A five-year-old boy with autism has been accused by his school of being a ‘sexual predator’, according to his family.
According to reports, Nathan Putnam was branded as a sex offender after he hugged one classmate and kissed another at East Ridge Elementary School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The child’s family believe that staff reported his display of affection to the State of Tennessee.
The Metro reported that Nathan’s grandma, Debi Amick, wrote on Facebook, ‘What do you do when a 5 year old child is being labelled as a sexual predator and accused of sexual harassment by the school system?
‘It was disclosed that it will go in his record for the rest of his life that he is a sex offender. This child is autistic, he comprehends and functions very different than your typical 5 year old.
‘What do you do?’
She continued, ‘Who do you turn to for help when the school will not even listen to the child’s doctor when he explains the child’s difficulties in his comprehension of simple things such as boundaries.’
His mother, Summery Putman, also spoke out about the incident, telling WTVC, ‘I was sick to my stomach because first all don’t you understand he’s a 5-year-old?
‘He’s a child? The teacher called me and she said, “You need to have a talk with Nathan about boundaries.”’
Ms Putman added, ‘If you don’t understand how autism works you’ll think he’s acting out or being defiant. But that’s not the situation.’
A spokesperson for the school told DailyMail.com that Nathan hadn’t been punished and that the child’s family ‘is not sharing the full context of the concerns.’
Nathan has now moved to a different class and been enrolled in a special education programme.
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