Brigitte and Richie
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.
‘[Richie] self-harms, he hits daily. This is a beautiful little boy with Down syndrome who had no behavioural issues before all this kicked off. He should always have had these supports in place, and he just didn’t.’
Brigitte is autistic and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She is mum to nine-year-old Richie who is also autistic, has Down syndrome, ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder.
A few years ago Richie started school at his local state school.
The principal told Brigitte that Richie was the first child with intellectual disability he had ever come across. After a short time, he decided Richie could only attend school once a fortnight because of his disability.
The principal and teachers punished Richie for his behaviours instead of using de-escalation strategies. No-one formally reported the incidents or told Brigitte what was going on.
Richie started to self-harm, repeatedly banging his head on the floor. His behaviour changed towards Brigitte. ‘He’d grab my hair and try and pull me onto the ground.’
Brigitte discovered the principal would lock Richie in a room for most of the time he was at school.
After six months the principal withdrew Richie’s enrolment, saying he didn’t meet new school-readiness indicators.
When Brigitte pointed out this was contrary to school policy, he changed the policy. He effectively excluded all children with disability from the school.
Around this time, Brigitte applied for NDIS funding on Richie’s behalf.
It took about eight months for his plan to be approved because the NDIA lost the paperwork.
The initial plan was insufficient, so Brigitte requested a review.
In a phone call lasting almost three hours, a staff member kept telling Brigitte to ‘lower her voice’. Brigitte explained she was autistic and couldn’t change the tone of her voice.
‘She was constantly trying to lead me into saying and admitting that it was my lack of capacity as a parent leading to [Richie]’s deficits, instead of his disability.’ The staff member offered Brigitte parent training. ‘Parent support gets misconstrued as parent training.’
Richie’s plan remained unchanged and underfunded.
When Brigitte needed to have surgery, she applied to the NDIA for short-term accommodation for Richie.
The process was so difficult to navigate she ended up sending him to stay with a friend in a different state.
Brigitte is now focusing on her own disability and recovery while Richie recovers from the trauma he experienced at school.
‘I’ve had to put my son on blood pressure medication to bring down his anxiety. I’ve put him on Ritalin as well. My son takes four medications a day. He didn’t need any of these. He was such a happy kid.’
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.