The Florida teacher who was beaten unconscious by a 270-pound student in a viral video has refused to help the teen’s defense lighten his sentence, according to a report.
Brendan Depa, then 17, violently hurled Matanzas High School paraprofessional Joan Naydich to the ground, then could be seen in the video kicking and punching her in the back and head more than a dozen times before he was pulled off her by other staff.
The troubled teen told investigators he attacked Naydich because teachers ordered him to stop playing a video game on a Nintendo Switch.
Depa, who was charged as an adult, faces up to 30 years in prison for the first-degree felony charge of aggravated battery.
According to Flagler Live, Naydich has “shown no interest in mitigating what penalties Depa might face.”
The autistic teen — who will plead guilty to avoid trial — was initially charged as a juvenile in the case before the raps were upgraded.
I like how they tried to sensationalize this by adding in the article that the teen was autistic (implying that condition was the cause of the behavior). Autism has nothing to do with this – this is learned behavior. This school, and the community it serves, has a very long history of similar patterns of behavior, including the mass brawl that took place only a few days ago.
Why would she ?? I would want the sonsabitch in prison for as long as possible.
Thanks for your comment. I assume from what you’ve said (that Autism had nothing to do with this) that you are a Psychiatrist and expert on Autism. ?
Cheesewhiz, thank you for the opportunity to enlighten and educate you.
To answer your question, no, I am not an expert on anything. I simply have worked as a BCBA-D for the last 26 years specifically with the ASD population. I welcome the opportunity to share what I know with you and others, to dispel myths and misperceptions about the ASD population from my perspective as a professional and as a parent of a child on the spectrum. If I can share anything with you, I am happy to do so. Should you care to learn more ( and I sincerely encourage you to do so), start at http://www.reaserachautism.org where there are a great many free resources for you to delve into.
So, from your comment, if it was a loved one of yours that was brutally beaten or killed by somebody with autism, you would be just fine with what happened as long as they are autistic? You probably also excuse people who rob, rape and kill if they had a bad upbringing too…
No, but I appreciate your spin doctor attempt. I’m simply stating that autism is not the reason this occurred. It was all behavioral, most likely due to failed parenting, and yes, he should be prosecuted.
As for 9:42s uneducated remark, autism is a medically diagnosed syndrome. Everything you need to know is provided for in the DSM5-TR. Commentary from the uneducated and misundunderstood sections of society lead to misperceptions, but it is the Eastern Shore, so I get it. My advice – know your subject matter before spouting off. Neither of you have any clue what you are talking about.
I know quite a few people who claim to be autistic or claim to have family members (usually children) who are autistic. From what I can see, it is just something they claim in order to excuse bad behavior and failure to teach self-discipline and that actions have consequences. IMO it’s just BS.