School gives child with autism 'most annoying' award

The parents attended the ceremony and were shocked when they heard about the award. Photo / 123RF

The parents of an 11-year-old boy in Indiana, US, were shocked to hear their son, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), had received the award for "most annoying male" at his school.

The father, Rick Castejon, told local media he felt "blindsided" after hearing about the teacher giving his son the award.

"As a principal or teacher, you should never let this happen to any student," he told The Times of Northwest Indiana.

The award was handed to the boy by a special education teacher at Bailly Preparatory Academy, in Gary, during an end-of-year ceremony for fifth-graders.

The parents were in attendance and were shocked to hear the boy was receiving the award. They were reportedly silent in the moment, as they did not know how to react.

The father said he tried to leave the trophy, which had been engraved, on a table, but the teacher reportedly told him not to forget it.

The 11-year-old boy is non-verbal and sometimes rocks back and forth on the spot.

The father told media the school had asked the parents for advice on how to deal with the boy during the school year, but he now seems those requests in a different light.

"Just because they have special needs doesn't mean they don't have feelings," the dad said.

It is not known whether the school has taken any further action on the matter or whether the teacher has been disciplined.