The deputies from the South calls the North Cateno De Luca, Giuseppe Lombardo and Matteo Sciotto intervene in the case of the autistic child suspended by the head teacher of the Manzoni-Dina and Clarenza institute for having made an inappropriate gesture towards a classmate. But according to the specialists who follow him, the child is not able to understand the gesture due to the serious impairment of his socio-relational skills.
The president of the Region and the branch councilor are involved in the matter, asking for urgent initiatives in the face of a disciplinary measure potentially damaging to the dignity of a student with a serious disability. “The 11-year-old boy receiving the five-day suspension with mandatory attendance is suffering from severe autism spectrum disorder (level 3), a condition certified by the INPS pursuant to art. 3, paragraph 3, as a disability with serious connotations – the ScN deputies point out -. The minor is followed daily by a support teacher, communication assistant, professional educator and health and hygiene assistant, demonstrating the complexity of the clinical and behavioral picture, and the need to adopt compares educational, non-punitive measures based on specific intervention protocols”.
The gesture made by the boy, according to the specialists and operators who follow him, does not appear to be attributable to the desire to cause offense, nor accompanied by awareness of its nature, as frequently happens in subjects with serious impairment of socio-relational abilities;
But despite the certified very serious fragility, the school director imposed disciplinary measures on the minor with the hope of “inducing the student to serious and constructive reflection”.
“A statement that appears in open contrast with the clinical profile of the minor, who is not able – according to the health documentation – to understand the nature of the gesture nor the educational-punitive sense of a suspension” they reiterate.
They therefore ask for school inspectors to be sent to the “Manzoni – Dina e Clarenza” Institute “to verify the correctness, pedagogical coherence and legitimacy of the disciplinary measure adopted against a student with a serious disability, evaluating whether this act has compromised the protection of his personal dignity and full observance of the principles of inclusion enshrined in current legislation”. And they also invite us to evaluate whether “they do not deem it necessary to ascertain with the utmost urgency whether the head teacher has acted in compliance with the protocols envisaged for students with level 3 autism spectrum disorder, or if instead they have implemented a disciplinary action that is manifestly inadequate and devoid of educational basis, ignoring the specific cognitive and relational conditions of the student”. If this is ascertained, they ask to know whether “they do not deem it appropriate to activate every consequential measure” and therefore impose “a sanction devoid of educational significance and potentially harmful to his emotional balance and educational path”.