A Q&A with William Ingaldson, Counsel for the ‘Hot Sauce’ Mom

[WSJ Law Blog]

Anchorage resident Jessica Beagley (pictured) has been charged with misdemeanor child abuse for punishing her adopted 7-year-old son by squirting hot sauce into his mouth and forcing him into a cold shower. The Law Blog interviewed William Ingaldson, Beagley's lawyer, about the case and what prompted his client to resort to this method of discipline.



What prompted your client to use this kind of discipline?

Her son suffers from Reactive Attachment Disorder, a disorder caused by trauma or neglect in the early stages of a kid’s life. It usually involves kids who have been adopted at an older age. What happens is that children who have this have no ability to form attachments or empathize with other people. When adoptive parents try to treat children with love, these kids get anxious and push away. Normal types of discipline — time outs or taking things away from kids — don’t work.

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