I started this petition after being spurred to action by the lack of understanding surrounding the communication needs of my autistic brother. My brother is now living in the same home where I suffered for years. Though he is technically surrounded by people, he is still so clearly and utterly alone.
Today, I spoke with the supervisor of Virginia Beach CPS about my brother. I asked her if she had any training in autism. She told me she does not. This is extremely concerning. Autistic children have specific communication needs that must be understood in order to support and protect them.
When I explained to the supervisor, Ms. Parone, what is happening with my brother—how he is being threatened and psychologically abused—she continuously cited that he has multiple mandated reporters around him. However, I explained that because of his autism, he may not communicate with those individuals due to fear, lack of trust, his timid personality, and his social communication deficits. Despite this, she seemed unaware of the gravity of that reality.
When speaking to many CPS workers, it often feels less like speaking to a compassionate human being and more like speaking to a machine focused on checking off boxes. The system’s automation and rigid procedures leave little room for empathy or nuance, especially when dealing with trauma. When workers prioritize meeting legal criteria over understanding the human context, children in crisis—especially those with disabilities—lose vital access to care and protection.
Rather than understanding and meeting the needs of autistic children, the current system operates based on a narrow set of criteria designed around the needs of typically developing, neurotypical children. This results in autistic children being treated as if they have the same level of social proficiency as their non-autistic peers.
The lack of awareness, training, and support—as well as the lack of access to services that adequately meet the needs of autistic children—is deeply troubling. As a Virginia citizen, I am saddened to see how the Commonwealth is failing so many of its most vulnerable citizens.
From a research-based perspective, it is clear that this failure causes significant harm to autistic children. According to a study archived by the National Library of Medicine and written by Sarah J. Palmer, “Traumatic experiences contribute significantly to behavioral and mood dysregulation syndromes presenting for treatment to behavioral health settings. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID), and developmental delay experience traumatic events more frequently than their typically developing peers. However, measures used to identify trauma-related disorders and treatment thereof are based on typically developing individuals.”
This increased risk of behavioral and mood dysregulation—combined with the lack of appropriate tools for detection—leads to long-term burnout and mental health complications for neurodivergent people, drastically affecting their quality of life and personal outcomes.
That same article also notes, “Providers have posited concerns that events that may seem trivial to others can be traumatic for individuals with ASD and ID (7–9).” The study concludes, “Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), especially those with intellectual disabilities, are at higher risk of maltreatment. Researchers note that deficits in social communication and potential biases among caseworkers can make it particularly difficult to recognize abuse in this vulnerable population”
Research clearly shows that autistic children require greater support. Yet CPS training remains focused on neurotypical presentations of trauma. I am deeply concerned for the future of autistic Virginians if mandatory training and specialized protocols for autistic children are not urgently implemented.
You can read the full study here: