Autistic son,7, locked inroom

A furious mum hit out over her son being placed in an ‘isolation room’ without her knowledge after he was deemed to have been ‘disruptive’ in the classroom.

South Ayrshire Council is looking into claims a sevenyear-old boy, who is autistic, was left “terrified” after the incident at a specialist unit.

The mum, who we don’t want to name, has withdrawn her boy from the unit, claiming the treatment he suffered was “abhorrent,” “cruel” and “sadistic” and added: “I feel people need to know how our children are treated and changes need to be made. My son was locked in the room for being too vocal and refusing to do a task, which in turn upset the other children.

“He was not a danger to anyone or himself. Just a regular upset autistic child. “Why on earth, is a specialist unit using a locked empty room as a behavioural tool? It’s absolutely abhorrent.”

The parent also claimed she knew nothing about the incident until her son came home “upset” and revealed what happened.

She said: “He will not be back (to the unit). I will be seeking a referral on to somewhere that treats their disabled pupils humanely and values their wellbeing. And I will be making an official complaint with the education department.”

The unit has written to the mum to apologise that she wasn’t informed her son had “accessed the quiet room.”

The school said the child was in the ‘quiet space’ “less than 10 minutes,” and supervised “at all times.”

A council spokesman said they would investigate the complaint.