Childcare workers caught bullying autistic boy as he cowers under table

Two childcare workers face charges after a Snapchat video emerged showing them bullying an autistic eight-year-old boy who is crying and hiding under a table.

The footage shows Kaderrica Smith, 26 and Alexus Henderson, 19, cruelly berating the little boy at Our Children's Academy in Winter Haven, Florida. The school has programs and therapies for children with limited verbal abilities and severe medical challenges.

Police told KTLA Smith is being charged with battery and child abuse while Henderson is being charged with child neglect.

Two daycare workers were caught on Snapchat bullying a crying eight-year-old boy with autism as he cowered under a table. Photo / Snapchat

They were both fired from the daycare following the incident and their childcare certifications have been blocked, the MailOnline reported.

One portion of the two-minute video released shows one woman swiping his legs with her legs, causing him to fall.

Another part of the video shows the child hiding and crying under the table as one of the workers stands over him.

One of the workers taunts the boy, laughing and saying: "Chicken, chicken, chicken."

Kaderrica Smith (left) and Alexus Henderson (right) both face charges for berating a crying eight-year-old boy while he was under their care. Photo / Winter Haven Police Department

Behavior analyst Itzel Arteaga told WTSP the women are clearly having trouble working with the boy, but handled the situation completely wrong.

She said: "These workers were supposed to be trained in how to handle children with behavioral issues. They are trained to de-escalate situations, but that obviously did not happen."