Ontario family of violent, autistic son, 8, desperate for help

An Ontario family lives in constant fear of being attacked in their own home by their autistic son, and they are desperate for help.

Stephanie Serenko says she struggles every day to help her son Mason, an eight-year-old who weights 180 pounds. She is a single mother and lives with her parents.

When her father goes to work, she and her mother try to survive the day and she is scared that one day, he will unintentionally kill her.

“It’s dangerous to be with him alone … It’s hard, it’s really hard,” said Serenko. “Ducking, dodging, pinching, biting, breaking things, it’s just endless.”

Serenko has had her nose broken twice and chunks of her hair pulled out. Her mother has also been injured.

“I’ve had a black eye from him, broken ribs, about six months ago,” added Amanda Serenko.

The signs of outbursts are everywhere on their property: the car, the couch, the cabinet doors. “He’s broken the stove, it’s not just a crack, it’s a hole, shattered with his head,” explained Amanda.

Mason was diagnosed at two years old and was on the Ontario Autism Program waitlist for treatment for five years. He only started receiving funding for therapy this year.

“There’s no help unless you have money,” said Amanda.

The family said they don’t have money for private therapy, which can cost $100,000 a year. Stephanie and Amanda can’t work because they must both stay home with him and protect each other.

Mason does go to school, but only for part of the day. “Staff has to wear full protective gear, [he] has sent them to hospital,” his mother explained.

Stephanie said she’s hit a roadblock. There are either no resources or long waitlists. She needs help and none is available. She believes Mason needs to be in a group home but he’s too young. One day, she was so desperate she called the Children’s Aid Society on herself.

“We didn’t know what else to do,” she said. “It’s the first time they’ve ever had an experience like that where someone called in on themselves really.”

Mason’s grandparents say they’re also suffering. “I cry every time I think about it because it’s hard … I’ve been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, PTSD,” said Amanda. Her husband, Mike, added it’s “hell … every day every night.”

Despite the hardship, they love Mason and believe he is truly a beautiful boy at heart. Amanda told CityNews, “I love him more than anything in the world. I would do anything for him.”

The family does get some respite care, five hours once a week, but every 14 weeks, it runs out and they have to reapply for it, so there is a gap of a few weeks when they have nothing.

They are calling on the Ford government for help, not just for them but for other families in crisis as well.

In Part 2 of this series, CityNews takes this story to Queen’s Park for a response.