Darius and Lexi
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.
Darius has autism and has been at primary school for three years.
Lexi, his mum, told the Royal Commission she worked very hard with the school to assist Darius. He was making significant progress until his class teacher, Mr Owen, began bullying him.
The first incident she heard about left Darius frightened and sobbing in the sick bay.
Darius was tapping his water bottle on the table and Mr Owen told him to stop.
When he didn’t respond immediately Mr Owen ‘ripped the bottle out of his hand’ and ‘smashed it onto the floor’. Mr Owen then stormed out of the classroom, telling the teacher aide to ‘handle it, as I’m over it’.
A few weeks later Darius’s name was pulled out of a hat for a class reward. He was incredibly excited, but Mr Owen said he felt too sick to give Darius the award.
The teacher was making a sarcastic reference to the previous day when Darius said he felt too sick to complete some work. The class laughed and Darius fell silent. When Mr Owen told Darius he could ‘give it but he couldn’t take it,’ Darius burst into tears.
The head of the special education unit reported the incident to the principal, but Lexi wasn’t informed about either incident.
On another occasion, Mr Owen returned from a camping trip and asked Darius to sit on the assembly line. Darius reminded him the special education teacher allowed him to sit to the side. Mr Owen replied ‘haven’t I missed you’.
There have also been incidents of body shaming. Mr Owen said if he had a stomach like Darius, he couldn’t run either.
Lexi spoke to Mr Owen, but he dismissed her and told her Darius’s behaviour ‘is not autistic just naughty’.
The daily taunts from this teacher set the tone for the other children to pick on Darius.
‘Eventually my son went past breaking point, even spending one day under a computer table.’
Darius went from being frightened of being in the class to refusing to go to school.
Lexi complained to the principal, and Mr Owen was made to attend an autism training program.
Nothing changed, so Lexi wrote to the Education Minister and asked for an investigation into Mr Owen’s sustained bullying of her son.
Eventually Lexi moved Darius to a different school.
Lexi said he is now ‘doing brilliant’ and the new teacher is helping him deal with the trauma associated with Mr Owen. ‘I am amazed at how well his behaviour was in his latest report card.’
Darius is seeing a psychologist.
‘Months after we have left the school he is still suffering the consequences of this teacher’s actions.’
Lexi doesn’t want this to happen to another child and is horrified by the thought another child with autism may suffer the same treatment.
‘Their biggest trauma in life will be their schooling years, very very sad ... and no-one is doing anything to change this.’
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.