Viral campaign exposes teachers' cruel taunts

[Sheila Struthers]

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6232860

When Stuart Chaifetz secretly recorded his autistic son's school day, what most distressed him wasn't hearing staff shouting at 10-year-old Akian or calling him a bastard, it was the merciless way they mocked him, then ignored him as he cried.

Six months ago, Akian's New Jersey special needs school told Mr Chaifetz that his son had started acting up. He was having violent outbursts and hitting out at staff. The behaviour was so out of character that even a behavioural specialist who examined Akian couldn't explain it.

Mr Chaifetz decided to investigate himself. "I felt I was losing my son," he says. "I needed to know what was going on and this seemed like the only way to find out." One day in February, he dropped a $30 recording device in his son's pocket. That night, when he played back the six and a half hours of audio, he was devastated by what he heard.

Here's the video...