The father of three, who can't be identified, snapped when his son left a car door open and flattened the vehicle's battery to avoid going to school.

The incident, which occurred in the Wangaratta region, led to the man hitting the boy and the matter being reported to child protective services.

The father had dropped the boy off at his school after the incident and admitted to staff he'd given his son "a clip".

The boy told workers at his school that he was sore after the incident and Wangaratta child abuse detectives looked into the matter.

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The boy and his sister were interviewed by police and detailed what had occurred.

The man made a "no comment" interview on legal advice and was charged with unlawful assault.

The court heard the child had behavioural issues and had ADHD and autism.

He had absconded from his school before the incident.

"It's an unfortunate situation all round," lawyer Glenn Kable said.

Mr Kable said it was a one-off incident, and "a valuable learning experience for this defendant".

The man was suspended from his job as a result of being charged.

The father said he had been seeking help from a psychologist before the incident after finding himself losing his temper.

Magistrate David Faram asked how he would deal with the situation now.

"Have you reflected on how you might deal with (your son) if the situation or a similar situation presented itself again?" he said.

"A lot calmer, just take my time with it," the man replied.

"I do generally like to practice more gentle parenting, sitting down and talking to the kids when something goes wrong.

"That's how I'll deal with it next time if it did happen again."

The man must be of good behaviour for the next 12 months.

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