In re A.S. CA2/8

Filed 11/4/21 In re A.S. CA2/8 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION EIGHT

In re A.S., a Person Coming B310778 Under the Juvenile Court Law. ______________________________ (Los Angeles County LOS ANGELES COUNTY Super. Ct. No. 20CCJP03335A) DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES,

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v.

I.S.,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from orders of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Sabina A. Helton, Judge. Affirmed. Jacques Alexander Love, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Rodrigo A. Castro-Silva, County Counsel, Kim Nemoy, Assistant County Counsel, and Stephanie Jo Reagan, Principal Deputy County Counsel, for Plaintiff and Respondent. _______________________ A father appeals from the juvenile court’s jurisdictional and disposition orders regarding his son A.S. We affirm. Undesignated statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code. I We recount the factual and procedural background. The father and mother separated in 2017 and divorced in November 2019 when A.S. was eight. The divorce was contentious. The mother claims the father physically and emotionally abused her during the marriage. The two share custody of A.S. A.S. spends every other weekend, Monday afternoons, and Tuesday afternoons to Wednesday mornings with his father. He spends the rest of the time with his mother, with holidays divided between the parents pursuant to a family law order. A.S. is a high-functioning autistic child. He received regional center services in the past. He attends therapy, which he began after the parents’ separation. A.S. is bright and articulate for his age and diagnosis. He engages in behaviors typical for children with autism, including “stimming” behaviors. Stimming behaviors are repetitive actions, such as pacing, used to self-soothe and cope with feelings of anxiety, fear, and nervousness. A.S. has a strong need for structure. Uncertainty causes him anxiety. According to his mother, A.S. returned from a weekend visit with his father in June 2020 and told her his father had