No one knows a child quite like their own parents.
That’s why it can be worrying for moms and dads when they suddenly pick up on differences in their child’s behaviour.
This might be a story from a few years ago, but we feel it’s an important subject that needs to be addressed.
It’s a tale that lends credence to the fact you should always trust your gut feeling… as well as pay attention to any sudden changes in the way your child acts.
Stuart Chaifetz’s then-10-year-old son Akian, who has autism, was a student at a school that was supposed to be lending him the support he needed.
After about a year at the school, Stuart started to notice that his son’s behaviour had changed. He was no longer the happy, carefree and calm boy he had been.
Stuart started suspecting that something was not quite right, but when he chased the school for answers, they wouldn’t give him any proper feedback or explanation.
He knew he had to figure out what was behind his son’s sudden transformation. He suspected that there might be someone or something at school that was causing his son to act differently. He had a hunch that he wasn’t getting the help he required.
Stuart understood that he had to take matters into his own hands.
So, he hatched a plan to send his son to school wearing a hidden audio recorder. He could never have never imagined what he would hear on the tape when his son returned home.
The tapes revealed that Akian was being bullied by his teacher and aide teacher. They would verbally abuse the child, calling him obscene names and talking down to him. His teacher was not only berating him in class in front of other students, but she was completely ignorant to Akian’s autism, going as far as to call him a “bastard”.
To make matters worse, on the tape you can hear the teacher and aide teacher have loud inappropriate conversations in the classroom about how they were going to get drunk, as well as conversations about sex.
After listening to the whole six-hour recording, Stuart realised why Akian had been acting the way he had.
He knew that maybe the recording wouldn’t necessarily get the teachers to a courtroom, but he did send it to the school board.
Luckily, both the teacher and assistant were fired, although no further action was taken. Months later, Stuart uploaded a video to YouTube in which he described the situation and divulged the contents of the shocking audio tape. His video quickly went viral, with millions of people keen to weigh in on the bullying aspect of the recording.
Watch the below news report about the situation:
It’s horrible that something like this happened, especially at a school that’s meant to be adapted for children with special needs.
Share this article with your friends on Facebook if you also think we should always rely on our gut feelings, especially when it comes to our kids! Spread the ANTI-BULLYING message!
