My school hates autism.
Well, for starters, my school is metaphorically holding a "WE HATE AUTISM" sign over the place, the detention teacher cant stand me rocking back and forth [which i can't help because i have autism], and the school destroyed all the happiness i had on my birthday. I'm surprised that my school hasnt been the victim of an Internet Counterrattack [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InternetCounterattack] yet. Oh, and did I mention that when I get bullied at school, I get the detention? None of the other students without autism get that treatment.
I'm just sick and tired of my school being so anti-autism. If it gets shut down, I will start a petition to change the date of World Autism Awareness Day to that day, because they just deserve it.
When my kid got bullied by one of his teachers, I went in there and had it out with that teacher. Luckily it stopped right there.
If it hadn't stopped that teacher, I'd have gone to the school principal. And then to the school board. Even though I'm autistic I can sure raise a huge stink and be such a pain in the ass that I always get my way.
Can your parents get involved? They should do that. Why aren't they???
I'm so sorry that this has happened to you. When I was very young, the default response from most teachers to my pleas for help was to mutter "stop telling tales" and walk away, even when they saw it happening before them.
As for closing it, well, closing the school would remove an important resource from your community, but it's obvious that more training, and a significant staffing overhaul is needed.
You should definitely involve your parents in this. If that doesn't work, consider approaching the authorities.
I'm sorry you have to put up with this, it sounds tough!
Do your teachers know that you have autism? If so, do you think that the detention teacher and the rest of them understand well enough what autism spectrum disorders can be like?
They might claim that they're aware of what an autistic person is like but considering how different people with ASDs can be, they might have the wrong idea. Can your parents (or a therapist or anybody else who knows about your ASD) write a short note to that detention teacher to explain about rocking?
It can be a short note that explains in simple terms that rocking is a symptom of autism and that you're not rocking on purpose to annoy the teacher. That you're most likely to rock when you're distressed or trying to concentrate (or whatever) and that it helps you calming down or helps you focussing on schoolwork (so on).
_________________
Autism + ADHD
______
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Terry Pratchett
I was also the one in trouble when I was the victim and always being egged to do things and pressured and I had to be the one in trouble. But yet if you have someone kill someone for you and you pressure them too, you are the one in trouble and so is that person but it doesn't seem to work that way in other things. My school principal thought I had to toughen up and she had the rule about respect but yet she allowed teasing and this? How is that respect?
_________________
Son: Diagnosed w/anxiety and ADHD. Also academic delayed and ASD lv 1.
Daughter: NT, no diagnoses. Possibly OCD. Is very private about herself.
whirlingmind
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I'm just sick and tired of my school being so anti-autism. If it gets shut down, I will start a petition to change the date of World Autism Awareness Day to that day, because they just deserve it.
No matter what a child of mine had done, there is no way on earth I would allow them to give my child detention. I would collect my child and tell them that I would listen to what they were supposed to have done, and if I felt they had done wrong I would deliver a punishment myself. I don't care what schools are legally allowed to do, it's my child and I don't give my permission for detention fullstop.
As you say that you are being unfairly penalised, I would suggest keeping a detailed diary, definitely speak to your parents and get them to deal with the school. If bullies are antagonising you to get a reaction and then slyly telling the teacher that they did nothing and you are just acting out for no reason, then you need to explain exactly what did happen to both the school staff and your parents.
Detention should be illegal anyway, and certainly for autistic children.
Definitely get your parents to have words about your rocking being a part of your condition and that the member of staff that is showing you their dislike of it is discriminating against you (which is likely to be illegal where you live, it is in the UK).
Do you have some sort of official educational plan because of having autism? If so, you will have legal protections written into that and the school has responsibilities - and that includes towards assisting you socially not just educationally.
Show this to your parents: http://www.autism.org.uk/living-with-au ... rents.aspx
_________________
*Truth fears no trial*
DX AS & both daughters on the autistic spectrum
Do your teachers know that you have autism? If so, do you think that the detention teacher and the rest of them understand well enough what autism spectrum disorders can be like?
They might claim that they're aware of what an autistic person is like but considering how different people with ASDs can be, they might have the wrong idea. Can your parents (or a therapist or anybody else who knows about your ASD) write a short note to that detention teacher to explain about rocking?
It can be a short note that explains in simple terms that rocking is a symptom of autism and that you're not rocking on purpose to annoy the teacher. That you're most likely to rock when you're distressed or trying to concentrate (or whatever) and that it helps you calming down or helps you focussing on schoolwork (so on).
Paragraph 2 response:I think they do. Most of the teachers know that I am autistic.
Paragraph 3 response:I feel stupid about not considering getting my parents involved [My mum likes to call the detention teacher "horse-face"] after so many people suggesting it. Anysomething, I could tell my parents later on about the response everyone got.
Paragraph 4:I don't really rock when I am distressed, but I rock when I am listening to music [sometimes I think that me rocking wasnt an autism symptom but my bodys way of telling me to dance] most of the time. Thanks for the tip.
Protips:I live in the UK, and it seems most of you are thinking that I am in secondary school or college. I'm still in primary school [just barely:one more term and i will be in secondary school, cant wait ] and those are just some corrections to some of the people here.
And as for the not letting your kids in detention thing:you might want to stop soon, as you could get arrested.
cyberscan
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Age: 57
Gender: Male
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I'm just sick and tired of my school being so anti-autism. If it gets shut down, I will start a petition to change the date of World Autism Awareness Day to that day, because they just deserve it.
If you are the one singled out for punishment, then you may very well have to take matters into you own hand. You will get into trouble for doing so, so make it count so that you don't have to do it but a few times. What you are going to have to do is find a way to outsmart the bully.
You should also document any incidents of bullying and report them. Make sure to note the time, date, who bullied, what happened, ans the person you reported the bullying to. You will need this information so that you can use it to fight any major punishment or to report school staff to higher authorities. You can tell the teachers or staff that you gave them an opportunity to stop the bullying and that they decided to side with the bullies. Just make sure that they know that you will not put up with the bullying any more.
After you begin documentation, you need to find a way to embarrass and or humiliate the bullies. When I was in the 5th grade, I got much the same treatment. I started wearing hard soled shoes to school. Of course the kids made fun of my "Sunday school shoes" but they came mightily in handy when I had to deliver some very painful kicks to some of my tormentors. When I started kicking and punching I took the bully by surprise, and I didn't quit until I made sure that he was down. If you can blacken his eye, bloody his nose, or make him cry in front of your classmates, all the better.
My nephew ended up facing a bully as well. The bully was two grades ahead of him and also much bigger. I told him that when the bully started after him that be should get to an area where there was sand that he could pick up, and when the bully pushed him down, he needed to quickly grab some of the sand and throw it into the eyes of the bully and then beat him up before he had a chance to get the sand out of his eyes. My nephew became known in the second grade as the boy who beat up the fourth grader. Yes, he got into a lot of trouble, but the bullying stopped.
If you cannot or will not fight the bully, figure out a way to sabotage his school work or so something else to embarrass him. There are plenty of *Internet revenge forums* that will give you some ideas. One of my female Aspie friends was tormented by a group of girls. I told her to get some "buck lure" and put a few drops of it into one of her tormentor's desk seat when she could do so without being seen. I told her that as soon as she did this to get rid of the bottle it came in so that she wouldn't get caught with it. The girl sat in it and stank for the rest of the day. Repeat any dirty tricks as necessary in order to reduce the tormentors' social standing.
When there were any kind of academic contest even at the classroom level, make a point to know the material better than any of your bullies or tormentors. Win these contests so that people will know you are the smartest. If you are good enough to participate in academic tournaments with other schools, do so. If you win some of these, you will bring prestige to your school and will start to have more people rally around you.
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I am AUTISTIC - Always Unique, Totally Interesting, Straight Talking, Intelligently Conversational.
I am also the author of "Tech Tactics Money Saving Secrets" and "Tech Tactics Publishing and Production Secrets."
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