Mahia
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Mahia is a teenager with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia. She is also autistic, but her autism wasn’t diagnosed until her last year of high school.
Mahia spent her first few years in primary school struggling to read, write and socialise.
‘I had a lot of issues with food and not always eating it … I struggled with making friends and I recall having some friends, but I ended up being bullied by them … I would often have meltdowns after school.’
It was several years later – when her IQ, hearing and vision were tested – that a school counsellor suggested Mahia be tested for dyslexia.
‘I was told I was in the bottom one per cent for reading and writing and they also basically said I was never going to learn how to read or write and there was no point in trying to teach me.’
A paediatrician also diagnosed ADHD and prescribed medication, which she said allowed her brain to ‘slow down’ and focus.
‘I went up three reading levels at school the day I started it.’
Mahia said she remembered feeling relieved that the teachers would finally understand why she struggled.
‘The teachers just took it as a label and never challenged me to succeed … They never knew how to handle any of my diagnoses, which is very strange considering that they’re teachers and they should know.’
She said when she became frustrated with schoolwork, her teacher made her sit in a corner, ‘which is the completely wrong way to handle a situation like that’.
Mahia’s mum helped her read and write at home. When she began to do well in spelling tests, Mahia noticed other kids were struggling.
‘They weren’t getting the support that they needed at that age like I had from my mum.’
Mahia went to several different schools and had similar experiences. By the time she started high school, Mahia said she hated teachers and became ‘combative’ because she felt unsupported.
‘I basically dropped out … I know so many of my friends that could have done so well, but they had no support because of their ADHD or their learning difficulties or anything like that. And it was about at this year level I think for them as well that they gave up.’
When her mother became ill, Mahia went to live with her father who enrolled her in an independent school. She was treated better, but still struggled.
When she became ‘suicidal and depressed’ in senior high school, a paediatrician diagnosed autism. The diagnosis meant she received extra help and reasonable adjustments, such as more time to complete exams.
‘My attendance was at 90 per cent … and I was finally at the top of my English class. Sorry. I’m just really emotional now.’
Mahia said the extra support came too late. No-one explained her career options ‘because everyone just assumed’ she’d drop out. She couldn’t catch up on some of the subjects she needed to get into university
She said all teachers need mandatory training to recognise and support learning difficulties and mental health issues in students.
‘I know that you can do [the] training, but it’s not mandatory. You just choose if you want to do it. And it’s just so crazy to me.’
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.