Autism therapist fined for dragging 4-year-old boy onto floor

In Singapore, a behavioural therapist named Tricia Lee Hsien was recently fined $5,000 for violently disciplining a four-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome. Lee, who worked for the Autism Recovery Network Singapore, faced charges of voluntarily causing hurt to a person under the age of 14. She pleaded guilty to a single count of the offence.

Lee's employment began in January 2024, and she was assigned to teach the young boy in his home. The boy's parents had installed a security camera to monitor the lessons, but they did not interfere during sessions, even when the child exhibited tantrums, trusting Lee's judgment.

On June 13, 2024, during a reading lesson, the boy began fidgeting. Lee instructed him to place his hands on the table to avoid violence or snatching items. When he refused to comply and attempted to grab the book, Lee pulled it away. The boy struck her in the face, causing her to lose her spectacles.

Lee retaliated by swinging her left hand twice and forcefully throwing the book onto the floor. She then picked up the book and threw it against the table and wall. The boy retaliated by striking her face two more times, again knocking off her spectacles. Lee then stood up, grabbed the boy's hand, and dragged him from the chair onto the floor in an act of physical violence. She carried the boy out of the room and informed his father that he had hit her face.

Despite multiple attempts to calm the boy, the session ended fruitlessly. The boy's mother later reviewed the security camera footage and was horrified by Lee's actions. She alerted Lee's employer, submitted a police report, and had the boy examined by a hospital the following day. No physical injuries were discovered.

Lee was subsequently terminated from her position on June 14, 2024. The maximum penalty for voluntarily causing hurt to a person under 14 in Singapore could have been up to six years in jail.