Autistic Child voted out of Class

[sammy101]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,358956,00.html



Hundreds of parents of autistic children are signing an online petition to get Florida teacher Wendy Portillo fired for her alleged tactics toward a 5-year-old boy that mirror the reality show “Survivor.”

Morningside Elementary School in Port St. Lucie, Fla., alerted Melissa Barton this year that her son, Alex, suffers from a high-functioning form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome, FOX 29 reported.

Barton claims that Alex was punished for symptoms of his disability, such as humming and eating his homework. She says Portillo went too far last week when she kicked Alex out of class, and then allowed the other students to vote on whether he should be allowed back in.

Each student was also allowed to say what he or she did not like about Alex. By a 14-to-2 margin, the students voted Alex out of class, according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“She said this was her way of correcting his behavior,” Barton said. “I asked him how that made him feel and he said, ‘I feel sad.’”

Barton has filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer, who investigated the matter, Port St. Lucie Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Steele told the Sun-Sentinel.

But the state attorney's office decided the matter did not meet criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed, Steele said.

The teacher has been disciplined, however.

“Ms. Portillo has been reassigned outside of the classroom at the district offices until any further action may be determined," St. Lucie County School District said in a statement.

Alex has not returned to school since the incident, and Barton says he won’t be going back.

"He was incredibly upset," Barton told the Sun-Sentinel. "The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this."

Click here for more from FOX 29.

Click here for more from The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

[lizbud]

There was another case here in Indiana like that. makes you wonder what school taught them to treat children this way?


http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4945581&page=1

[Jessika]

That is disgusting. This doesn't even make me upset that it was an autistic child, but the fact that could be done to ANY child... that just disgusts me.

[Taz_Zoee]

That is disgusting. This doesn't even make me upset that it was an autistic child, but the fact that could be done to ANY child... that just disgusts me.

My thoughts exactly!

[sparks19]

That is disgusting. This doesn't even make me upset that it was an autistic child, but the fact that could be done to ANY child... that just disgusts me.

I agree. What an awful thing to do.

They ban tag and other playground games becuase they think it makes kids feel left out or bad about themselves.... HELLO???? having an entire classroom write down what they don't like about you and then reading it to you by the teachers request? How horrible.

perhaps they should ban that teacher for good.

[Freedom]

That is disgusting. This doesn't even make me upset that it was an autistic child, but the fact that could be done to ANY child... that just disgusts me.

Well said. I agree totally.

[Karen]

I hope the teacher gets her certification yanked. There is no excuse for that. I hope another teacher is able to talk to these kids, and emphasize playing together, and that some people have different ways of perceiving the world. That wouldn't even be acceptable for high school kids - never mind 5-year-olds!

I was often picked last, or near last, for playground games like kickball. Did I feel bad? Was I scarred for life? Not really - I knew pretty early on that I was the most likely of all my classmates - okay, me and a couple other kids - the others that were left standing toward the end - to trip on my way up the base path. I knew I'd be first picked for other things that didn't involve running, and that was okay.

[Twisterdog]

That's very sad.

My niece's son has Asperger's Syndrome, and it's been a daily struggle for our entire family for fourteen years. He has attempted public school many times, been home schooled, and is currently attented an "alternative" middle school system. Asperger's Syndrome sufferers sadly have to deal with this type of reaction frequently. There disability is not so great that it is instantly recognizable. It manifests itself often as simply "bad" or "bratty" behavior. My nephew has, at various times, been told by teachers that he was "retarded", "stupid", "impossible", "spoiled", etc. He cannot tolerate being touched, and cannot make eye contact. If people simply give him a large personal space, look away when talking to him quietly, it solves 75% of the problems. You wouldn't think that would be so hard to do. But apparently it was, for most of his teachers.

How, exactly, can a teacher "kick out" a 5 year old from class? Eduction is provided for by law until the age of sixteen, at least in my state. You can't just kick a little kid out of school!

[RICHARD]

Tossing the kid out of class and having the rest of the class vote on his 'coming back' was really stupid. The teach should be punished for her behavior.

That said.....

I am amazed that this child was not diagnosed until he was 5 years old-by the school no less!

I do not know enough about Asperger's but wouldn't that type of behavior be noticed by the parent(s) before? If this child was diagnosed with a learning/behavoir disability why was he left in a regular class? Why wasn't he further evaluated and maybe put into a situation where he would get specialized care and teaching?

IF SOMEONE IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM came to me and told me that my child had a condition that may prevent him from learning, cause him to be mistreated in a class room situation or put him in any danger, I sure as shoot would be interested in my kid's schooling.

I am sure that any parent would run to the computer (or library) and find out what Asperger's Syndrome is and what they can do to make the kid's life more manageable. I think that the parent's statement about her child being punished for his disability a little troubling. Unless the child hummed and ate his homework only while he was in school. (Homework for a 5 year old?)

Yes, every child is guaranteed an education, but I think that the parent(s) inability to see that their child was a special needs student from the start as the biggest problem. The second is their and the school's inaction once the child was diagnosed.

Everyone has to take blame in this case.

It's a wash-get your child into a specialized teaching situation if he is deemed that disruptive to the general class population. It's not fair to the student, teacher or rest of the class to have a situation that stresses the learning enviroment.

[Ginger's Mom]

The mother may have felt that kindergarten (which is where I assume a 5 year old would be), would not involve too much beyond the child's abilities. And as a matter of fact would be a good way for a child to learn to get along in a public setting, since many of the children are just learning social skills and how to get along all day without family there. Once actual schooling/learning begins other options may be available at the school. No I don't blame the mother at all in this case. The teacher has very poor leadership skills.

[Pam]

My co-workers's son also has Asperger's Syndrome. As Twisterdog said, this disability is often not so great as to be glaringly evident. He, too, attended a special school after being bullied by his classmates in a 'regular' school. My goodness, one thing that a child with this disability doesn't need is a teacher who singles him out for ridicule and then turns the class against him. I hope this little boy will be able to get past this. We sometimes carry "baggage" from childhood with us into adulthood. How much harder it will be for this little boy. This teacher has got to find another profession.

I remember growing up, years before all of these disorders had special names like autism, ADD, etc. I was in school with a boy who ate crayons every day. I don't ever remember him being singled out for this behavior. We all thought it odd but none of us kids made fun of him. When you are five years old it is not a big deal what a classmate does, unless the teacher makes it a big deal. JMHO.

[lady_zana]

Yes, every child is guaranteed an education, but I think that the parent(s) inability to see that their child was a special needs student from the start as the biggest problem. The second is their and the school's inaction once the child was diagnosed.

Everyone has to take blame in this case.

It's a wash-get your child into a specialized teaching situation if he is deemed that disruptive to the general class population. It's not fair to the student, teacher or rest of the class to have a situation that stresses the learning enviroment.

Many schools, especially because of No Child Left Behind, use the inclusion method to teach. That means everyone is in the same class room - special needs, slow learners, high learners, average kids ect. The idea is that everyone deserves the same education...which is a great ideal but having everyone in the classroom together will not work. The high learners will quickly get bored, the slow learners will struggle to keep up, and the kids will be distracted by the special needs kids.

A few years ago, it was my sister's job to be an assistant to a special needs girl. This girl was in the same class as all the other students her age but she had severe problems. She couldn't walk, speak, and needed help with what we all consider typical, everyday things. Though the other students were not unkind to the girl, it was a distraction for them to have her in the same classroom. Did she deserve the same education as the other students? Yes, of course she did. But it would have been better to have her in a special education setting, not in a regular classroom.

I don't blame the parents; I don't think this is their fault at all from what was posted in article. I think it was the teacher's fault. What happened to that child was horrible and should never happen to anyone. Also, what happened to the other children in the classroom was horrible - they learned the lesson that it is okay to be cruel to another student who may not have the advantages you have.

[mamaducky]

I'm an elementary teacher, and have taught quite a few kids with Asperger's Syndrome. A couple of them didn't get formally diagnosed until fifth grade -- age 10 or 11. It is not some huge disability that would be readily diagnosed -- especially by a parent. Parents adapt to their kids' idiosyncrasies and adjust to their child's unique rate of development -- disabled or "normal".

A child with Asperger's would likely not be acting too terribly differently than quite a few other kindergarten students -- especially since, let's face it, a lot of non-disabled kids are still out of control for many other reasons. The disability doesn't in any way keep a child from learning, and though a child with Asperger's could benefit from (and should receive) special support, there's no reason why the child should be placed in a special classroom -- much less a special school.

Sure, in a perfect world, we'd have all the disruptive students out of a class so that the non-disruptive kids could learn. But in addition to the kids with disabilities, that also means the bullies, the class clowns, the chatterboxes, and the kids who are rude and unmotivated to learn. That would make for a pretty darn small classroom...!

I think this teacher should have her certification revoked, because she did damage to ALL her class -- not just the little boy who was voted out. Those kids were put into a situation where they were encouraged to be publicly unkind to another child -- and they now have in the back of their minds that if they don't play their cards right, this could happen to them as well.

Kindergarten is confusing enough for some of these kids without having to deal with teachers who do inexplicable things like this...!

[smokey the elder]

That was a despicable act, and the teacher needs to be held accountable. Just because someone's mind works differently than the "norm" (whatever the eff THAT is!) is no reason for that kind of treatment. What kind of message is she giving those impressionable 5-year olds?

[caseysmom]

My niece did not get diagnosed until both her parents died and she was 21, living with me and driving me insane! It is quite subtle if you are not aware of the disease.