Jonti and Gayle
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.
‘When he was diagnosed we sort of expected a bit of bullying or discrimination to come his way, but not at three and not by a teacher.’
Gayle is the mother of Jonti, who was diagnosed with autism during a COVID-19 lockdown.
‘So that was good and bad,’ Gayle told the Royal Commission. ‘It was good that he did quite intensive therapy over that time with speech and OT [occupational therapy] … But then the downside of that is that he has had very limited social contact with his peers, and then we came out of it and started [preschool].’
Gayle met Jonti’s preschool teacher the day before he started.
‘[The teacher] straightaway suggested holding back. Don't come to [preschool], send him to childcare where he can get an assistant and an aide. They've never had an autistic child currently diagnosed. All of that sort of stuff.’
Gayle offered to fund a support worker, and Jonti started preschool ‘so enthusiastic’.
But the teacher quickly began excluding Jonti from the classroom, sometimes sending him and his support worker outside to play by themselves.
‘Not included in show-and-tell and that sort of stuff … He wasn't sort of included in the class.’
Gayle said the teacher phoned after-hours ‘quite worried about … what to say to the other children about [Jonti's] “broken brain” … And it was like, um, okay.’
Another time, Gayle asked the teacher why Jonti wasn’t allowed to stay for show-and-tell that day.
‘His language was really derogatory. He was, "What? You want him to stay? He attacks the children and he curls his little hand up and claws and kicks them.” And, you know, it was just a big sort of rant and [I was] speechless, which is not like me. And also, I'm not much of a crier, but I usually just go from fine to pissed off. And I remember getting off the phone and I was shaking.’
Gayle made several attempts to speak to the preschool’s management committee about the teacher’s behaviour, but they ignored her until she engaged a lawyer.
Gayle said the school told her Jonti presented a ‘safety issue’, but didn’t show her any incident reports. The school engaged an education department officer to assess Jonti’s behaviour.
‘I'm like, "So is he a safety risk? Is there any violence?" And [the officer’s] like, "No, not unless [they] call snatching a toy violent," and I'm like, “Apparently, yeah.”’
Gayle withdrew Jonti and tried to enrol him in another preschool, but ‘didn’t get a spot’.
‘We were “that family”. So they heard of us before … There was one I tried to get into outside of our area and [Jonti] didn't get it, but [a friend’s son] did about a week later. He doesn't have a disability.’
Gayle said she ‘rang everywhere’ and eventually enrolled him at a preschool in another suburb. The teachers there were much better at dealing with Jonti’s behaviour.
‘The teachers were beautiful and kind and accepting and not judgemental … So they just didn't see him distressed or his anxiety or the challenging behaviours. They could also see the empathy, all the kindness … and they were very respectful all the time.’
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.