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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To challenge autistic DD’s detention?

230 replies

ThisFairShark · 27/11/2025 17:48

Dd (14) is autistic, diagnosed at age 8. She has trouble reading social cues and knowing what is/isn’t appropriate to say, she’s always very honest at all times! and has a support plan at school and is under the SEND team.

In school, she wasn’t paying attention in her science lesson and a teacher apparently said “(DD’s name) am I boring you?” to which DD replied “yes a little”. The whole class started laughing and DD got given a lunchtime detention to be served next week.

I know for all intents and purposes this is rude behaviour but I’ve spoken to DD and she genuinely didn’t realise that this was something she wasn’t supposed to say, the teacher asked a question and she gave an honest answer…

now I’ve spoken to her about how the teacher actually just wanted her to pay attention and this was their way of asking her to do so, but I don’t really think she should have to do the detention as she wasn’t aware that she was being rude nor did she intend to be rude, she just doesn’t have the social awareness to understand that the teacher actually just wanted to pay attention and wasn’t genuinely asking if she found the lesson boring.

WIBU to talk to the school, CC’ing in the SENCO and ask that she be excused from the detention, and that in future, if teachers could be clearer (for example, “pay attention please, DD’s name”)?

OP posts:
CrazyGoatLady · 27/11/2025 17:57

It depends why they've given the detention. If it's for not paying attention in class/not doing her work/fooling around or doing something else instead of working, that's fair. If it's for her response to the teacher, I'd say fair to challenge it.

ThatJollyGreySquid · 27/11/2025 17:54

Just tell her to do the detention but maybe email the teacher directly, and explain that your daughter is sorry that she wasn’t paying attention, but that her « rudeness » wasn’t deliberate but an honest answer due to her autism. Ask if it happens again, please could the teacher just ask her to focus rather than ask a rhetorical question.

bignewprinz · 27/11/2025 17:52

Who could be arsed to be a teacher? Mummy's emailed again!

ILoveHotChocolates · 27/11/2025 17:51

YABU.

Linenpickle · 27/11/2025 17:50

She now knows so let her do the detention!