The Unexpected Autistic Life

When you find out you are autistic…

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The School Psychologist Asked How Long Has My Son Been "Sick" With Autism

Gaby Rogut
The Unexpected Autistic Life
7 min readSep 28, 2023

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Photo by Ibrahem Bana via Canva Pro

My son got in trouble at school last week.

His classmates had been bothering him a lot because he doesn't behave in what they consider to be the "normal" way. They had been calling him names, teasing him, and touching him on the arms and shoulders to get him to react.

It was one of those "I'm going to bother you, and there's nothing you can do about it" kind of scenarios.

Eventually, he had enough and reacted in an explosive way. No, he didn't hit anyone, but he did scream at them and made it clear that if they kept going, he would defend himself.

Yes, the way my son reacted was not perfect, but no, it was not an irrational response, given the context.

However, there is a little detail that has heavily influenced the way the school has dealt with this issue: my son is autistic, and they are not going to forgive him for that.

This is why they decided my son would get suspended — I expected that: rules are rules — but the kids that have been bullying him did not get a drop of disciplinary action, something I strongly disagree with.

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Gaby Rogut
Gaby Rogut

Written by Gaby Rogut

Jack of many trades. Mom. Teacher. Bi. Autistic. "I've met Beethoven. Nice chap. Very intense. Loved an arm wrestle." Support me: https://ko-fi.com/gabyrogut

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