Danny and Orton
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.
Danny’s father, Orton, made a submission about Danny’s experiences at school. Orton told us Danny is being forced out of his school because he is different. Danny is autistic, has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety, and is gifted. He is a pleasant kid who gets on well with his classmates and is ‘well-mannered … until provoked’.
Orton told us Danny suffered badly during his first year of school because no-one understood him. On one occasion, Danny was dragged, screaming and crying, by two teachers, losing his shoes in the process. A teacher’s aide also once dragged him across the floor when he was upset.
One day the school principal held Danny down with a booted foot, bruising Danny’s body. It happened in the morning and Danny was then isolated from his class for the rest of the day. Not knowing anything was wrong, Danny’s mum picked him up at the usual time, and noticed the bruising.
Another time Danny, in extreme frustration, stripped off his clothes down to his underwear. Orton and Danny’s mum went to see the principal and deputy principal, who ‘bragged’ about how they had laughed at Danny when he did this. Orton couldn’t believe it. ‘This was a child, not someone for them to laugh at and then think it’s clever to tell his parents.’
The school used the traffic light system for managing difficult behaviour. In Danny’s first six months at school it became clear the traffic light system was not working for him and he reacted violently when he was ‘marked down’. At least one teacher asked the principal if she could stop using the system on Danny in order to prevent his violent outbursts. Despite knowing that the traffic light system could cause Danny to have violent reactions, the principal refused to stop using it on him. Indeed, on two occasions the system was used on Danny in a way that was outside normal procedures. Orton felt it was to deliberately provoke Danny so the principal could build a case to expel him from the school.
‘For a Principal or a teacher to instigate a violent reaction from a child and then blame the child for his actions is shameful,’ Orton said.
Orton believes that behaviour management strategies like the traffic light system not only fail the children but also represent a form of bullying and humiliation.
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.