Two teachers have been fired after being recorded making inappropriate comments and mocking a severely autistic boy in the US.
The boy’s mother, Milissa Davis, said she sent her 12-year-old son Camden to Hope Academy in Louisiana with a recording device in his backpack after he became aggressive at home and started wetting his bed.
The recordings can be heard at least two adults in the classroom, identified as a teacher and a teacher’s aide, saying nasty things to and talking about the boy.
“It’s just writing words. What’s so hard about it?” the adult said. The boy responded with a grunt, after which the adult laughed at the sound.
Two teachers have been fired for allegedly bullying 12-year-old Camden Davis, who has autism. Credit: Facebook/Education For All
The bullying took place at Hope Academy in Louisiana. Source: Google Maps
The adult then said, “Camden, why didn’t you write anything down? That’s why you can’t sit with the others. Tell your mom.”
I can even hear adults say, “Let’s see what happens to him in a shitty public school. He was going to Live Oak Middle School. Oh no, he won’t last a minute.”
Davis told WBRZ2 she was extremely upset by what she heard.
“It was so bad that I just cried and screamed and wanted to do anything I could,” she said.
“I sent my son out there every day and there were things going on there that I didn’t know about before.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of conditions linked to brain development, including autism and Asperger syndrome.
The charity says people with autism can have difficulty understanding social cues and engaging in repetitive behaviours.
Milissa Davis said she found out about the bullying after she put a recorder in her son’s backpack. Source: WBRZ2
Comments like those allegedly made by school officials can be upsetting to children with autism as well as those without, Lisa A. Nowinski, director of clinical psychology and training at Massachusetts General Hospital and lecturer at Harvard Medical School, tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
“These comments can increase sadness, anxiety and low self-esteem,” she tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
“These negative comments can affect the way a child with autism interacts with those around them. A child may learn that people are mean, hurtful or unsupportive.”
Davis said he has hired an attorney in response to the situation and plans to file a complaint with the Department of Education.
Autism is not rare: Approximately 1 in 68 children in the US has autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the disorder is 4.5 times more common among boys than girls.