Video shows child care workers taunting, abusing autistic boy

Two child care workers in Florida surrendered to authorities after they were identified on video taunting an 8-year-old autistic student — hitting the boy with a backpack and tripping him inside a classroom.

The workers, identified as 26-year-old Kaderrica Smith and 19-year-old Alexus Henderson, were captured in a three-minute clip posted to Snapchat showing the callous abuse, including taunting and intentionally aggravating the boy, at Our Children’s Academy, police in Winter Haven said.

The video shows the boy — who suffers from autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and severe outbursts — crying and hiding beneath a table during the abuse. At one point, the boy can be seen running toward one of the women before she grabs and trips him, in what police characterized as a “leg sweep,” causing him to fall down.

One of the women can also be seen throwing shoes and a backpack at the boy while he cowers underneath the table, police said.

“These workers were supposed to be trained in how to handle children with behavioral issues,” Winter Haven Police Chief Charlie Bird said in a statement. “They are trained to de-escalate situations, but that obviously did not happen.”

It’s unclear exactly when the alleged abuse occurred, but police say they were alerted to the video Sept. 1. The boy did not need medical attention, police said.

Both Henderson and Smith told investigators they “felt they were acting appropriately” and “did nothing wrong” during initial interviews with police. Both women were fired by the facility and their certifications were placed on hold by the state Department of Children and Families — after having had the papers for just a month before the incident, WFLA reported.

Investigators determined on Sept. 15 that both Henderson and Smith committed criminal acts while caring for the boy. The pair surrendered after police issued warrants for their arrest.

Smith was charged with battery and child abuse. Henderson was booked for child neglect.