OVER the last week, members of the public have been discussing and debating the dos and don'ts of how to treat people with special needs during flights.

This stemmed from a family's social media complaint about how Caribbean Airlines (CAL) treated their autistic three-year-old daughter.

Rishi Ramoutar took to Facebook to tell the story of the August 18 incident on flight BW1535 from Tobago to Trinidad.

Rayne is non-verbal/autistic and usually has no issues on aeroplanes.

However, just before takeoff, she "started to fuss" and unbuckled her seatbelt to get closer to her grandmother. But a flight attendant then tightened her seatbelt. Uncomfortable with strangers and physical touch, she began kicking and screaming loudly.

Eventually, Rayne's grandmother put her on her lap, extending her own seatbelt around the child. But children over two must use their own seat.

When the family told the attendant Rayne is autistic, Ramoutar said they were told to hold her down even if she cried.

He admitted he used obscenities when the flight attendant said the plane would have to be turned around if the rules were not followed.

But a second attendant, he said, was very kind and calmed the situation.

However, after landing, he was told unless he apologised to the first one, he would be arrested for cursing. He complied.

He noted that the airport security staff called the child "sick."

He objected, "While I understand that the law is the law, I know that discretion, common sense and compassion can be utilised as well."

[caption id="attachment_1032299" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Passengers on board an aircraft. -[/caption]

His post went viral, but readers were divided on the issue. Some agreed more compassion could have been shown; others said the family sounded entitled, as they are not above the law.

Section 189 of the Civil Aviation Act says: a person on board an aircraft shall not interfere with a crew member in the performance of his duties; A passenger shall fasten his seatbelt and keep it fastened while the seatbelt sign is lit. Section 60 says a person shall not use abusive language or insulting words towards a crew member.

Navigating a spectrum

The Autistic Society of TT defines autism as "a broad range of conditions characterised by difficulties with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and non-verbal communication."

Rayne's mother Denise Manchabali said her daughter was diagnosed with autism within the past year and has flown to the US, Barbados and Tobago.

"We have never had an issue with her – zero issues – both when she was flying (while) on my lap, and after we started buying tickets for her after she turned three. We never had any sort of issue where she needed to be held down for takeoff or for landing."

On its website, CAL lists cognitive and developmental assistance as a service it provides. It also outlines how customers can request this service via the site or by phone. There is also this option on its mobile application.

However, it does not give details o