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In the interest of the child's well-being
Neurodiversity and Social Participation
Within the framework of the neurodiversity concept, autism is regarded as a natural biological variation of human life. Healthy identity development requires an environment that reduces barriers and waives the pressure for individual conformity. Establishing an inclusive culture is a systemic process that necessitates an evidence-based redesign of social spaces. This is based on respect for human dignity, the promotion of self-determination, and the preservation of identity [3, 4].
Risks to Child Development and Child Protection
Many challenges can be resolved in advance through specialized counseling and the implementation of targeted outpatient measures. White Unicorn e.V. supports families and institutions in creating an environment that promotes a physiological state of rest and interrupts the escalation spiral (self-harm or harm to others due to overload) through genuine accessibility.
Deficits in accessibility and a lack of professional expertise often lead to threats to child well-being. Particularly problematic are approaches that aim to suppress autistic traits instead of adapting the environment.
Critical Areas of Action:
Interventions with Harmful Potential: Use of hazardous substances (e.g., MMS/chlorine bleach) as well as behaviorist methods (e.g., ABA) or physical restraint (e.g., KIT). Such measures can violate the protection against cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment [17].
Protection of Well-being: Any treatment that impairs psychological or physical well-being contradicts the best interests of the child. No distinction must be made between autistic and non-autistic children; the claim to protection is universal [16].
Systemic Dangers: Unnecessary institutionalization (foster care/inpatient placement) due to a lack of effective accessibility, as well as medicinal interventions (e.g., neuroleptics) to compensate for insufficient sensory relief. This affects the right to care and upbringing by parents and the protection of the family [12, 13, 14].
Targeted outpatient measures in participation planning:
Supportive Technologies: Organization and use of aids such as noise-canceling headphones for auditory relief and tablets for communication support [7].
Assistance Dogs: Integration of service dogs for emotional regulation and stabilization in public spaces.
Sensory Regulation: Use of "stimming toys" and sensory tools for stress reduction.
Hybrid Concepts in Education: Flexibility of the learning location through a combination of in-person and remote learning to enable participation without sensory exhaustion [1, 2, 6].
Barrier-Sensitive Everyday Life: Consistent design of the living space with the goal of a stable state of rest.
When Child Well-being is at Risk
Legal and Systemic Foundations of Inclusion
The obligation under international law to ensure inclusion encompasses equal access to education, leisure, and society [1, 15]. The objective is to promote autonomy while respecting the individual evolving capacities of the child [16]. This includes protection from any form of degrading treatment [17]. Human dignity forms the overarching guiding principle in the design of barrier-free educational and social spaces [18, 5, 3].
Cooperation in Child Protection: As a provider of child and youth welfare services, White Unicorn e.V. provides information about the risks of harmful methods. In cases where health integrity is endangered, external agencies or arbitration courts can be called upon to establish binding protective measures. We work in accordance with our legal mandate with "specifically experienced specialists" (IseF) in child protection.
Provider Structure: As a corporate member of the AWO (currently focused in Berlin), White Unicorn e.V. offers advisory support and peer support. In acute emergencies, please contact specialized crisis centers or hotlines directly.
References
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Art. 24 Para. 1 Sentence 2
Latham & Watkins 2009, p. 3, International law questions regarding inclusive education in Germany in connection with the entry into force of the UN CRPD
UN CRPD Article 3: Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy, and preservation of identity
German Basic Law (Grundgesetz - GG) Article 2 Para. 1
German Basic Law (GG) Art. 3 Para. 3 Sentence 2
Poscher, Ralf; Rux, Johannes; Langer, Thomas (2008). Expert opinion on the international right to education and its national implementation
UN CRPD Article 22 Para. 1: Privacy and communication
UN CRPD Article 22 Para. 3: Confidentiality of information
UN CRPD Article 18 Para. 2: Birth registration and the right to a name
Article 24 Para. 2 and 3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
Article 7 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
German Basic Law (GG) Article 6 Para. 1 Marriage and family
German Basic Law (GG) Article 6 Para. 2 Care and upbringing
UN CRPD Article 23 Para. 3 Protection of marriage and family
UN CRPD Article 30 Para. 5 Participation in cultural life
UN CRPD Article 7 Children with disabilities
CAT (UN Convention against Torture) Art. 16 Para. 1 Sentence 1: Cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment other than torture
German Basic Law (GG) Art. 1 Para. 1 Sentence 2 Human dignity
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