Therapist fined S$5,000 for dragging 4-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome to floor

SINGAPORE: A therapist, who is supposed to help those who need assistance, was fined $5,000 on Oct 28 this year after dragging a 4-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome from his seat to the floor. This incident occurred after the boy allegedly slapped the therapist in her face repeatedly.

Case details revealed that the 29-year-old behaviour therapist is facing one charge of intentional assault. Investigations show that the suspect would attend classes with the boy twice a week in his room. With this, the boy’s parents installed a CCTV camera in his room and trusted the therapist to assist their son, despite all of his tantrums, as reported by Shin Min Daily News.

On June 13, 2024, the suspect was having a class with the boy. It was believed that the suspect was holding a book in front of the boy and began pointing at the words and pictures in the book; the boy was unable to sit still. 

The boy did not obey the instructions given to him by the therapist and tried to take the book from the therapist’s hand. Due to the boy’s tantrums, he was able to swing his hand at his therapist’s face, causing her glasses to fall off. 

During their aggressive interaction, the woman threw the book she was holding onto the table, then against the wall. Upon seeing this behaviour, the boy slapped the suspect in the face once again. When the suspect warned the boy to not be violent against her, the boy hit the therapist once more, and even snatched her glasses. 

Because of the boy’s behaviour, the suspect grabbed the boy’s hand and dragged him from his seat to the floor. This action was caught by the boy’s mother from the surveillance camera, and concluded that the suspect indeed intentionally hurt her child. The therapist was fired due to the incident. 

During sentencing, the prosecution argued that the boy was uninjured, and the suspect had low culpability. The judge then stated that the suspect could have used other methods to address the boy’s behavioural concerns, instead of choosing violence. 

With this, she was fined $5,000 for the incident. 

In other news, there was a woman who had been illegally staying in Singapore for over 19 years. She has finally surrendered to the authorities together with her husband, as they could not continue living to make ends meet in the country. 

With this, she has been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, and a fine of $2,000. 

Read more about the news incident here.