To Avoid Scolding, Teen With Asperger’s Spends 11 Days Riding Subway

When a 13-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome faced an after-school scolding at home, he headed for the New York City subway instead and spent 11 days riding the train.

The incident began when Francisco Hernandez Jr.’s teacher called the boy’s mom last month because he didn’t complete an assignment for school. When Hernandez called his mom to say he was on his way home, she told him that she’d heard from the school and wanted to have a serious talk. But instead of going home, Hernandez removed the battery from his cell phone and boarded a subway car.

Within hours Hernandez’s panicked parents — Mexican immigrants — notified police and began an all-out search for their son. They posted 2,000 signs.

For 11 days, however, Hernandez rode the subway unnoticed. He slept most of the time, riding the train until it ended before boarding the next train to come. He subsisted on newsstand fare like potato chips, croissants and jelly rolls purchased with the $10 he had in his pocket.

Hernandez says no one spoke with him until he was spotted Oct. 26 on a subway platform by a transit officer who recognized his photo from signs his parents had posted.

Today Hernandez is back home, but his parents who are still struggling to understand how to manage a son who can’t express himself, fear that there might be a next time, reports The New York Times. To read more click here.