6-Year-Old Autistic Student Criminally Charged After Alleged Assault

WCPO.com ^ | September 23, 2007 | Lance Barry

[Graybeard58]

A six-year-old autistic boy has been charged criminally after an incident inside his school where he allegedly assaulted a teacher's aide.

It's a story you saw first on 9News.

The incident happened earlier this month at Taylor Elementary School in Brooksville, Ky., located in Bracken County.

He is in kindergarten at Taylor Elementary, but 9News was told that due to his autism and other conditions, his mental capacity is the equivalent to a child half his age.

But despite that condition and his age, it still hasn't stopped a school employee there from holding him accountable: criminally.

Whether it's playing outside with his parents, or coloring SpongeBob Squarepants pictures, Nathan Darnell isn't much different than other kids his age.

But two things that do make him different from many other six-year-olds is his autism – and his criminal rap sheet.

"We are not denying that he did what they are saying, but we are denying he is culpable," said Tony Darnell, Nathan's father.

It was just last week when Nathan's teacher's aide, Glenda Schiltz, filed a juvenile fourth degree misdemeanor assault charge against him.

"What human being with a heart would do that to a six-year old?, asked Cathy Darnell, Nathan's mother. "Seriously, who would do that? I know I wouldn't."

According to the affidavit which 9News obtained, Schiltz alleges that on September 5, Nathan grabbed her by the shirt, pulled her backwards and began punching and kicking her.

"He admits to shoving her down, but he says he didn't pull her backwards," said Tony Darnell.

"She is no small person, she can defend herself," said Cathy Darnell.

So what does the school have to say about the matter?

Superintendent of Bracken County Schools Tony Johnson would not appear on camera but did say in a statement, "I believe we followed proper procedures and I have full faith in my staff".

Despite being autistic, Nathan is integrated with all kindergartners at Taylor Elementary.

His parents believe Schiltz and other teachers there are ill-prepared to handle special needs students.

His mother openly questions Schiltz's credentials.

"[She believes] you need to take him behind the woodshed and teach him something," Cathy Darnell, said. "That is her mentality, beat it out of him."

"Most of the time it [Nathan's behavior] is whining and screaming. I am sure that is hard on teachers and stuff, but we find a way to deal with it," said Tony Darnell.

On Wednesday the family went to the county courthouse, where an inquiry was held and it was decided the criminal case against Nathan will indeed move forward.

It's likely then that Schiltz will have to be there.

But until they get a chance to tell her personally, Nathan's family, in the meantime, does have something they want to say to her.

"She is a cold-hearted woman, that she has made every teacher look bad," said Cathy Darnell.

Repeated attempts to contact Glenda Schiltz were unsuccessful.

9News also was in communication with several school board members and none wanted to comment on the matter.

This is all heading to a proceeding scheduled for next week in which six-year-old Nathan will appear in juvenile court as a defendant.

[snarkybob]

You seem to be a bit “all over the board” here. You started out with a no medication post, then an America has enemies who will exploit this post, then a post about birds, and now you’ve been reduced to name calling.
I’m not exactly sure what your original point was, or if you even had one. I thought this thread was about a 6 year old autistic child being criminally charged for acting out on a teachers aide. This article caused plenty of people who so obviously know nothing about autism to advocate a lot of foolish non-solutions. At the moment you’re the only one still doing it.

[VxH]

Government mandated redistribution of resources is Socialism.

Why should my reproductive resources be diverted to benefit your offspring?

[DelphiUser]

You know how it is. There are good days bad days & the occasional very bad day. Just keep us in your prayers. Can’t have too much of that :)

I do indeed know how it is, prayers up...

[Sue Perkick]

LOL. Trust me I’m not interested in your “reproductive resources”. So you keep them right where they are.

So I take it the answer is “no”. You don’t have a thought of your own.

[snarkybob]

“Government mandated redistribution of resources is Socialism.

Why should my reproductive resources be diverted to benefit your offspring?”

That’s a good question, but it has nothing to do with what we were discussing. The fact is your resources are being diverted, but so are everybody else’s, and for far more than mainstreaming. All the money govt. spends is from resources diverted from citizens. That however is a tax question and this was about autism. I understand your need for a diversion tho.

[Sue Perkick]

Thanks :)

[DelphiUser]

Well said. I stand shoulder to shoulder with you. Check my tagline.

Love your tag and thanks for the support, I just could not stand the "enlightened Analysis" being spewed here.

Remember kids, you can't spell analysis without anal.

[Sue Perkick]

LOL. I was wondering there for a minute if they had brought The Outer Limits back. I found it amusing because we receive no outside assistance. WE pay for everything. But when one has no point—like you said...

Divert Divert Divert :)

[VxH]

[That’s a good question,]

Yes it is.

[but it has nothing to do with what we were discussing.]

Mainstreaming autistic children is government mandated redistribution of resources that would otherwise be utilized by non-autistic children.

Why should educational resources be taken away from non-autistic children for the benefit of autistic children?

 

[Sue Perkick]

And the assumptions as well. And you can’t spell assumptions....

[DelphiUser]

[Why should we be subjected to your obvious ignorance on this issue?] Right, let's stand around and sing “Kumbaya” while American schools are furthered hobbled and weakened.

No one is being hobbled or weakened because my son plays at recess with normal kids.
No one is being hobbled or weakened because my son takes gym with normal kids.
No one is being hobbled or weakened because my son takes spelling with normal kids.

This nation still has enemies who will exploit such weakness.

When you give up compassion, you become an enemy of freedom and an enemy of this country.

I don't care who you are or what your rationale is, when you are talking about charging a six-year-old who was under a supposed adult's supervision with a crime you are not part of mainstream America.

"We have met the enemy and he is us" - Pogo

[New Perspective]

Love your tag and thanks for the support, I just could not stand the "enlightened Analysis" being spewed here.

Thank You.

I would like to share this excellent medical opinion offered in my Freeper mailbox from VxH.

You don’t really want to engage in a public discussion of how “dumb” parental behavior is often a significant factor in the incidence of Down’s syndrome, do you?

Congratulations to VxH.

[DelphiUser]

I said: “Yeah, the ADULT should know better. She was supposed to be managing the classroom, not he other way around.”

You said: The very purpose of my comment referring to that was “What about the children?” Who’s responsible for THEIR safety when they turn their backs on a child like this?

Sheesh!

Apparently my choice of vocabulary was beyond your level of reading comprehension.

Let me make this clear.

When a teacher or an aid is in a classroom, they are responsible for the behavior of the children in that class room.

If a teacher leaves a classroom without handing that responsibility off to another adult, they are still responsible for the behavior in that classroom.

When I was in school kids occasionally acted violently toward each other we called it fighting.

kids who fought were disciplined, some times by expulsion for a period of time.

Apparently you were not aware that this happened with normal children, it does.

Now I will take the logic and vocabulary up a notch...

The adults (people who are not otherwise impaired and have reached the age of majority unusually 18 years of age) are expected to teach Minors (those either incompetent, or under the age of 18) how to behave in society. Since Minors do not necessarily know how to behave in society, they are generally considered to be incapable of committing a crime against said society, thus the adults present should have controlled the situation, and the responsibility falls on them for Minors by definition can not be responsible.

You seem to be having difficulty knowing if a teacher should be able to stop all such acts. The answer is no, there were fights when I was in school among so called "normal" children, sometimes with teachers present and trying to stop it.

Teachers are not perfect, however, if they try and are not outside of acceptable bounds for behavior I say we don't charge them criminally either, agreed?

[VxH]

[Trust me I’m not interested in your “reproductive resources”.]

 

Certainly you are.   “reproductive resources” are those resources that are required in order to produce viable offspring.  The measure of viable offspring production is called "reproductive fitness".  Reproductive fitness is measured across multiple generations.  The number of offspring produced by a given genome over multiple generations determines the "fitness" of that genome.

 

In modern societies, viability is often dependent upon acquiring the ability to assimilate and utilize information.   The acquisition or learning of these skills is the alleged purpose of schools.   You want the limited resources of those schools to be diverted for your own benefit.

 

[Sue Perkick]

You want the limited resources of those schools to be diverted for your own benefit.

More copy/paste I see. Could you please cite the source where you got the mistaken impression I said any such thing?

[rocksblues]

Used to be called main streaming, what do they call it now?

[New Perspective]

You want the limited resources of those schools to be diverted for your own benefit.

Looks like we have an endorser of the Soylent and Green concept.

Tell me VxH, what is it like to be perfect?

[DelphiUser]

I am NOT talking about those with Asperger's Syndrome. I am talking about true autistics who can't function without an adult present and, even then, it is difficult for them and all those around them.

Autism is a severe mental disorder that severely inhibits socialization and communication skills. It is NOT the same as being unable to walk or even blind, where social skills are not limited, and communication skills are limited to a much smaller extent.

And yes, I know MD's who treat autistic children, as well as the parents of a seven year old autistic yound man. Most of the former agree with me, while the latter agrees with me 100%. "Mainstreaming" the autistic is a feel-good pipe dream that does a great disservice to the child and those around the child.

How wonderful for you to be so knowledgeable, yet not know what you are talking about.

I had an MD tell me my son was autistic when he was two, his advice "institutionalize him and concentrate on your other children." My response was to keep the child and discard the doctor.

I am myself a mildly autistic person, so I can speak from some degree of knowledge.

I have a child who was a classic case nonverbal, hand flapping fan mesmerized, low functioning autistic. I got him help as soon as I could, I have done research that would dry your eyes to dust. I moved to a location where I can participate in ground breaking studies about autistism and genetics, I have had my wife, my father, mine and my sons brains cat scanned and analyzed by experts as part of a study, I have obtained blood samples from four generations on both sides of my son's family tree so the doctors in the study would have the information they need. There have been grants built around information I have always understood what was gong on, and even given some direction to all these studies to the amazement of the doctors involved, you see, I am also mildly autistic, I always knew I was different, I had absolutely no gift for things social, but I was smart. I analyzed the people around me and built models of their behavior in my mind, I analyzed people to the point where I can meet someone for five minutes and know things that would shock them. This is not a game for me, this is survival. I can see this thing from the inside and you want to tell me what can and can't be done? Bah, you waste my time with your inability to learn.

I will not waste time with you further on this.

I was "Mainstreamed" because they did not know what else to do with me, for I was obviously very smart, just socially retarded. I figured out ways of dealing with the world from watching the "Normal" people. Mainstreaming is not just useful, it is crucial. and if you are going to say it was a disservice to me, I will respond "let me be the judge of that."

Good day.

[VxH]

Very well,

Are women who increase their risk of producing birth defects by putting off child birth, in favor of a career, until their late 30’s or 40’s “dumb” or “idiots”?

Are people with a genetic history of a condition “dumb” or “idiots” if they choose to ignore that history?

I wouldn’t say the are “dumb” or “idiots”. What adjective would you use?

[New Perspective]

Are people with a genetic history of a condition “dumb” or “idiots” if they choose to ignore that history?

That is a good question. Ask your parents.