KERNERSVILLE, N.C. (WGHP) -- A Triad mother says her 5-year-old son has autism and is enrolled in the pre-K program at Sedge Garden Elementary School in Kernersville. While She says he typically has a smile on his face, his behavior started to change in October 2024. "He would come home, and h e would repeat what he hears ... He would always say, 'Lay down ... Get up ... in a very forceful way," the mother said. It's something she would hear her son say time and time again, and she eventually brought her concerns to the school. "I did talk to the teacher about it, and she told me, He doesn't like to take naps and that's just me being firm with him.' I didn't think anything of it. Come to find out that was just his way of him saying, 'What's going on here?'" she said. Nearly four months later, the mother says she received a difficult call from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. "On Feb. 4 ... I was told that that they had been doing an investigation at the school, and my child was a victim of child abuse by his teacher ... That was the first time I heard of that," she said. Documents from the NCDHHS show they began investigating an assistant teacher last December. According to a letter, during nap time, the staff member who has not been criminally charged forcefully restrained a child, grabbed and lifted the child by the arm, wrapped the child's head with a blanket and pushed the head down with her foot. Now that these allegations have been made public, the mother now sees a correlation to her son's behavior. "He has ... crying spells ... He is a really happy boy and has a lot of personality ... Lately, it's hard for him to transition from one thing to another," she said. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools announced the assistant teacher and Sedge Garden Elementary School's Principal Angela Reeves have been suspended. NCDHHS says Reeves was aware of this behavior and did not report it. As the state investigates the alleged child abuse, the mother is calling more than a slap on the wrist. "I want her to be charged, and I want her to know that she really affected my son mentally ... He needs additional help now because of what she put him through. He's a baby and doesn't deserve that," she said. The NCDHHS says the accused teacher assistant is now disqualified by the Division of Child Development and Early Education. FOX8 reached out to Reeves and the assistant teacher, and we have not heard back from them. The state downgraded the school’s license to a special provisional license for six months ...read more read less