X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

School officers handcuff 7-year-old with autism after he acts up

2 min read

A mother in Florida was outraged when she found out that her 7-year-old son who suffers from autism had been thrown on the floor and handcuffed after an incident with one of the special needs teacher.

Sharing her disgust with her local school system, Sande Bard-Butler said on her Facebook post: “Allen says a child stepped on his lunch today so the teacher threw it away.”

“He was upset and wanted more food which they did not give him so he started kicking the teacher,” she added. “I do not approve of him behaving that way, however, Allen DOES act that way when he feels he was wronged in any way.”

READ: Autistic or autism?

After lashing out at his teacher, a resource officer from the school struck the boy in the head and handcuffed him. Not only that, the school tried to commit the boy into a mental institution, but the doctor refused to admit him.

“It is the schools job to know how to redirect and de-escalate him,” Sande said. “Instead the school SRO decided to Baker Act him and put my 7 year old Autistic son with a shunt in his brain into hand cuffs for over an hour while transporting him to psych facility.”

After her pleas for change fell on deaf ears at the school, she hired attorney Nicolette Nicoletti with the intention to sue.

READ: Handling an autistic kid

“We need to make sure that everyone who's involved in the education and treatment of the students are in fact properly trained,” Nicoletti said.

According to reports there had been seven students in Allen's class with two adults and the deputy. Meanwhile the sheriff's office did not intent to handcuff a child, but had to make sure he could not harm anyone else including himself.

Special needs

Looking after children with special needs requires extra care: These children see and interpret the world around them differently, thus making their responses different from normal children.

“They're not trained to handle the medical with the mental,” Sande lamented. “If you know the child can be dangerous with the pencil, don't give them a pencil. All this could have been avoided if they just gave him more lunch.”

Partner Stories
4 Good Toilet Hygiene Habits for Kids to Have Early in Life
4 Good Toilet Hygiene Habits for Kids to Have Early in Life
Great ideas for gifts for Chinese New Year 2023!
Great ideas for gifts for Chinese New Year 2023!
Learn Tech and Media Skills, Gain Industry Exposure and Build a Portfolio. Here’s How Your Child Can Benefit from an Infocomm or Media CCA!
Learn Tech and Media Skills, Gain Industry Exposure and Build a Portfolio. Here’s How Your Child Can Benefit from an Infocomm or Media CCA!
Flu in Singapore: Is Your Family Protected?
Flu in Singapore: Is Your Family Protected?

If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below. 

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

James Martinez

  • Home
  • /
  • Health
  • /
  • School officers handcuff 7-year-old with autism after he acts up
Share:
  • Over 20 Children With Special Needs Attend Soccer Clinic

    Over 20 Children With Special Needs Attend Soccer Clinic

  • Scientists Find Way of Identifying Signs of Autism in Very Young Babies

    Scientists Find Way of Identifying Signs of Autism in Very Young Babies

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • Korean Actor Couple Jin Tae-hyun and Park Si-eun Suffer Third Miscarriage, 20 Days Before Baby Was Due

    Korean Actor Couple Jin Tae-hyun and Park Si-eun Suffer Third Miscarriage, 20 Days Before Baby Was Due

  • Over 20 Children With Special Needs Attend Soccer Clinic

    Over 20 Children With Special Needs Attend Soccer Clinic

  • Scientists Find Way of Identifying Signs of Autism in Very Young Babies

    Scientists Find Way of Identifying Signs of Autism in Very Young Babies

  • I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

    I Try Tracy Lee's Hack for Egg Tarts and It's So Easy That Even Kids Can Make it

  • Korean Actor Couple Jin Tae-hyun and Park Si-eun Suffer Third Miscarriage, 20 Days Before Baby Was Due

    Korean Actor Couple Jin Tae-hyun and Park Si-eun Suffer Third Miscarriage, 20 Days Before Baby Was Due

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and updates on baby care and health.