6 year old criminal?

I couldn't believe it when I read that a teacher aide filed charges agains a 6 year old autistic boy for assault in Kentucky this week. I worked with profoundly disabled teenagers as a teacher aide/paraeducator for 13 years. I have been bitten, kicked, punched, spit on, scratched, pinched, and have had various objects thrown at me. I have suffered a black eye, a variety of other bruised areas, and bleeding wounds. Never was I ever even tempted to file charges against one of the students! I would have died first!

Apparently, the school district doesn't want to have to deal with educating this child. He has autism, and that means they need to step it up to hire and train people who can teach him and keep him safe.

Some people apparently believe that the child maliciously attacked the teacher aid. I wonder if she didn't conduct her self in such a way that a tantrum was actually brought on, then made more of the incident than what it was. At any rate, as and educator, you need to be able to understand a student on HIS level. Just because you wouldn't push someone unless you wanted to hurt him doesn't mean that children with disabilities think that way. Working with kids with disabilites (a teacher aide's job) means knowing enough to change the environment of the child so that they feel safe and successful. I did it with big teenaged kids! If she can't handle a 6 year old autistic student, she needs to find another job.

Luckily, the charges were dismissed. Hopefully, the parents of this child have been put in touch with some good advocacy groups. They need help and support to make the people who run this school district do their jobs.