Plea for help from mum of Sutherland pupil with ASD / ADHD who was ‘bullied and coerced into suicide pact’
The mother of a Sutherland school pupil with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD has made a last-ditch appeal to Highland Council for help, claiming bullying left her son feeling suicidal.
The woman says she was forced to remove her teenage son from school after bullies targeted him both physically and mentally.
She also claims he was coerced into a “suicide pact”.
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“When I found out he was suicidal, I pressured the school to help him,” she said. “I was made aware of the (suicide) pact and kept questioning why no further action was being taken.
“Nothing was ever done, and I heard nothing more about it from the school. Nobody checked in on him.
“He was being pushed in the hallways and was stabbed with a pencil, leaving a hole in his trousers and in his leg.
“I took him into the school that day to show them his clothes and leg. They did nothing.
“He was in a few times after this but would constantly be victimised. He has even had kids shouting from car windows at him while he is walking home.”
Diagnosed with ASD (Autism spectrum disorder) and ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) he initially received the support of a Pupil Support Assistant (PSA) on a one-to-one basis, and was able to navigate his primary years well.
“My son falls in to a grey area, so to speak,” his mum said. “It’s quite hard to tell he is on the spectrum unless you spend one-on-one time with him.
“He’s rarely in trouble. He has great manners and is just a really easy-going teenager. He enjoys gaming and socialising in small groups and he did enjoy going out with his friends before the segregation started in school.
“He is happiest when he’s included with his peers. He loves nothing more than having friends. He also loves the outdoors and we try to go as many new places when possible.
“He’s really just a loving, fantastic kid.”
When he moved to secondary school she said, a lack of funding for one-to-one support meant her son was “thrown in at the deep end”, albeit with a PSA in the classroom.
She believes lack of support and a lack of action over claims of bullying have resulted in a decline in her son’s mental health.
“They had full knowledge on what his needs were and what diagnoses he had, but they just threw him in,” she said.
“Just over a year ago when this situation was becoming what it is now with the school, he was threatening to kill himself and was heavily depressed. He’s still depressed but his mood was much lower.
“His main struggle is social situations. He really really struggles in any interactions with people other than myself. Especially in a public setting.”
After numerous attempts to seek support, his mum suggested her son go on to a reduced schedule of just three subjects, which he started after the summer before continued worries over his mental health led her to decide before the October holidays to remove him from school.
With exams just around the corner, she now hopes to find support elsewhere, and is even prepared to move to do so.
She said: “It feels like your whole world is falling apart, and you cry for him. You hurt for him. It’s devastating.
“We’re now looking to move to a better-equipped school as soon as possible so he stands a chance of passing his exams.
“I would just like for them to realise that what they allowed to happen to my son has emotionally damaged him and will have a lasting impact on his future.
“He has been let down so badly and if they let it happen to him, there must be other children in the same situation.
“It’s not acceptable.”
Highland Council has been contacted for comment.
