A mother is voicing her outrage over a recent TSA security experience involving her son at an airport. The video she captured has sparked concern among parents everywhere.
“We felt completely disrespected, treated like criminals,” stated Laura Thompson in an interview. She shared the video on Facebook, detailing their distressing encounter at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Her 13-year-old son, Ethan, has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), which contributed to the severity of the situation. “We experienced a nightmare this morning. They held Ethan for over an hour,” she explained. “We were made to feel like we were in the wrong simply because I asked for alternative screening methods in accordance with TSA guidelines. My child has SPD, and I did not want him subjected to such a pat-down.”
Thompson expressed confusion about why her son was singled out for additional screening, especially since he did not trigger any alarms during the initial screening process. “Let me clarify: He set off no alarms whatsoever. He walked through the detector without any issues,” she recounted. “Why was a pat-down necessary after that? And why did they ignore my request for accommodations when I informed them of his SPD?”
She felt that the pat-down was excessive, noting that they touched sensitive areas more than necessary, particularly since Ethan was not wearing bulky clothing. “It was shocking; they really went overboard,” Thompson told reporters. The ordeal caused such a delay that they missed their flight entirely. “I regret not recording the entire interaction because it was truly distressing,” she lamented. “There were two police officers standing close by, watching him. Two officers for a child who hadn’t set off any alarms?”
Ethan himself expressed his confusion, asking, “Why did they do this? What did I do wrong?” This reaction, according to Thompson, indicated the trauma he felt from the incident. TSA agents informed her that the need for the pat-down arose after they found his laptop, which he had inadvertently left in his bag during the scanning process. Such a common oversight seemed disproportionately handled for a child.
Given Ethan’s sensitivity to touch, Thompson requested a touch-free security option, which went unacknowledged. In response to the viral nature of her post, the TSA released a statement asserting that the pat-down was a standard procedure following an alarm triggered by the laptop.
Such extensive security measures for a child over a laptop do little to foster a sense of security among travelers.
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In summary, a mother’s experience with TSA while traveling with her son highlights the challenges that families with children who have special needs can face during security screenings. The incident raises important questions about the treatment of individuals with sensory issues and the effectiveness of TSA protocols.