She was sitting in the back of the school bus when she became agitated and started to lose control.
The teenage girl, who is autistic, nonverbal and blind, among other disabilities, often had small attacks like this when there was a disruption, her family said. She would throw out her arms, hit her head and scream in order to cope. But, after a few minutes, she usually calmed down if someone sang to her or counted down from 50.
On this particularly bumpy ride, though, in June 2018 — when a loud noise startled her — she began to panic.