No longer able to care for autistic son, Ottawa woman gives him to government

OTTAWA – An Ottawa mother says she was at her breaking point when she decided to drop off her son at a government office on Tuesday.

Amanda Telford says she can no longer care for her son, 19, who has the mental capacity of a two-year-old and is non-verbal.

Telford says her son has wandered away from home several times over the last few weeks and she spent Monday at a hospital after he took prescription medication that he wasn’t supposed to.

She took him to the Ottawa Office of Developmental Services Ontario, which is responsible for finding living arrangements for adults with developmental disabilities.

Her son has been on the waiting list for a year and a half.

Telford is hopeful that delivering her son to the office will draw attention to their plight.

“I’m on medical leave from work,” she said. “I am not able to keep this young man safe anymore.”

(1310News)