Amber Escamilla, Waco, Texas elementary school teacher arrested using electronic dog whistle to inflict pain on autistic child along with using device as threat of abuse.
A Texas elementary teacher has been accused of causing injury and distress to a 6 year old autistic child after subjecting the boy to an electronic dog whistle she would use to ‘control’ her student victim.
Amber Escamilla, 46, is alleged to have used the whistle on the child at Bell’s Hill Elementary School in Waco ‘when he got overstimulated,’ according to an arrest report obtained by KWTX.
Escamilla who was arrested on Tuesday, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of causing injury to a child or disabled person, a third-degree felony.
The ability to use electronic dog whistle to inflict pain without the detection by others
The young boy’s parents told cops that their son wore earmuffs at school because he is sensitive to sounds — and ‘would come home and cry’ about what he thought were fire alarms hurting his ears, the affidavit stated.
Research suggests that autistic people may have a heightened sensitivity to sounds, including those in the ultrasonic range where dog whistles operate. While typical humans cannot hear dog whistles due to their frequency, autistic individuals may be able to perceive them, and they may find them irritating or even painful.
Perhaps even more insidious is the ability of the person inflicting pain against the victim, is their ability to perpetrate the abuse without the detection of others nearby.
When detectives went to the school last week, the principal told them she had confiscated an electronic dog whistle from Escamilla, in November. The educator was described as a 10-year teaching veteran who had only recently started at the school.
Elementary teacher explained how she used device to control her victim
Around the same time, another staffer described how Escamilla ‘came into the break room and placed a device on the table, telling co-workers that she had this for when the victim ‘gets loud,” the affidavit stated.
The teacher told colleagues that ‘when she clicks it, [the autistic student] stops,’ the arrest documents stated.
The dog whistle device was soon after confiscated before a complaint to Child Protective Services led to the opening of an investigation against Escamilla.
During police questioning, the educator allegedly admitted accessing the device ‘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 arrest affidavit stated.
Elementary teacher spotted using electronic dog whistle in class
An unidentified witness nevertheless told cops that she saw the teacher using the whistle on the boy in her classroom as well, the report stated.
‘The witness observed the child covering his ears and pleading for the [teacher] to stop,’ the affidavit stated.
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.’
Escamilla, who had been employed by the Waco Independent School District for less than a year, did not have her contract renewed, a spokesperson said.
‘The actions under review do not reflect the values or expectations we hold for our staff,’ spokesperson Wendy Sledd told KWTX.
‘Waco ISD remains committed to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all students,’ she said, adding that ‘district staff are cooperating fully with the investigation.’
