Sunday July 6, 2008, 6:55 am
Throwing a child down a flight of stairs is NEVER an appropriate punishment for misbehavior.

Sunday July 6, 2008, 10:03 am
I got finished reading up to page 8, than when I went to click on page 9 it said I had to be a registered user to read the rest. Grrrrr.... So, if you could send me page 9.... But, how sad for Hayleigh. It is horrible what they did to her! I can't believe none of the doctors, nurses, no one picked up on it. I hope she will survive all of this and gets the help that she deserves and needs. Thank you for this story hurrikayne. I hope this makes the front page.... it could end up helping to save another child.

Sunday July 6, 2008, 10:04 am
WHAT is the point of posting stories from sites that require sign-up and log-in to read the entire thing? This happens on a regular basis here and it's MOST annoying. I, too, got to page eight and hit the log in or sign up requirement. FRUSTRATING!

Sunday July 6, 2008, 1:53 pm
Page 9 of 9 --

But a day after the ruling, doctors at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield announced that the girl was breathing on her own and responding to commands. Doctors and DSS officials have not disclosed whether medical staff detected Haleigh's improved condition only after the court ruling, or days earlier but failed to report this to judges. On Jan. 24, the DSS commissioner, Harry Spence, visited Haleigh in her hospital room, observing her pick up a Curious George doll and a yellow duck on command.

Her recovery has continued, to the point that last Tuesday in Springfield, a prosecutor told a judge that she plans to call Haleigh as a witness in the criminal case against Jason Strickland, whom authorities consider culpable for Haleigh's injuries -though they believe Holli was the mastermind. Defense attorneys say they will seek to block Haleigh's testimony, by raising questions about her competency and credibility.

And what might Haleigh say? During her interview with police last winter, she apparently did not shed light on what led to her brain injury, but she did say that she was physically disciplined, sometimes harshly, by Holli and Jason when she misbehaved.

Haleigh's younger sister, now 12 and living with her father, Jonathan Poutre, has since given police a revised statement. She now says that Haleigh lost consciousness after being thrown down the stairs by Holli and Jason. The couple's 5-year-old son, who is living with foster parents, has not made any disclosures about abuse in the Strickland home, records show.

Haleigh, now 14, has stayed for more than two years at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton, where she is described as a friendly child who routinely smiles and waves at staff. Haleigh can speak some words and attends a day school in a wheelchair. A juvenile court judge has declared that Haleigh is functioning at a level "too high" for placement in a nursing home, and she is likely to go into an adoptive home with a personal assistant or a group home.

Haleigh apparently has adjusted to the fact that Holli Strickland is gone. News of the death of this important person in her life once caused her overwhelming anguish and grief. Now, however, Haleigh quietly refers to her adoptive mother as being in "heaven."