A seven-year-old boy, Jacob Birchall, was asked by a teacher to stay at home from school on sports day because of his Asperger's syndrome. The teacher said he didn’t want the young boy “causing a scene” at the event.
The boy’s father, Mark Birchall, was outraged when he was asked to leave his son at home for the day.
“I feel they were embarrassed by him, rather than just thinking about his needs,” he said, according to the Liverpool Echo.
“It was disgusting to single him out. It is excluding him, which is exactly what you are supposed not to do with children with special needs."
Mark says that his son bawled his eyes out when he was told he wasn’t allowed attend the sports day.
“He had been practising trial runs at school, and said he wanted to be as fast as his hero, the car Lightning McQueen,”
In order for Jacob to feel included, Mark took the day off work and made their own sports day. He bought his son a medal, as they were both incredibly saddened by the exclusion and felt unwelcome.
“It’s hard to accept sudden changes like that when you have autism. So, I had to take the day off work to do my own sports day with him.”
Headteacher of the school, Linda Gibson, apologised to the Mark and Jacob for the improper suggestion and unfair exclusion. She insists that this decision was not made by herself or the rest of the school staff, and that the school aims to include all children to take part in their events.
She said: “This was an entirely inappropriate suggestion made almost two weeks ago that neither myself nor the class teacher were made aware of until after the event.”
“We have a clear policy that all of our children take part in sports day, and I have taken steps to make sure this can’t happen again. I am really sorry for the upset this has caused, and I am meeting personally with the family together with our Chair of Governors to discuss their concerns.”
Mark says he was dissatisfied with the school’s lack of provisions for Jacob and feels they do not accommodate his needs.
“It should be about inclusion - even if he didn’t take part, he could have handed out medals or been a referee. It feels like it was about keeping him away, about showing there were no issues at the school.”
He is likely going to move to another school next year, according to Mark.
“Because autism isn’t a physical, visible disability, I feel people with autism aren’t accepted the same way,” he added
Mark was greatly encouraged by other parents’ responses after he shared the experience on Facebook.
“Can’t believe this! I’m a retired special needs assistant, and I’m ashamed of whoever made this suggestion,“ one person wrote.
“We must always be mindful about how we act, how we treat others and the words we speak! Hope this same mistake is never repeated!” wrote another.
You can learn out more about autism and Asperger's syndrome on autism.ie and autism.org.uk.
