Stu
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
‘I was a kid … If I had the support then that I do now with my psychologist, I don’t think I would have ever seen the inside of a cell.’
Stu is in his 30s and recently discovered he is autistic and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
‘They thought I was just your typical uncontrollable young child that wouldn’t listen to things that were asked of them,’ Stu told the Royal Commission. ‘It’s frustrating that … they ended up locking me up in the juvenile justice system.’
When Stu was a kid, child protection removed him from his parents and put him in foster care. Although many of the adults in his life tried to help him, no-one managed to arrange an assessment and diagnosis. He struggled at school.
‘I couldn’t succeed. Not because I was bad at school, but because the [autism] and the social challenges and my also now-diagnosed ADHD … I could do the schoolwork, but I couldn’t hand it in. Like in hindsight that was ADHD. It wasn’t me not doing it, it was just me not getting it in on time.’
Stu had to leave school. He would ‘have a meltdown’, but his teachers didn’t recognise autism.
‘Being put in juvenile [detention] began to be a thing because my behaviour had escalated. And admittedly it was very challenging and in hindsight … if I saw a kid going through that I would be challenged by it. But then dealing with that sort of challenge, the [detention centre] staff didn’t seem to understand what was going on.’
At one stage a doctor misdiagnosed bipolar disorder. To try to control his behaviour, detention staff gave him too much medication.
‘We’re talking at least two dozen, like, opioids. Like, not opioids, but that effect on slowing you down because that’s what they needed to be able to do, which was basically shoehorn me into this situation.’
The side effects of the medication put him in hospital. Stu said many of the other kids in juvenile detention also seemed to be autistic and were medicated and restrained.
‘Some of the stuff I do … was the same for them, talking about [autism] and masking. How you behave a certain way to hide it. I can imagine a good handful of these kids, had they not gone through what they went through, like me, they would [now] be working in their own businesses.’
Stu said many of the kids in juvenile detention were talented artists, but the medication, violence and restrictive practices caused some to attempt suicide.
As a result of the abuse and delayed diagnosis, Stu says he’s now ‘unemployable’.
‘I don’t want to see others go through this. And if there was anything that came of this, from my part of it, it would be to make sure that if a kid goes in [to juvenile detention], shows a certain series of issues like anger issues or whatever, [their response] is not just, “He’s being difficult. Let’s medicate him.”’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.