Arlo and Jenna
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.
‘You should meet my son – he is so lovely and I worry that he will be sad because he is falling so far behind while his twin brother is not.’
Arlo is in year 4. He struggles to read and write. He has dyslexia and dysgraphia and has attended occupational therapy and speech therapy since he was three.
Jenna, his mum, says they ‘do not get any financial help’ and have paid thousands of dollars for extra support for Arlo.
Jenna told the Royal Commission that Arlo’s school is ‘outstanding’. The family rents in the area so he can attend.
The school psychologist tested Arlo and told Jenna he has a high IQ.
Jenna is concerned Arlo’s teachers, while ‘lovely’, look to her for advice about how to best support him. ‘They say they have never had anyone with dyslexia or dysgraphia in their classroom.’
Jenna is amazed by this because she understands ‘10 per cent of students have a form of dyslexia’. ‘How do the teachers not know how to support him?’
Arlo receives some support from a Learning Support Officer and through specialised reading programs, but ‘less so in the classroom’.
Jenna believes the education system needs to do better.
She tells us that in the US and UK there are specialist schools for dyslexia. ‘I am part of the dyslexia online community and we are desperate for such a school in Australia.’
Teachers are given specialist training, and ‘kids would be taught the way they need to be taught’.
Jenna is worried ‘time is slipping away’. She believes early intervention, before ‘his young brain grows’, is key to minimising the impact of dyslexia on her son’s life.
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.