Kiara and her village
After police brought the autistic teen home one day, her family took her life — and her story — public
When police brought home her daughter, Kiara, after they found her perched barefoot on the railing of a small bridge on Hazeldean Road, Stittsville’s Shannon Whitney took an extraordinary step.
She went public, “outing ” Kiara (with Kiara’s permission) to the Stittsville Neighbours Facebook page.
“I’d like to introduce you to my daughter, Kiara,” Whitney wrote in the post last month. “Kiara is a loving, caring, content teenager who strongly values goodness. Kiara also lives with high functioning autism and has strong sensory needs.”
Kiara is 13, whip-smart and big for her age. She likes to walk. A lot. And because she overheats easily, she dresses lightly and often walks barefoot, craving the sensory input she gets from bare feet on earth.
Kiara was perched on the guard rail of a small bridge on Hazeldean Road, just around the corner from the mobile home they rent on Bradley Green Court. Police told the Whitneys they ’d received “numerous calls.”
“It’s not a big bridge,” Kiara explains. “It’s the one with small railing and it’s over a tiny river and I was balancing on the railing and I was sitting on it and at one point I took off my shoes and people got scared and the police came.”
She says she likes to “people watch” while on her long outings.
“People watching is extremely fun because people are weird and it’s nice calling them out for it.”
The Whitneys rented the mobile home in November, moving from their house in Orléans so they could be closer to the special private school Kiara attends. In the philosophy of “it takes a village to raise a child,” particularly one with special needs, Shannon decided it was important to let her neighbours know about Kiara’s idiosyncrasies. Because she’s so smart, people often don’t detect Kiara is on the autism spectrum.
“My philosophy in Orléans was, it’s better to be known,” Shannon said. “People were watching her as she was walking down the street. It wasn’t creepy. They were watching out for her. They were delighted that she was so happy.”
Kiara also likes to climb — Shannon’s husband, Tran, has pounded spikes into the maple tree in their yard to help her clamber up to a nook where she likes to sit and view the world. She picks dandelions, loves animals and stuffs her pockets with treasures while she walks — “She’s like a crow,” Tran says with a laugh. “She likes shiny objects.”
Kiara was embarrassed when the police brought her home but readily gave permission for her mom to go public. “Is there anything you don’t want them to know?” Shannon asks as the family meets with a reporter and photographer. “No, it’s OK,” Kiara replies.
“We’ve come to the point of calculated risk,” says Shannon, a manager with Shared Services Canada. “We did have a talk (with Kiara) about how other people don’t know her. Other people don’t realize that she’s confident and secure on the bridge. Our big thing is that we treat her like a 13-yearold. She should be able to roam like a 13-year-old, as long (as) she can demonstrate, not risk taking, but that she will follow the proper protocol.”
Shannon, who is deaf and communicated with a reporter verbally and through text, says her advocacy for Kiara was inspired by the way her mother advocated for her as a deaf child.
The Whitneys have been overwhelmed by the positive support they’ve received since Shannon’s post.
“Thank you for introducing us to your daughter in such a loving and thoughtful way. I have no doubt that she will be surrounded by a kind and concerned community, all of whom will ensure her wellbeing,” one woman replied.
“Thank you for sharing this about Kiara,” wrote another. “I actually saw her today, balancing on a guardrail along Hazeldean Road. … She was absolutely safe, and I thought, ‘Now there’s a child that knows how to have fun!!’ … Enjoy your walks Kiara!”
And another: “I will happily be part of her village! Love the smile, love the fact that you embrace and value her needs and love that you have shared her story with us. Stittsville moms will keep her safe, I have no doubt.”
Another person asked what to do if they see Kiara doing something that really is unsafe and what were the best ways to approach her.
Even police were understanding and compassionate in their response, Shannon said. (Kiara is listed on the Ottawa police autism registry, which gives officers information from families on behaviours and calming techniques.) She thanks all those who responded to her Facebook post.
“Thank you to all of you for your amazing and supportive responses. In the years that have passed since Kiara’s diagnosis, we’ve come to realize that keeping this private out of fear of stigmatization just isn’t worth it. It’s more important for us that she be embraced as she is, that she never ever feel ashamed for having been born with challenges, and that she have a supportive community around her loving her and lifting her up.”