Petition to withdraw the harmful school attendance campaign

I have never signed any online petitions as I have never trusted the internet. I will sign paper patitions and give details on them.

I am in Wales so we have our own policies... But something I need to share from my childhood.

None of us knew we were autistic. I am the only one who has been diagnosed, but I am 100% certain that my Mum and at least one of my two brothers (Though he denies it as the one child (Step daughter who is no longer with him) was after a six year wait eventually diagnosed with AHAD (Four letter word that is something to do withattention dissorder?) and as his children dont react like she did, he assumes that it is impossible for me or any of them to be on the spectrum... Yet one of his daughters who is extremely intelligent but was completely non verbal until they put her through speech therapy at age of six, has shutdowns just like I do. He does not see it! He does ot understand shutdowns. He just thinks his dwughter needs to be alone now and then! Bug there again both my brothers thought my shutdowns caused by suddenly asking me to help them lift things (Sudden decision changes) were my way of getting out of helping them).

But anyway. I can plainly see certain family members and extended family (Grandmother, Aunt (Mums sister) and even my Dad with very strong autism traits. 

But what I want to say is that in primary school Mum would know because I can almost mind melt with her, that I needed the rare day off, and during those times she would take me somewhere lonely and scenic such as th local beach where we could be alone and sit. She knew I needed this, and these days were essential for me to de-stress and re-charge. The school did not mind as I had pretty good attendance overall. 

Secondary school was torture. Did not have access to this. Dad did not at all aprove of truency and if I had tried my backside would be raw! So I never did... But oh BOY I often deserately needed days to rechwrge and my work really suffered for it. I was great in primary school after several years of a shaky start, one of which I was locked in a room for the entire year andlet out when my Mum came to pick me up. She never knew! Don't have a clue what happened to my dinner money as I never had food that year! No! I wasn't a problem child. I was dead quiet hardly said a word in school and was often told off for being too quiet and shy! It was the teacher as she went down with a dissability and took it out on me, because I was supposed to read for her andI knew the book back to front as my Mum spent four hours with me, but the teacher who smelt strongly of perfume (Perfume is a shutdown trigger for me) and she smoked so I could smell that (Not a trigger), and so I could not read... She sent a letter to my Mum saying I had not done my reading homeork. Mum sent one back saying I had and she took offence to that so refused to teach me that year and locked me in that room... (Which I liked becsuse I avoided being bullied that year but it was a bit boring alone with my thoughts... But at that age (Age 5) I assumed it was what school was supposed to be).

But around the age of 8 or 9 to the age of 11 I excelled as I had routine and could concentrate. (Physical punishment was a Godsend in those days as school classrooms were relitively quiet. The move to secondary school with all the almost hourly classroom changes and the sudden loud noise of the buzzer or electric bell made me jump every time! First two years was horrible... Third was not great... But though truency I never did, the thought that I could escape if needed to kept me from panic. 

Also when they withdrew the physical punishment, school classrooms started to become noisy which no way could ai concentrate on schoolwork... The lessos that teachers had to shout and bang rulers on desks becsuse pupils were noisy I didn't do well in. Lessons that teachers could keep quiet by other means I did brilliantly in! Geography was taught by a teacher who had missing fingers on one of his hands, and anyone playing u would have the stumps of his fingers poked intotheir ribs so we all ehaved! I did very well in Geography! 

Todays schools would keep me in a constant emotional mess as theyhave very claustrophobic cages around them. This would be on my mind all the time as it was enough to be locked in a room at age 5 to 6, but to be looked in a school with childre screaming and shouting and thr drone of them talking! Break times that were raining I would get soaked as being in the halls with excited kids making noise was murder for me! So despite being frozen and soaking wet, I would be outside with the constant move from hiding place to hiding place to avoid being caught and sent to the hall!  

I couldn't go to school if Ihad to today and I was young! Far too claustrophobic. One reason why I could never go to school reunions apart from the noise!  Is the echoey  noise of people talking in halls that is torture... Last time it happened was at a historic talk that Mum wanted me to go to with her and I went into a partial shutdown... 

But for me I would have done soo well to be home schooled by my Mum. She is excellent! Intelligent too! :D

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing!