Relisha Rudd

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Although having multiple children in your teens is a recipe for disaster I'm inclined to agree with the adoptive parent of the FASD child above. Having multiple children before 21 is both a cause and a symptom.

I'm not against encouraging long term birth control but this is bigger than that.

The adoptive parent mentioned poor impulse control, inability to understand cause and effect and inability to understand money. All can be present in FASD children in general and was there in Shamika's family in particular. Shamika of course but when you listen carefully to her mother's story you hear this too.

It comes down to someone who innately doesn't have the ability to navigate the adult world on a minimal level raising multiple children who innately are going to have difficulty navigating the adult world under the best of circumstances but have a poor role model to make it worse.

Spending money to watch and manage these children and families is a good use of resources. Pay now or pay more later. Shelters, prisons, public defenders, rent funds, etc. all cost the tax payers money too and don't seem to change things for the families, children and our society.
Time for serious targeted help.

The social instabilty mentioned above such as 'men in and out' doesn't surprise me as the expectation of two mentally challenged people staying together is asking a lot. Remember the impulse control and other issues. Enormous pressures working against a long term relationship. Consider what your MC and UMC friends get divorced over and in poverty all those reasons are there plus a million more.

I'm the PP above who is the mom by adoption of FASD affected kids. I have often thought that it would be a good use of DC governmental money and resources to renovate and use the large number of 4 unit brick apartment buildings scattered throughout DC to provide this sort of supervised housing. Put a social worker team in one unit and three of these young mothers in the other. Require nexplanon or another form of long-term birth control which does not require an FASD-affected brain to remember to take/use it as a condition of residency. I will tell you that many (not all, but some) FASD-affected individuals can be taught life skills so long as they are in a supported, supervised environment. But DC's current policies regarding government housing, homeless shelters and foster care are not designed to provide that supervised environment, thus the cycle continues. FASD affected teens have normal teenage hormones but the judgment of young elementary school children---it is not surprising that Shamika got pregnant over and over, as ---apparently---did her mother. FASD is multi-generational without continuous and significant interventions.

This makes a lot of sense. Disrupting the cycle is critical and would save us money in the long run. Greater initial investment but important and valuable work

[Anonymous]

Absolutely to all of the above. I like the idea of the small supervised housing and I do believe skills can be taught in most cases.

There are so many basics that are taken for granted if you are middle class and/or average intelligence that it's easy not to see that some folks just don't have this foundation to draw on including a family safety net.

I had college friends woefully mismanaged their money and credit but they were never in danger of homelessness while they learned.

I have a friend who adopted a daughter from the rural version of Shamika's situation and with intensive monitoring, interventions and special schooling has made it to age 26 without any children and holds a job. It has been a long road for the adoptive family but worth I think. The rural mother lives in government sponsored motels in the Midwest and her other children have varying outcomes depending on who raised them. The ones that received the least interventions early are the ones costing society now with prison time, housing costs,

[Anonymous]

Why is this thread in the DCPS board?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is this thread in the DCPS board?

This must be your first time hearing about this story. In that case, try google.

[Anonymous]

Is FASD established or speculative?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is FASD established or speculative?

The signs are prominently there. Obviously we don't have access to confidential medical records although Shamika and at least one of her sisters spent time in therapeutic schools.

Regardless of the cause all of the debilitating factors are presenting themselves. And the reality is something should be done +consistently to prevent children from repeating these cycles. Something formalized, concrete and long term if we are serious about stopping a continuous cycle of poverty and instability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Is FASD established or speculative?


The signs are prominently there. Obviously we don't have access to confidential medical records although Shamika and at least one of her sisters spent time in therapeutic schools.

Regardless of the cause all of the debilitating factors are presenting themselves. And the reality is something should be done +consistently to prevent children from repeating these cycles. Something formalized, concrete and long term if we are serious about stopping a continuous cycle of poverty and instability.
[Report Post]

PP Mom of FAS-ling child again. Here's something else depressing--several years ago, a friend was studying social work and doing a practicum at DC General's homeless shelter working with the children there. At that point in our parenting journey, I was really starting to get educated about the role FASD plays in the continuation of multi-generational poverty and the people who flail on the margins of society and fall into homelessness, prison, etc. I asked my friend if there was any conversation/training for the social workers at DC General around FASD. She said there was none whatsoever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is this thread in the DCPS board?

This must be your first time hearing about this story. In that case, try google.

I’ve read all about Relisha Rudd. The discussion is about a podcast and social work. Let me rephrase- why is this thread in the DCPS board?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is this thread in the DCPS board?

This must be your first time hearing about this story. In that case, try google.

I’ve read all about Relisha Rudd. The discussion is about a podcast and social work. Let me rephrase- why is this thread in the DCPS board?

Because the person who originally posted about the podcast resurrected the original thread about Relisha, which was about the ways that DCPS specifically had failed.

[Anonymous]

Relisha attended Payne elementary school and missed a bunch of days before the school followed up. There were flimsy excuses that she was with a Dr Tatum who was actually a janitor. A social worker from Payne did sound the alarm eventually and Relisha was declared missing.

School related because her situation makes us think about the role of school in keeping our children safe. Absentee policies mean nothing if they aren't followed. Of course they can be foolishly enforced but that's not the point here.

[Anonymous]

I have never forgotten about Relisha and I'm listening to the podcast. She really did fall through the cracks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is this thread in the DCPS board?

This must be your first time hearing about this story. In that case, try google.

I’ve read all about Relisha Rudd. The discussion is about a podcast and social work. Let me rephrase- why is this thread in the DCPS board?

Because the person who originally posted about the podcast resurrected the original thread about Relisha, which was about the ways that DCPS specifically had failed.

DCPS did not fail. the parents of relisha rudd failed her. I understand that she is considered mentally challenged, drug issues, abused etc. Even after three investigations by CPS, did anyone at all ever discuss providing her with a free IUD?

[Anonymous]

DCPS did not fail. the parents of relisha rudd failed her. I understand that she is considered mentally challenged, drug issues, abused etc. Even after three investigations by CPS, did anyone at all ever discuss providing her with a free IUD?

I assume you mean Shamika, Relisha's mom? It's possible that she was offered birth control after having her children.

The school connection is that she was chronically absent and was absent for approximately 18 days straight when the school sent the social worker to the shelter. The school knew she was in an unstable living situation so most likely not on a European vacation during her absences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

DCPS did not fail. the parents of relisha rudd failed her. I understand that she is considered mentally challenged, drug issues, abused etc. Even after three investigations by CPS, did anyone at all ever discuss providing her with a free IUD?

I assume you mean Shamika, Relisha's mom? It's possible that she was offered birth control after having her children.

The school connection is that she was chronically absent and was absent for approximately 18 days straight when the school sent the social worker to the shelter. The school knew she was in an unstable living situation so most likely not on a European vacation during her absences.


The mother initially lied about her "treatment" so the school didn't know for a while. This is 100% on the mother, whatever her impairments.

[Anonymous]

I don't blame the school. It's the school that helped figure out something was wrong to begin with and investigated. "Doctors" notes were sent to school signed by the creep janitor who signed them "Dr."