WAKEMAN, Ohio -- The adoptive parents suspected of keeping some of their 11 special-needs children in cage-like enclosures listened to a social worker describe the cages during in a hearing in Huron County on Tuesday.

"I saw wooden structures that had a solid wooden piece for a door, an alarm to left of the opening. There was a small handle on it. They were piled one on top of another. They looked like a kennel," said Jo Ellen Johnson of the Huron County Children and Family Services.

She also said cages with alarms and locks are not appropriate for children.

The custody hearing will determine if the children were abused or neglected, NewsChannel5 reported.

Michael and Sharen Gravelle said before court they were optimistic about getting custody of their children back.

The children were taken from their home Sept. 9 after a county social worker and a sheriff's lieutenant visited their house and determined they forced children to stay in handmade cages.

The Gravelles have said they adopted children with special needs and behavioral problems and built what they have described as enclosures with alarms where the children could sleep for their own protection.

The Gravelles have said the children have health and behavioral problems such as fetal alcohol syndrome and pica, a disorder in which children eat nonfood items such as rocks or dirt.

The juvenile court hearing could include as many as 35 witnesses for the prosecution, according to a court administrator.

Documents filed by the Gravelles' attorney indicate the witness list may include the two oldest Gravelle children.

It is not known when a decision will be made by the judge. Testimony could take a second day.

No charges have been filed against the Gravelles