Langley dentist mistreats autistic boy: father

A concerned father is speaking out after he says his 12-year-old son with autism was mistreated at a Langley dental clinic.

Ryan MacLeod says his twelve-year-old son, who is autistic, was mistreated at a Langley dentist on Thursday. He says the procedure started off rocky when the dentist was allegedly aggressive with her tools. He adds when he asked her to be gentler with his son, it all went downhill.

“I was shaking. I was just so angry,” he said.

Macleod says he sat with his son during the entire dental procedure to comfort him. But he says it only became increasingly traumatizing for his son, and as a father, the incident fueled him with shock, outrage and a desire to share their story.

“While she was doing the work, if he was squirming because he’s experiencing discomfort, she’s calling him names and belittling him, right in front of me,” MacLeod said. “Even if I’m not even there, that’s not even fair to my own son or any kid, right?”

The concerned father says when he confronted the dentist, she became defensive.

“I said that my son was autistic, this is why he might make a noise or act a little different compared to everybody else,” he said. “And she goes ‘Well, sorry, I didn’t know. He doesn’t look autistic.’”

MacLeod says his son was left in tears and will likely never want to visit the dentist again. He says, as a father, he’s upset by the lack of empathy and compassion for a child, especially one with an intellectual disability.

“I was just blown away that a doctor, someone that you should trust and rely that they’re going to help you, and make sure that you’re comfortable … and it was just the complete opposite,” he said. “(It was) a terrible experience, he’s traumatized.”

The Leader Spirit spoke to staff members from the clinic of the dentist facing the accusations, first by phone, and then later in the day in person. We were told both times that someone would get back to us, but as of our publishing deadline, we still hadn’t heard from them regarding the allegations.

MacLeod says he hopes this story serves as a cautionary tale to other parents.

“I’d love an apology, directed to my son and me, that’d be awesome,” MacLeod said. “But my fear is that … how many other people has this person done that to?”