Casey and Paige
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.
‘Our child was excluded from his education not only by the school’s lack of expertise and poor knowledge of neurodiversity and disability, but also by their uncaring and judgemental attitudes.’
Casey’s first few years of primary school were unremarkable, his mother Paige told the Royal Commission.
But then in year 3 Casey developed anxiety and refused to complete his work. ‘We were told this was a discipline problem and that we needed to be stricter as parents. We were repeatedly told he was perfectly capable of completing his work but was choosing not to participate.’
Casey became so distressed at school drop-off Paige pleaded for help. The school told her there was nothing they could do. When she asked what happened to other children with similar problems, they said, ‘We don’t have children like yours at this school.’
Paige consulted a private psychologist and paediatrician who diagnosed Casey with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Paige informed the school and requested learning support. Again the school refused to help, this time, because Casey didn’t have funding.
Casey’s anxiety markedly increased on the days he had music. His class had been assigned performance roles in the school musical. Paige asked if he could be given a back stage or supporting role but the music teacher refused. Eventually Casey stopped going to school on the day he had music. Paige asked for more support – instead the school excluded him from music altogether. He stayed with the class teacher when the rest of the class went to music.
Midway through the following year Casey’s teacher opened the connecting door between classrooms to start team teaching. Casey found this confusing and overwhelming and didn’t respond well to the other teacher. One day he made a rude comment and when the other teacher told him to go to the principal’s office he refused. Paige arrived at the school and found Casey ‘completely shut down and in a state of high distress’. The teacher and principal refused to acknowledge Casey’s behaviour stemmed from his autism and suspended him for refusing to comply with directions.
‘We came to feel that our much loved and cherished child was an unwanted problem at his local school. We came to feel that they wished our child (and us) would just be quiet and go away.’
At the end of the semester Casey’s report stated he was unable to be assessed because he hadn’t completed enough work. When Paige complained to the school leadership they said, ‘It’s not our fault he won’t do any of the work.’
In desperation Paige employed a disability advocate who assessed Casey’s independent learning plan as ‘woefully inadequate’. Paige discovered the school had an obligation to provide accommodations for Casey’s disability regardless of funding.
Paige also discovered the school leadership hadn’t shared Casey’s autism diagnosis with his teachers or relevant support staff. ‘The school stated this was to “protect his privacy” but … the implication was that an ASD diagnosis is shameful and should be hidden.’
Because of the advocate’s interventions Casey was able to successfully attend school camp for the first time. He was given appropriate support and ‘was so happy to be able to attend with his friends’.
However the support stopped when he returned to school.
Casey began self-harming.
The school finally referred Casey to an independent student support service. His hours were reduced and a support plan was put in place with his teacher. But his teacher kept forgetting to follow the plan.
‘The ongoing stress and distress this “forgetting” caused … is indescribable.’
Casey is now a teenager and has been diagnosed with a learning disorder in addition to ASD. Paige said he only recently started high school because of the trauma he experienced in primary school.
‘Despite being told repeatedly … that he was behaving badly and choosing not to participate, and … that we had poor parenting capacity because we couldn’t get him to attend school, we now understand that he was not able to meet the schools expectations because of lack of recognition and support for his disabilities.’
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.