{
  "id": 16848627,
  "title": "Former behavioural therapist fined for causing hurt to 4-year-old boy with special needs who hit her",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/former-behavioural-therapist-fined-for-causing-hurt-to-4-year-old-boy",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T04:52:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CNA - Singapore",
    "slug": "cna-singapore",
    "url": "https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/behavioural-therapist-fined-hurt-boy-aspergers-6498866"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A 29-year-old Singaporean behavioural therapist named Tricia Lee Hsien was recently fined S$5,000 (US$3,900) for causing hurt to a four-year-old boy with special needs. On June 13, 2024, while conducting a lesson at the boy's home, Lee was hit in the face by the child multiple times. Lee, who was trained to address behavioural issues in her students, attempted to calm the boy down by instructing him to adopt a specific position. When the boy continued to resist, Lee responded with aggressive actions, including throwing the book, picking it up, and throwing it against the wall. The boy hit her face again, prompting Lee to grab his hand and drag him off his chair. Lee informed the boy's parents about the incident, leading to his expulsion from the autism centre where she worked.",
  "summary": "The 29-year-old woman had been hit in the face multiple times by the victim during a lesson.",
  "key_points": [
    "Singaporean therapist Tricia Lee fined S$5,000 for hurting 4-year-old boy",
    "Lee hit boy multiple times while trying to calm him down in home lesson",
    "Boy's parents expelled him from autism centre after incident"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The therapist's aggressive reaction to a student's resistance highlights a failure in professional conduct that undermines the safety and trust required when managing children with special needs.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}