WODONGA man Joel Wilson was 14 when he found out he had autism.
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Misdiagnosed with ADHD, Mr Wilson said his mainstream education in Perth was “mixed” but that was largely due to his late diagnosis.
“I didn’t have any issues with the work but I had some issues with bullying and social skills,” he said.
“Schools don’t teach you how to socialise when you’ve got anxiety and how to manage when other kids are bullying you.”
Responding to Senator Pauline Hanson’s call this week to segregate students with special needs from mainstream schools, Mr Wilson said it was simplistic and backward thinking.
“You can put 10 kids with autism or special needs in a room, three will benefit from special education full-time, three will need some support and the rest won’t need any intervention at all,” he said.
“It depends on the individual; you can’t put someone in a box because of a diagnosis.”
Mr Wilson, who lives independently in Wodonga and recently bought his first home, said mainstream schools should reflect the wider society.
He will soon start studying a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies.
“Pauline just wants to pull out every person with a disability and chuck them in a special school; after school they’d have no experience of the wider community.”