Xavy and Judi

‘Once they’re lost in the education system they’re lost forever … This is where [Xavy] is now, he’s completely lost.’

Xavy, now in his late teens, missed development milestones growing up, his mum Judi told the Royal Commission. At school he ‘wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t engage’. He didn’t like change in routines and struggled when he had two teachers. ‘His writing was just scribble.’

When Judi raised concerns with the school they told her not to compare Xavy to other children. She asked if he could be tested but the school told her to wait. Doctors and teachers said Xavy just needed a ‘slap on the bum’.

Xavy had very particular behaviours. He wanted his clothes and breakfast laid out a certain way. He couldn’t tolerate other people touching his belongings and he wouldn’t eat his lunch if other people were watching him, ‘breathing on his food’. If something happened to upset him he would ‘go off, yelling and jumping on desks’. He also had sensory sensitivities.

Teachers told Judi they did not have the energy to deal with Xavy. One teacher told Judi they didn’t want him in their class because he would pull their NAPLAN score down.

The school was not transparent or truthful about incidents involving Xavy. One time the school principal forced Judi’s nine-year-old daughter, who witnessed one of these incidents, to change her story. She told her mum the principal was ‘getting angry and [she] was frightened’ so ‘said it his way’.

The school would not make any adjustments for Xavy and instead excluded him, putting him in a room by himself. He was given toys to play with and sometimes he would be in there for half the day. The school didn’t tell Judi when this happened.

Judi, not knowing where to go for help, ‘jumped up and down and swapped doctors a lot’. Eventually, Xavy was 10, a doctor referred him to a psychologist who diagnosed him with autism, dyslexia, anxiety and an intellectual disability.

With a diagnosis, Xavy was able to access supports in school, including a teacher’s aide. However, his learning did not improve because his teacher’s aide support was shared with other children who did not have diagnosed disabilities.

The family moved interstate for 12 months and Xavy attended a special needs school. Judi said it was a very positive experience. The school was about an hour away from where they lived and arranged transport each day.

Xavy learned how to spell, count and deal with money. He spent time at the mainstream school and built friendships. The school communicated with Judi about any concerns and provided progress reports.

When the family returned to their home state, Xavy attended a local state high school. His reading levels declined. Judi discovered Xavy would spend the whole day on the computer.

The school separated Xavy from other students and excluded him from excursions. Teachers said he was too hard to teach. The principal regularly suspended him, with the suspension periods increasing.

On one occasion, the principal suspended Xavy for 20 days for fighting. The fight was filmed and showed a student walking up to Xavy, calling him a name and punching him. Xavy retaliated and punched the student. Xavy’s father confronted the principal with the footage, who eventually revoked the suspension.

Xavy often absconded and sometimes went missing for days.

The principal told Xavy’s father that as soon as he turned 16 he had to leave school or he would expel him. Judi pulled Xavy out of school.

Xavy continues to have problems with writing and recognising numbers. He wants to join the army but he is not eligible. He’s had some odd jobs but they don’t work out and people often exploit him financially. He receives the Disability Support Pension.

At 16 Xavy became an NDIS participant, but Judi says the system has failed him. Recently a support worker told him he did not have a disability. Xavy did a test online and no longer considers himself autistic. The NDIS has stopped his funding.