Dear Sam I feel very unhappy at because of some of the teachers at my school I am autisic and feel like teachers dont understand or like me at all I find this very upsetting what should I do?
H there,
Everyone deserves to have the right support at school. Things at school sound very difficult for you right now, especially with your teachers. But you’re not alone, and there are things you can do to get support.
Some young people with autism have told me that people at school treated them badly because of their autism. But nobody is allowed to treat you badly because you have autism, or a learning difficulty. This is called discrimination. There are laws to protect people from this happening, you have the same rights as everyone else.
I’m worried to hear you’ve been left feeling as though teachers don’t like you. It seems as though this has made you feel very sad. But you’re not alone. I’m not sure which things you’d like teachers to understand better about you, but it sounds as though it’s making it harder to be at school when you’re feeling as though teachers don’t understand.
You’ve done really well to write to me and start to explain how you’re feeling. Perhaps you could write to a teacher and let them know how you’re feeling. Choose a teacher who you think will take time to read your letter carefully. In your letter, have a think about which things teachers do that make you feel misunderstood. If you tell them how their words or behaviour make you feel, it might be a chance for them to understand more about you.
If you don’t want to tell a teacher, have a think about someone you trust to tell. Perhaps a family member or somebody else you trust. It might help to have support from someone you live with, so that they can help explain things to school, if you don’t feel able to.
Remember that you can also talk to a Childline counsellor any time. They are always there to listen and support you.
I hope that you get the support you need so that things get better at school.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
