NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Channel 13 is turning to a licensed clinical social worker to explain challenges students who are nonverbal face and how they process trauma.
This comes after the arrest of 65-year-old CCSD employee Lisa Harris, who is facing abuse and battery charges following an alleged incident with a student on April 24.
Harris is accused of pinching a boy in the cafeteria at dismissal time for special needs students.
The student, police say, has Down syndrome and is nonverbal. An arrest report obtained by Channel 13 states he refused to put on his shoes on and Harris became frustrated, then allegedly pinched him.
His mom shared with police that her son had bruising under his arm.
Harris posted bail and is out of jail, and she’s due to appear in court again on May 28. Channel 13 knocked on her door at home to give her a chance to comment, but nobody answered.
“Every child is different,” said La’Quinta Hampton, a licensed clinical social worker.
She explained the ways nonverbal children can communicate and how parents should communicate with their child’s school to accommodate their needs. She said that helps both the student and staff.
“It’s about the mindfulness. It’s about learning body cues and social nonverbal behaviors — monitoring if a child is smiling, or if they’re really sad and they’re holding their head down,” she said.
Hampton also said they can communicate through play, art, or other activities to share their emotions.
It’s not clear what the circumstances were leading up to the alleged incident between Harris and the student last week.
“Anyone can experience burnout, but we don’t want to reflect that burnout onto a child. Specifically, one with some kind of disability,” Hampton said.
