He was at times kept in a windowless room in a windowless unit and has received daily psychotherapy, schooling and visits from social workers. The unit also has televisions, books and games, but it is not meant to be a long-term-care facility.
Progress reports from the hospital, contained in its filings, show that the boy’s mother was “at a loss” for how to help and is afraid that he will hurt someone. The boy, according to the reports, shows no remorse for his behavior.
After he spent less than two weeks in the unit, doctors recommended that he be released from inpatient treatment because the “acute phase” had passed, court papers say. They said that he has ongoing behavioral issues but that his violent tendencies stopped Sept. 25.
Ronald Federici, an expert in child neuropsychology, said it is quite unusual for a hospital to turn to the courts to resolve such an issue. Overall, he said, it is a bad situation for the boy.
“He’s warehoused, which is very detrimental to the child,” Federici said. “He’s probably feeling isolation and abandonment, and he probably doesn’t know what’s going on. The kid is the biggest victim in all of this.”
Hospital officials think that the boy should be put in the care of his mother for outpatient services or enter a residential treatment facility.
“It is in the interests of L.F. to be removed, not to a sidewalk or by eviction, but to an appropriate care facility, as opposed to the acute care hospital he is currently in,” hospital attorneys wrote.
Although the boy was “anxious to go home,” his mother didn’t think that he was ready for discharge, according to court documents, and she skipped discharge meetings. She said a month ago that the hospital should contact social services, the documents say.
Court documents show that the boy has had tension at home, in part, he told hospital workers, because he has never known his father and believes he has been kept from him. He told hospital officials that he gets angry when disciplined by his stepfather and starts “destroying stuff.” The boy’s stepfather, reached by telephone, declined to comment.
The boy’s father said in an interview Wednesday that he has not been a consistent part of his son’s life because he has been prevented from seeing him. He said he learned last week that the boy was at Children’s Hospital and that he has visited him nearly every day since.
“When I see him, he’s so happy,” the father said. “He runs up and hugs me real tight. I tell him that I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”
The father said the boy is playful and active. He said he would jump at the chance to take him home and realizes that he might have to go to court to make it happen.
“That’s all I want,” the father said. “I don’t want him in the place he’s in. That’s not a place for him.”
The boy’s maternal grandmother, who has been visiting him during his stay, said the boy wants to leave the hospital.
“He does want to go home, somewhere,” she said. “It breaks my heart.”
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Staff writer Keith L. Alexander and staff researchers Magda Jean-Louis and Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.
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