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Office of Child Advocate (OCA) Breakdown

Just a Few of the many psychiatric labels placed on Adam Lanza

Oral Expressive Disability, Sensory processing disorder, expressive language disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, Emotionally Disturbed.

 

Adam Lanza born April 22, 1992. AL refers to Adam Lanza.

Page 3 -It is vital to note that AL was completely untreated in the years before the shooting and did not receive sustained, effective services during critical periods of his life, and it is this story that the report seeks to tell. HOW DO THEY KNOW THIS? THEY DON’T HAVE A LOT OF RECORDS FOR AL THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. HOW DID THEY COME TO THIS CONCLUSION?

Page 6 – OCA began comprehensive collection and review of records related to the life of AL – including his medical, mental health and education records, as well as un- redacted state police and law enforcement records.

Page 14 – Mr. Lanza, in the late stages of the report’s development provided an extensive interview and private correspondence pertinent to this report.

Page 15 – Authors of this report were not able to obtain a full copy of AL’s earliest pediatric records from his time in New Hampshire (birth to five years).

Page 16 – AL underwent a “Birth to Three” evaluation in late 1994… speech and language services were recommended… an initial preschool special education plan was created.

Page 17 – AL began pre-school in 1995 in New Hampshire, received special education support services. (He would have just turned three).

Page 17 – A neurological/developmental evaluation in early April 1997, just before AL’s fifth birthday.

Page 24 – Lanza’s moved to Sandy Hook in 1998. (six years old)

Page 26 – AL began First Grade at Sandy Hook Elementary in 1998. AL received Speech and Language services based on IEP set up in Kingston, NH. (six years old)

Page 27- Second Grade occupational therapy discontinued. (1999) (seven years old) Page 27 – Third Grade everything okay. (2000) (eight years old)

Page 28 – AL in Fourth Grade met all speech goals and was exited from Special Education. (2001) (Nine years old)

Page 29 – AL transitioned from Sandy Hook to the Reed Intermediate School for Grades 5 & 6. (2002-2003) (Lanza’s separated in 2002) THERE IS NO MENTION AS TO WHY AL WAS TRANSFERRED TO REED. WHY DIDN’T THEY ASK PETER LANZA WHEN THEY INTERVIEWED HIM? THIS IS ODD. AL WAS DOING GREAT. WHAT HAPPENED TO AL AT THIS TIME?

Page 29 – AL and another boy in Fifth Grade Co-wrote the “Big Book of Granny.” See note at bottom of page about Co-author. (AL would be ten years old in 5th Grade).

Page 36 – Mr. Lanza told police that it was between the ages of 11-12 that he began to seem a little different, less happy. Angry, Aggressive, panic attacks, anxious, didn’t like to be photographed.

Page 36 – AL attended Reed Intermediate School for Sixth Grade 2003 (Eleven years old). Did well academically. Teachers reports were all positive. No report of weird behavior / OCD.

Page 36 – A pediatric record for 2003 (Sixth Grade) (Eleven years old) noted obsessive- compulsive tendencies, including hand washing, leading to excoriated skin and clothing rituals. Social, emotional, and communicative struggles appeared to have become increasingly intense.

Page 36 – AL attended Newtown Middle School for Seventh Grade. 2004 (Twelve years old). Communicative struggles appeared to have become increasingly intense, culminating in his abrupt withdrawal from the NTMS at the end of the third quarter, in late April 2005.

Page 37 -There is no information concerning the reason for AL’s abrupt withdrawal from school – or the subsequent enrollment in a catholic school.

Page 37 – AL attended catholic school for the fourth quarter of Seventh Grade.

Page 38 – AL was withdrawn from the catholic school at the end of the year (end of Seventh Grade.)

Page 38 – AL did not return to catholic school. He did not return to school, public or private, in eighth grade. ( WHY NOT?)

Page 38 – AL was taken to Danbury Hospital Emergency Room in September of 2005 (Eighth Grade, 13-years old) AL was diagnosed as Anxiety Disorder, NOS; Rule out Asperger Syndrome; Rule out Autistic Disorder, followed by a discharge diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Page 38 – According to the Child Advocate, Mrs. Lanza’s sole purpose for taking AL to emergency room was to obtain medical permission to allow him to stay home from school indefinitely. They provided a note for three days. WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THIS CLAIM?

Page 39 – Fall 2005, AL begins seeing Dr. Fox who was referred by a Newtown School official to Nancy Lanza. At least 20 payments to Fox were made between November 2005 and July 2007 and one payment in 2008.

Page 41 – October 2005 – Fox provides note that AL “should not attend school due to the lack of an appropriate placement” and his “mounting overwhelming anxiety.”

Page 42 – The school district followed up on Fox’s recommendations at an IEP meeting in December 2005 with an offer to evaluate AL. The IEP indicated that AL was to receive up to 10 hours of special education in the form of tutoring, based on the psychiatrist’s belief that AL could not function in a regular education environment. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE REGARDING HOW OR IF THE RECOMMENDED 10 HOURS PER WEEK OF HOMEBOUND INSTRUCTION WAS DELIVERED DURING THIS SCHOOL YEAR.

IN OTHER WORDS, THERE IS NO RECORD THAT AL COMPLETED ANY SCHOOL WORK FOR THE EIGHTH GRADE.

Page 42 – March of 2006 – The Psychiatrist responded with a faxed note that AL was “medically/emotionally unavailable to be tested (CMT).” According to the psychiatrist, AL could not and was not receiving home-bound or hospital-based tutoring and he was not attending school at all.

FOX IS ABSOLUTELY TELLING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT AL DID NO SCHOOL WORK AT ALL IN THE EIGHTH GRADE.

Page 46 – The IEP team did not reconvene until June, 2006, to discuss the upcoming school year…there is no documentation in the school record that the district had a treatment plan for him, or that the district raised any questions about AL being out of the school for an entire year.

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE. A KID DOES NOT ATTEND SCHOOL FOR A YEAR AND NOBODY WONDERS WHY? HOW DID AL GET INTO 9TH GRADE???

Page 59 – As AL approached 9th grade (14-years old), his parents and the school agreed to ease him back into a school environment. In November of 9th grade (2006), the IEP team recommended a psychological evaluation for AL – to be conducted by the school district – and the parents agreed. At this time, AL had been receiving tutoring for major academic subjects (up to 10 hours) but had also begun to come to the High School for a combination of tutoring and classroom work in Chemistry, Math and Latin, depending on his ability to handle the environment.

From Page 59 to 62, it is difficult to understand just how much AL attended school, was tutored at home and how many classes he actually took and passed. There actually is no concrete data about his success in 9th grade – wondering then how he got into 10th grade?????

Page 62 – A new psychiatrist is introduced ???? who says AL is ready to return to NTHS.

Page 65 – AL was originally scheduled (8/27/07) to take Sociology, AP U.S. History, AP Chemistry, AP physics, English, Math and Latin – a plan which did not last beyond a few months. (Tenth Grade)

Page 67 – By February of 2008 (10th grade, and 16-years old) AL had dropped most of his mainstream classes, including Sociology, History, Chemistry and Physics and had arranged to complete English as an “independent study.”

Page 67 – In March, Mrs. Lanza was again contemplating home-schooling AL, but worried that he would later be unable to show all of his work with the Technology Club or work study. Summer of 2008 records indicate that AL was to receive Extended School Year Services in the form of one-on-one tutoring from school staff.

OKAY BUT DID HE ACTUALLY RECEIVE THE SERVICES AND COMPLETE THE COURSES??? THE REPORT DOESN’T SAY. THAT’S A LOT OF CLASSES TO MAKE UP IN A FEW MONTHS…NOT EVEN CONSIDERING THAT AL SKIPPED 8th GRADE.

Page 68 – In the Fall of 2008, AL entered 11th Grade (16-17 years old) and did it by doing 10 hours of tutoring a week. AL did not re-enter mainstream classes in the high school again.

Page 68 – By the beginning of AL’s junior year, he had accumulated 11.5 credits toward the required 20 for graduation. By the end of the year, he was credited with 21, which allowed him to graduate a year early and exit special services. HOW?

Page 68 – Mrs. Lanza reported that AL was taking classes at Western Connecticut State University during the 11th grade year as part of his “independent study.”

Page 74 – AL took several courses at Norwalk community College and Western Connecticut State University in 2008 and 2009, many for high school graduation credits… These classes included “website production” and “visual basic” (earning an A- and A, respectively.) In the fall of 2008, AL took Data Modeling and DB Design, withdrawing during the semester, and Intro to Ethical Theory, for which he earned a C. In the Spring of 2009, he took Intro German and American History Since 1877, as well as Principles of Marcroeconomics. ARE THESE THE SAME REQUIRED CLASSES FOR ALL 11th/12th GRADERS?