Writing on behalf of my autistic sister, Barnsley
My stories
My School Story
My sister is now in her 30s. When she was back in school (undiagnosed autistic at the time) she experienced terrible abuse throughout ALL of her school years and too much to document here. Some she’s never brought herself to discuss. The types of bullying was being threatened with an infected needle, threatened, hit, pushed, name calling, locked in a room with some girls who wanted to cause her severe harm and even some teachers who turned a blind eye to what was happening to her or those who called her “thick and slow”.
What happened next...
A head of year advised our Parents to remove her because she was self-harming and he couldn’t protect her in school, he said his hands were tied and she was just a sitting target for all the other kids in school. It was far easier to remove her than all the other kids who were bullying her as there were too many of them. He told our parents to get a sick note from doctors and to just come back to sit the exams.
She was predicted to fail all of her exams but 6 months at home changed that, she worked hard and went back to do her exams and passed them all. She went on to college then university and received her degree.
Since then though things have not been great. Those school years have affected her life so much that she’s unable to cope and work. She will never have a family of her own for the fear of it happening to them. She’s been on a waiting list for years and years to get counselling. This year she’s finally been given 20 sessions but they are not autistic trained so how much help it will be we do not know as of yet.
They have diagnosed my sister this year with having post-traumatic stress disorder due to attending school but she’s stuck in the never ending cycle of wanting help so she can move on from this and live her life to battling poverty and depression because she’s unable to work or cope with everything going around in her head from past experiences. It shouldn’t take decades to get help and there needs to be more autistic training for counsellors so that they can get the help they need and deserve sooner.
She was predicted to fail all of her exams but 6 months at home changed that, she worked hard and went back to do her exams and passed them all. She went on to college then university and received her degree.
Since then though things have not been great. Those school years have affected her life so much that she’s unable to cope and work. She will never have a family of her own for the fear of it happening to them. She’s been on a waiting list for years and years to get counselling. This year she’s finally been given 20 sessions but they are not autistic trained so how much help it will be we do not know as of yet.
They have diagnosed my sister this year with having post-traumatic stress disorder due to attending school but she’s stuck in the never ending cycle of wanting help so she can move on from this and live her life to battling poverty and depression because she’s unable to work or cope with everything going around in her head from past experiences. It shouldn’t take decades to get help and there needs to be more autistic training for counsellors so that they can get the help they need and deserve sooner.
How I think schools could be better.
Schools are too big and impersonal nowadays. Staff don’t know the students and vice versa. Schools need to be smaller with smaller class sizes. If children don’t want to learn then give them an option at 14 to leave and do a hands on training scheme, learn a useful trade.
Schools should have the flexibility to work with a child’s strengths and interests to tailor their education.
Children shouldn’t start school at such an early age and finally if school isn’t working then offer alternatives like flexi-schooling, home education and group drop in services. The thing is that if these are implemented then there’s more chance children would engage and less likelihood they will be bored and bully others.
Staff could monitor better having smaller classes, parents could have a better relationship with the staff and most importantly children would be more happy and safer in those types of environments.
There should also be better services too for counselling because no one should have to wait decades for help.
Schools should have the flexibility to work with a child’s strengths and interests to tailor their education.
Children shouldn’t start school at such an early age and finally if school isn’t working then offer alternatives like flexi-schooling, home education and group drop in services. The thing is that if these are implemented then there’s more chance children would engage and less likelihood they will be bored and bully others.
Staff could monitor better having smaller classes, parents could have a better relationship with the staff and most importantly children would be more happy and safer in those types of environments.
There should also be better services too for counselling because no one should have to wait decades for help.