I just spent all night binge-watching a docuseries titled The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, and I’m still trying to process the absolute horror show that is Kristine Barnett. This woman is the reason disabled people, especially autistic folks like me, are wary of parents whose entire identity revolves around their child’s disability.
Kristine wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill “autism mum.” She’s a full-blown exploitation machine. She made over $600k off the back of her autistic son, Jacob, through her book and speaking gigs. Jacob, a literal savant, achieved incredible things despite her, not because of her. But Kristine milked him dry, claiming credit for his genius while treating him as a cash cow. He got nothing. Zero. Meanwhile, she got rich.
And it doesn’t stop there. Kristine and her ex-husband Michael also adopted Natalia, a 6-year-old Ukrainian girl with dwarfism, then abandoned her in an apartment at the age of nine. Nine. But not before accusing her of being an adult con artist who wanted to murder them. Super normal, rational stuff.
Instead of supporting Natalia, who was disabled, vulnerable, and needed care, Kristine and her ex-husband Michael left her to fend for herself in a dangerous apartment with zero accessibility. Then, they packed their bags and moved to Canada. Whether or not they actually believed she was an adult is beside the point. They didn’t give a damn about her survival. Disabled people need support, full stop. Even if she was an adult (spoiler: she wasn’t), she still needed care. But she was a child, and what they did was downright evil.
Kristine thought she could replicate the success she had with her son Jacob. The book, the PR tours, the whole “look at me, I’m the perfect mom of a genius” shtick. But reality hit fast. Natalia didn’t have the same intellectual abilities, and no amount of homeschooling was going to change that. When Kristine realised the magic wasn’t with her, she saw what it really was—a financial drain. With Natalia’s surgeries and care needs piling up, it was clear that the easy money wasn’t coming from this child. So, she did whatever she could to get rid of her. Everything but simply handing her back, of course, because that would mean admitting failure. And Kristine wasn’t about to tarnish her perfect parent image. The world had to keep believing she was the mother of a genius, even if it meant sacrificing a child to maintain that facade.
And let’s not stop at abandonment because Kristine Barnett’s treatment of Natalia was far more insidious than leaving her in an inaccessible apartment. She subjected Natalia to physical and psychological torture, reportedly beating her and even attempting to set her up on dates with adult men. She actively tried to use a disabled child in one of the most horrifying ways imaginable. This was cruelty on a level that should make anyone’s blood boil.
Why We Don’t Trust You
This is exactly why so many of us in the autistic and disabled community don’t trust parents who slap “autism mum” on their bios and start selling books. How can we, when we’ve seen people like Kristine turn their children into brands, profiting off their struggles while taking nothing but credit for their successes?
We’ve all heard the lines before: “I’m just sharing my story to help others.” But who’s really benefiting? Until the child is old enough to tell their side, we’ll never know the full story. And by then, the damage is often already done. It’s no wonder we’re wary when the first thing you lead with is “buy my stuff.” That distrust? It’s reasonable.
Ableism Disguised as Advocacy
Kristine was dripping with ableism. She exploited her son’s brilliance for personal gain, terrorised Natalia, and weaponised her own version of events to paint herself as the victim. And somehow, she got away with it.
Yeah, the justice system failed. Completely. The charges against Kristine were dismissed due to “insufficient evidence.” She’ll never face any consequences for what she did. Disabled people are left carrying the trauma, while people like Kristine walk away untouched.
(Cue internal screaming)
Listen to Disabled People
This case is yet another reminder of why we need to shift the narrative. The world doesn’t need more “autism mum” memoirs or parents monetising their kids’ lives. What we need are platforms for disabled people to share their own stories when and if they want to.
The landscape is changing, and that’s a good thing. Self-advocacy is gaining traction, and more people are listening directly to autistic voices. We deserve that. Disabled people deserve that.
So, to all the Kristines out there: we see you. And to the rest of the world, maybe it’s time to stop handing the mic to exploitative parents and start listening to the people whose lives they claim to represent.
Stay unruly.
