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

SINGAPORE – A behavioural therapist was fined after she dragged a boy with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, from a chair onto the floor.

Tricia Lee Hsien, 29, was fined $5,000 on Oct 28 after pleading guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to a person below 14.

She was employed by Autism Recovery Network Singapore in January 2024.

The next month, she was assigned to conduct lessons with the four-year-old boy in his home.

The boy’s parents had installed a security camera in his room but did not intervene during lessons, even when he threw tantrums, as they trusted Lee.

During a lesson on June 13, 2024, Lee was reading a book to the boy when he began fidgeting.

She told him to place his hands on the table so that he would not be violent or snatch items.

He did not listen and tried to grab the book.

After Lee pulled the book away, the boy hit her in the face, knocking off her spectacles.

Lee put her spectacles back on and swung her left hand aggressively twice, before forcefully throwing the book on the floor.

She then picked it up and threw it against the table and wall.

The boy hit her face two more times, knocking off her spectacles again.

Lee then stood up and grabbed the boy’s hand, dragging him off the chair onto the floor to hurt him.

After that, she carried him out of the room and told his father that he had hit her face.

The session ended after several attempts to calm the boy failed.

His mother later reviewed the security camera footage and was shocked by what she saw.

She told Lee’s employer about the incident and sent them the footage.

She also made a police report and brought the boy to the hospital the next day. No physical injuries were found.

Lee’s employment was terminated on June 14, 2024.

For voluntarily causing hurt to a person under 14, she could have been jailed for up to six years.