When I was in primary school I was in a very unsupportive environment. The teaching assistant would often grab my arms and hold them behind my back when I caused any kind of disturbance; the school also ignored the recommendations of an adviser who attempted to help with managing me. It was so stressful I ended up running away on multiple occasions - sometimes I would succeed in getting off school grounds completely but most of the time they would catch me and restrain me. Despite all this, the school was still praised as one of the best schools in the area. I'm sure other autistic and neurodivergent people have experienced similar situations as I did - the government needs to pay more attention to the needs of neurodivergent and other disabled individuals.
Before I left primary school, at the age of only seven, I was thrown into a secondary school which was specially created for autistic and neurodivergent individuals, but they did much the same as I experienced in my primary school. The only reason I didn't run away was because it was too far away from home and the only thing near was a busy road. Although some things were better, it was mostly still a very unsupportive and uncomfortable environment and I left by the age of nine. I proceeded to be home-educated with the help of tutors, but most of that had to be paid for out of my parents’ own pocket. It took almost a decade for the local authority to help.
I think that the local authority needs to pay attention and listen to what people are saying. They need to get the opinion of those it affects rather than just ignoring it, thinking that it’s a waste of money and only affects a minority of people. Change must happen.
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