School ties 5-year-old autistic boy to chair by ankles, and sends photos to mother in class report
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
A five-year-old boy suffering from autism was strapped to a chair at his waist and ankles at a special school in Northern Ireland, per photos sent to his parents as part of a class report. The boy, who is the youngest of three children, was confined to the chair despite having no special physical needs while other students were allowed to sit and play freely. Upon learning of the teacher's activities about 10 months ago, the parents demanded the school for an apology as well as an assurance that it would never happen again.
However, the school did not appropriately respond to their call, prompting the concerned parents to contact Social Services after their son's psychiatrist explained their claims were a "child protection matter". After lodging a complaint with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, social services wrote to the child's psychiatrist, stating: “We fear [the child] suffered willful or neglectful failure to prevent injury and suffering, and confinement defined as physical abuse under Social Services procedure.”