The child's experience raises urgent questions about the treatment of neurodivergent students in schools.
Image: IOL Ron AI
A primary school teacher is facing serious criminal charges after allegedly using an electronic dog whistle on a six-year-old autistic boy who is highly sensitive to sound.
The child, who wore earmuffs to school to block out distressing noise, would return home crying and distressed, repeatedly telling his parents that fire alarms were hurting his ears.
For many autistic children, loud or high-pitched sounds can be more than just uncomfortable — they can be overwhelming, even painful.
These children often experience sensory processing differences that make certain noises feel like an assault on their senses, triggering anxiety, panic, and in some cases, physical pain.
The teacher in question, Amber Escamilla, 46, from Texas, was arrested and charged with injury to a child or disabled person — a third-degree felony that could carry a sentence of up to 10 years if she is convicted.
According to the arrest report obtained by KWTX, Escamilla allegedly used the high-frequency whistle at Bell’s Hill Elementary School in Waco “when the boy got overstimulated.” Rather than using trained behavioural or sensory-sensitive approaches, she reportedly relied on the device to force the child to comply.
The school principal told detectives she had confiscated an electronic dog whistle from Escamilla in November.
A fellow staff member also recalled a disturbing moment in the staff room: Escamilla allegedly placed the device on the table and announced, “I have this for when the boy gets loud.” She is said to have boasted to colleagues that “when she clicks it, the autistic student stops.”
One witness described the child visibly suffering. According to the affidavit, they saw the boy covering his ears and pleading for Escamilla to stop - a sign of distress from the boy, who was struggling with the noise.
Escamilla, who had only recently joined the school despite 10 years of experience in teaching, now faces legal and professional consequences.
Her arrest has sparked outrage from parents and advocates, who stress the importance of training educators to understand the specific needs of neurodivergent learners.
As the case proceeds, many are calling for greater protections for autistic children in classrooms, especially when it comes to recognising the very real impact that sound sensitivity has on their wellbeing.
The teacher used the whistle a second time, with the boy “responding in the same way,” the witness told detectives.
The witness advised that the child is sensitive to sound and was visibly in pain from the defendant using the whistle.
When interviewed, Escamilla allegedly admitted to using the whistle “for the purpose of outside playground use, using it only one time on the playground.”
“The defendant advised that she would only exhibit the whistle to the victim as a threat to gain compliance,” the affidavit stated.
However, an unidentified witness told police that she saw the teacher using the whistle on the boy in her classroom, the report said.
A spokesperson said that Escamilla did not have her contract renewed.
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