Kyle, Adele and Madison
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.
When Madison was in primary school Kyle, another student, punched her in the mouth and stabbed her in the neck with a pencil.
Madison’s mother, Adele, said Kyle appeared to have a disability, but his parents refused to have him assessed. As a result of Kyle’s violent behaviour, Madison developed anxiety and refused to go to school.
‘With no assessment as to what could trigger his violent outbursts, they were completely unpredictable,’ Adele told the Royal Commission. ‘The family of the child in question had refused for over a year repeated attempts by the school to get the child assessed to see if he qualified for an aide.’
Adele said Madison ‘absolutely loved school’. But within a month of joining Kyle’s classroom, she ‘was asking not to go to school every single day’.
One morning, Adele was in the classroom helping out and saw one of the students ‘shrunk down in her seat’ when Kyle walked in.
‘I asked her if she was okay and she replied, “He’s here” … I soon noticed that this was a regular occurrence.’
On the day Kyle punched Madison, he also hit several other students.
‘The school’s solution to his outbursts was to separate him from the rest of the class … When he got too bad, his grandmother had to come and collect him from school as his parents were working.’
Adele said that because Kyle’s parents refused to have him assessed, he couldn’t access support and the school paid for an aide to sit with him.
After a series of violent incidents, the school convinced Kyle’s parents to seek help.
‘I don’t know what the actual diagnosis was, but it seems that one of the things that would send him into sensory overload and trigger a violent reaction was [a particular colour].’
Adele said the school tried to eliminate the colour, but it was part of the school uniform. Kyle’s parents transferred him to another school.
Adele said she supports the integration of children with disability into schools, but without appropriate supports it is ‘not fair on anyone’.
‘Look at the class as a whole, the school, the teacher and the other students who may be affected when these children are not getting the help they need.’
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.