Kane and Leo
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.
Leo is a teenager with autism living in a regional town. His stepfather, Kane, wrote to the Royal Commission about Leo’s difficulties in the education system.
There were a few particularly difficult years when Leo was in primary school in the 2010s. He was having ‘autism meltdowns’ and, under the guidance of the principal, the school was calling Kane to collect him on an almost weekly basis.
The school was constantly suspending Leo, which interfered with his education and socialisation. ‘Leo was not protected, other students learnt how to trigger him into a meltdown and would deliberately set him off,’ Kane said.
One such provocation led to a string of behavioural incidents. The school called Kane to take Leo home and the principal told him he expected Leo to apologise for his actions the next day.
‘Knowing Leo, I told the principal challenging him directly would not be the way to get the desired result,’ said Kane.
When Leo returned to school the principal confronted him anyway. This did not go well. Leo threw a few small objects and the school excluded Leo for the maximum allowed, 10 weeks.
Kane went to meet the principal about this exclusion and found police in attendance. A few weeks later, they charged Leo with assault. He was 10 years old.
The police eventually dropped the assault charge, but it was an ‘incredibly traumatic time’ for Leo and his family.
Kane believes a big part of the problem is that ‘nobody is willing to learn how to help children with autism’. He would like relevant bodies to be funded to provide autism education sessions in schools. When he convinced two of Leo’s teachers to attend an autism awareness course, he found it prompted ‘a real change in those teachers’.
As Leo’s stepfather, Kane has experienced this for himself.
‘I never knew anything about autism until I met Leo, but I did all I could to learn how to help him. We did a lot of informal therapy and he responded well. What I want is change so that these children with autism don’t go through what Leo, his mother, and I went through.’
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.