ve read this before and remember Jonathan Carey, who died on February 15th; he lived at a center in upstate New York. But the story I am reading is about a 12-year-old boy, Denis Maltez, who lived in Florida and who died on May 23rd. He was on a trip to a flea market to get a haircut—there is mention of staff holding his arms behind his back and of staff restraining his legs…….this article from the June 25th Miami Herald provides a lot of details and is almost unbearable to read.
Then I read about all the medications Denis was on—Seroquel, Zyprexa and Depakote—-and that David J. Glatt, who owned Rainbow Ranches, the group home where Denis lived, has been charged with inpersonating a doctor (a brain surgeon). It seems that children in the group homes were medicated “so ‘irresponsibly’ they trembled, slept and drooled.” Child-abuse investigators had “looked into a claim that ….. Denis Maltez, was so overmedicated he had to be hospitalized in January”—-but the complaint was closed and no action taken against Rainbow Ranches, which have now been shut down.
State regulators presented a juvenile court judge with an emergency order portraying the home where he lived, 310 Northwest Dr., as a den of neglect where disabled children were over-medicated, sexually abused each other and sometimes went hungry.
Denis was diagnosed with “autism, schizophrenia, mild mental retardation, psychosis and depression.” His mother, Martha Quesada, had removed him from another group home in Cutler Ridge after another child punched him in the face.
I have to wonder—did anyone think to connect some of Denis’ behaviors with the physical abuse he received at the first residental placement, or (at the risk of speculating) with the abuse he may have been subjected to at Rainbow Ranches? How can we know really happened to Denis?—-to get some inkling, read Ralph Saverese’s Reasonable People, in which his narrates how he and his wife learned about the abuse (physical and sexual) that their adopted son DJ went through while in foster care.
Thinking of Denis and his family here.
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POSTED IN: Crime, Living Arrangements, Medicine, Safety
17 opinions for Restraints and abuse: What happened to Denis Maltez?
mysonsdad
Jun 26, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Very disturbing read.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 26, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Just reading about what happened to Denis was terrible, and then the rest……
Justthisguy
Jun 26, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Methinks somebody needs to get what Alexander Hamilton got, and deserved, or what Stephen Decatur got, and didn’t deserve.
I’ll not write much more, but to say that sometimes some people need to be called out, though the Heavens fall.
Mr Wonderful
Jun 27, 2007 at 3:04 pm
The use of restraints, seclusion, aversive techniques and other abuses has been going on for years. I have been the moderator on a list serve about these issues since 1999. Shortly before that the Hartford Courant had run a five day series on restraint related deaths. They listed 142 such deaths from 1988 to 1998.
In January 2002 the NJ Assembly held hearings regarding Matthew’s Law, which was intended to ban restraints and aversive treatment. Those favoring the continued use of restraints, which were a couple of the most prestigious autism schools in the state and an agency which offers lifetime support for the autism community convinced the Assembly to pass a watered down compromise bill.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 27, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Thanks for mentioning Matthew’s Law and about Connecticut—-it was not so long after hearing about it that own son started to have aggressive behaviors of the kind that had led to the use restraints. We knew there had to be a better way.
MARTHA Q
Jun 28, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Thank you kristina Chew, PhD to talk abou my son.For me is very sad to think about his cause of died.I am going to read the book the you mention in the paragraph.
Martha Q
Jun 28, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Thank you for this article.Is very sad to think about my son died.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jun 28, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Dear Martha, Thank you so much for commenting here—-it was more than sad to hear about what happened to Denis—–please know that he is in the thoughts and prayers of many.
With many regards to your family and much sympathy,
Kristina Chew
Michelle R
Jun 30, 2007 at 10:03 pm
Hi. I am a mom of a little girl with a medical history very much like Denis. In fact, she was his classmate the past few years at SCD. Everytime I saw Denis he seemed such a happy, active child with a huge smile. My daughter, Arielle, says that Denis was very nice and was the only boy in her class who liked Power Puff Girls. Martha, I am so sorry.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jul 1, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Michelle,
Thanks for sharing some more about Denis—-one of the articles I cited had a photo of him, with that smile.
Best wishes to Arielle and your family.
Denis
Aug 30, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Thank you everybody…
For the comments and interest about Denis,
Information KNOWN
Apr 23, 2008 at 1:10 pm
I Response to “How would we know what happened in the R.R. Group Home”. It is a well known fact that Mr. David Glatt had Surv. Cameras placed throughout the home and he kept copies of all daily events. Where are those?
Kristina Chew, PhD
Apr 23, 2008 at 11:57 pm
A question to ask indeed.
Martha
May 13, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I don’t know anything about the copy of the videos.But I know he has surv.the houses.May be he throw away.
Martha
May 13, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Good question I am going to ask for the video
Kristina Chew, PhD
May 13, 2008 at 2:56 pm
If you find out, and if it’s all right, please let us know. Hope things have been all right.
Mother
May 15, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Denis cause of death is Serotonin syndrome.They tell to the mother is was natural cause,because he was drinking neurological medicine.If was anormal death if Denis was a normal kid.I don’t understand either the mom.But may be you can write more about this syndrome.
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