My Life as an Aspie - Education and Trials (2013 - 2018)

After leaving primary school in early 2013, I was enrolled into the the SLCN (Speech, Language Communication Needs) 'base' unit with 4 other students... I felt cold to the trials that would await me; years 7 through 9 were fairly painless; once things came round from late into my year 9 academic curriculum however, the school started pressuring students into cramming hard for our Year 11 GCSEs which were 2 years away in 2018 (at the time). From this I gathered two important factoids: 1 - I felt like an outsider due to my personality and hobbies and 2 - I felt ostracised in my 'mainstream' classes because I always had an LST (Learning Support Tutor) or a minder so to speak; constantly by my side...

Things only deteriorated from there, as I was subject to harsh bullying from students who knew I was a fragile and vulnerable person, mentally and physically as well. The only reprieve that I got from the harsh realities that befell me were in my Product Design classes with a one Mr Luigi Bortone; he was such a calm and collected person; understanding me on a personal level despite being the 'autistic' one in a class full of neurotypicals.

This all boiled over in late 2018 when I finally 'snapped' and expressed dark thoughts that alerted the higher authorities or Pastoral team to my struggles; getting me into professional counselling with which I was in up until I started my transition to college.

June 8th 2018 was my final day at Harris Academy Chafford Hundred and my departure to new horizons at Palmer's Campus or as it is now known: USP College Palmer's Campus.