Ella and Cassie
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.
Ella is in year 1. She has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety. Ella is quite advanced in her reading ability. Her mum, Cassie, told the Royal Commission she is frustrated that the school won’t do anything to build on Ella’s strengths.
Cassie tells us that Ella is reading at a year-3 level. Cassie bought this to the teacher’s attention, but the teacher responded that she was going to leave Ella at her present level and Cassie was free to give her more challenging work at home if she wanted.
Cassie believes this response is about Ella having ADHD. ‘Our daughter has been singled out by her teacher, her teacher sees her ADHD as attention seeking.’
This attitude extends to the school psychologist, who reported that Ella is ‘manipulative, stubborn and an attention seeker’. But Cassie says the school hasn’t given Ella any support for her anxiety or ADHD and ‘she gets bored in the classroom because she's not being stimulated academically’.
‘She has been traumatised with the way staff have handled her, her mental state has been affected, but the school is trying to convince us that she's been supported which we know she hasn't been. Our daughter hates my husband and I dropping her off at school in the mornings … and when her anxiety gets so bad she runs off.’
Cassie would like to see schools provide better support to children with ADHD, and to their parents.
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.