Most of the time, 14-year-old Tyana lives peacefully with her aunt and legal guardian in an apartment on St. Paul’s east side. She likes going to school and dancing in front of the mirror and watching Disney movies and YouTube videos. But her autism causes her to experience occasional outbursts—she may lash out at a caregiver in order to get what she wants.
One day about a year ago, in the company of an adult relative, Tyana felt distraught. Her aunt, Jacqueline Hunter, doesn’t remember exactly what triggered that particular outburst—but she said Tyana often becomes upset if she doesn’t get to go to McDonald’s or Burger King or Dollar Tree.
In order to keep Tyana safe, Hunter sets alarms on her doors and windows to alert her if Tyana tries to leave. But on this day, the alarm wasn’t set, and Tyana jumped from the second-floor apartment window. Tyana wasn’t physically harmed, but Hunter was at a loss for how to keep Tyana safe. Hunter called Tyana’s social worker.
“They told me to take her to the hospital,” Hunter said.