Posted on 09/23/2007 7:43:27 PM PDT by 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.
The accusations are indicative of his disability. In making reference to them, you are making reference to his disability.
I attended a seminar called “Yelling doesn’t work.” The presenter based her seminar on the book The Explosive Child. She explained how a child with sensory issues (which a great deal of Autistic children have) struggles through their day without supports.
Imagine this child holding a tray, and throughout the course of the day items are placed on it for him to balance. Mom wouldn’t let him wear the red shirt he wanted, would be one item. Missing the bus, another and perhaps larger item. At some point during the day this child is dangerously close to dropping his tray (thus entering the vortex of meltdown). Child is in class, his pencil snaps and bam he loses his tray and is thrown into the vortex. The teacher reports to parents “I can’t understand it, his pencil broke and he lost it”, when it really wasn’t the pencil at all.
A BCBA through observations can tell immediately a child who is getting close to the edge of the vortex. The BCBA develops behavior modifications for this child for professionals to use which will in effect remove items from his tray so he can be productive and regulate himself.
For example, his 1:1 ABA assistant would say to “John” (a high functioning child, who was taught through ABA protocols ready and attending skills, but still needs some help with his sensory issues) you have 6 breaks today, you tell me when you need to take them. John takes one right away after the first exercise they do in class, then asks for another one soon after. That is ok, John knows he can use them when he needs them, and two in a row is ok — he only has 4 left though for the day and the process is for John to learn that. Slowly you fade his breaks down to 5, then 4, then so on until John is regulating his impulsivity and readily attending on his own without supports.
Inclusion can and should work. These kids need supports or they will have already lost coming out of the gate.
yeah so maybe instead of ranting you should listen once in awhile. oh wait ...hear once in awhile instead of bitterly ranting with put downs
“That mentality is out there you must live in Utopia to not be familiar with it. I suggest you stay there in Utopia.
A Utopian such as yourself giving advise on how to deal with all the evil in this world is like having a horse as a running coach. Your advise is not of much value to me.
Maybe instead of projecting arrogance on others, you should focus on humility. Virtue begins within not without.”
BRAVA BRAVA
You have once again proven your ignorance. Rant on...
great post....and finally a good one to see.
Yelling doesnt work for anyone.
Thank you for posting something that finally we can learn from.
Projection. Projection. (Yawn)
I bet you do this often.
I have yet to see a fat woman become thin, a bad woman become good ,or an ugly woman become pretty through projection.
Put don’t take my advice, I’m just a poor, dumb hick.
more ignorance...how plucky of you.
Now go away and get some help. you need it.
I have never seen anyone take posts and twist them so the response no longer resembles anything that was said.
Glad you have a place to get rid of all your poison.
You wont put it on me.
You need to take heed to your own postings....holds up mirror ....pfft of course you wont recognize it.
GO AWAY.
You should have me banned for offending Princess Donnab. You would show world you are powerful. People would tremble in fear as you passed them on street and no one ever disagree or offend Princess Donnab on Freerepublic again. Why! It would be Utopia.
Are you trying to drum up business?
I heard in Russia Putin decided to put a whole bunch of disagreeable people in psyche wards.You would be happier in Russia.
Any luck in having me banned.
why would I ..what amusement would we have?
Yep.
Can I ask why he was banned regarding this thread?
hoping now that learned discussion can follow....
following Loveblogs last post ...I learned alot from that...thanks for the examples.
Knock off the personal attacks now.
If the child had the social skills of a 3 year old, but far advanced cognitive abilities then he can be in the class with supports.
A great deal of autistic children are brilliant yet are significantly delayed socially, or have serious sensory issues which preclude them from doing full inclusion.
Since you were not present to witness what actually happened, then you don't know whether or not behavior modifications were in place. There is no cure-all behavior modification that works perfectly with every child; autistic or not. I sense that you are automatically going to blame the educator.
There are clear behavior modifications that should be in place for specific instances such as what occurred here. Any competent person who has worked with autistic children will tell you that, and would know how to handle a physical outburst such has this.
I know this because I understand autism. The “educator” and aide in this classroom clearly do not, and I would hope that is the case of the school district also for if they placed this child who is prone to this type of behavior in an inclusion setting without supports, knowing full well the potential ramifications of that would be then that is criminal and they should be charged.
Just because behavior modifications are in place doesn’t mean that an autistic child will never have outbursts. There is no cure-all behavior modification that reduces autistic behavior. Specific behavior mods work well with some children, and not so well with others. Therefore, different modifications must be tried. You are condemning the educator (no quotations needed) without having witnessed the attack, knowing the specific history of the child, his home life, other disabilities, etc., knowing what kind of training the educator has received, or knowing whether or not behavior mods were in place. You can’t possibly know because you have never been to the classroom.
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