Well, looks like Port St. Lucie kindergarten teacher Wendy Portillo won't be named Teacher of the Year. According to the Treasure Coast Palm, she handled a difficult child, five-year-old Alex Barton (pictured at right), in what she probably thought was a creative manner: She encouraged the other children in the class to tell him why they didn't like him (e.g.: he's "disgusting" and "annoying") and then to vote on whether or not he should stay in class (they voted to kick him out, 14-2). And so he was forced to leave!
Why in the world would a teacher hand over control to a classroom of five-year-olds? If she thought he needed to leave the room, why didn't she just take the authority upon herself to send him to the principal rather than handing the decision over to an army of PlayDoh-eaters?
Alex, who has Asperger's, a form of autism, spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office. At home he repeated to himself, "I'm not special" over and over, and he now screams when he gets near the school, so he's dropped out.
An abuse investigation is underway and Alex's mother is considering legal action. Even if he was a problem kid, there definitely had to be a better way for the teacher to handle this.
Reader Comments ( Page 16 of 16)
226. Mark,
What does Morality have to do with Autism? I have never heard it mentioned once at the doctors office when we have gone for an appt. I will ask the therapist tomorrow when she comes. I think she will find it interesting. I will also send this to my grandsons Doctor that we have to pay $250 an hour for. That his insurance doesn't pay for. That only people that have no morals get Autism. Also to the Social Security Office when my daughter goes on Friday. You have found the Cure. You should be written up in all the medical journals. They can stop looking for the CURE. It isn't the Vaccines. Wow. Thank you so much. That is great also that only Moral people marry Moral people. Glad to know that one. Hope you don't have children. I truly hope you don't ever have a child that is special needs. But I am sure you don't think you would you are too special.
My son was beat up in school because he was short by a guy. My son was also ADHD. Well that guy is now in Jail on charges for Murder. What is your opinion on that. The guy wasn't in Special classes or anything. My son on the other hand has a great job. Works as a Editor in Hollywood on TV Shows. Has never hurt anyone. Was always nice to everyone. My son changed schools because of this guy. This guy is 6 feet 4 inches tall and killed a guy that was only 5 feet tall and stole from the guy. He is also on charges for other stuff. Beating up his girlfriend. They have been out of High School now for ten years. He has been beating up people for years. So your theory that you need to track people for years. Track people that are bullies like you. He was always verbally abusive like you also.
cc at 3:05AM on Jun 3rd 2008
227. #222 - Mark,
"Wikipedia doesn't breath word one about Einstein having AS. Perhaps you'd care to document your claim and adjust their entry on him."
Wikipedia breaths several words....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People_speculated_to_have_been_autistic
thinkin at 12:03PM on Jun 3rd 2008
228. "226. #222 - Mark,
"Wikipedia doesn't breath word one about Einstein having AS. Perhaps you'd care to document your claim and adjust their entry on him."
Wikipedia breaths several words...."
And the main entry on Albert Einstein, which would seem to be the one that matters in this context (and not some speculative entry), doesn't breath word one.
Mark at 12:23PM on Jun 3rd 2008
229. Mark,
It's very obvious that I didn't compare Temple Grandin and Bill Gates to each other at all. I used both as an analogy to show that people with autism can be sucessful and of benefit to society.
Where did you learn that ALL apsberger's are incapable of ever developing social skills? There seem to be plenty nonautistics in prisons after having proven they are incapable of proper social behavior. There are plenty of immoral people who aren't autistic. Why do you think the autism is the determing factor?
If you standard is to identify immoral people and those without social skills based on a brain disorder. Why not have the same standard for non autistics? The Fourteenth Ammendment provides for equal protection. Either you check everyone's background for potential deviancy or you check none.
What does it matter that autism is a brain disorder and not a mental illness?! Are you serious? We went there half a century ago ... lobotomies, electroshock therapy, institutionalization, forced sterilization. Those horrors included people with brain disorders such as epilepsy as well. What was being done was found to be cruel and inhumane. Do you seriously want society to regress to repeating those same mistakes?
Every bodily function is controlled by the brain ... not just mental wellness/illness. That's the first thing people learn about the brain. How is it that you don't know that or that you needed a scientist to point it out to you?
And, if Wilkipedia is your main source of information, I feel sorry for your inability to use your own brain to actually do some research.
If/when you have a five year old let's do to him/her what was done to this boy and see how your child's behavior changes. Any ourburst would clearly be an indication of future societal deviancy and your child would then need to be locked away and poked and tested to see how to fix it.
Rochelle at 12:40PM on Jun 3rd 2008
230. This will be my last post on this subject. Mainstreaming should only be done if the child is ready. Only because most of the time the so called normal students are rude and do not know how to act. My grandson will be going to a special school. My son also went to a special school and so called mainstreamed classes. My granddaughter is being homeschooled because kids are rude and mean. My son is now an Adult. My daughter and son were both treated bad for different reasons and said kids were mean. They both went to different schools.
cc at 1:07AM on Jun 10th 2008