Brisbane mum receives cruel letter about autistic son

By Jo Abi|

'I intend to make a formal complaint'

A Brisbane mum has shared a cruel letter sent to her by a neighbour over her autistic son's moaning.

Magenta Quinn says she shared the letter on her Facebook page, setting it to public, to "help raise awareness about mental illness and disabilities."

"This morning I collected this letter from my mailbox and shared it in my local community page with the following text," she writes.

Read more: Everything you always wanted to ask someone with autism

"I shared it to state 'this is not ok' and make a stand about bullying.

"I received an out pouring of love and compassion and am grateful for people who care."

Image: Facebook @magentaquinn

The anonymous neighbour says in the letter, "When you moved in we heard these strange moaning and shouting coming from your garden every day and night, for which we were concerned may be illegal activities, so we contacted the police who in turn have visited your premises.

"They informed us of your situation that a person in your family is suffering from a mental illness and that was the source of the noise.

The neighbour stated that they sympathise with the mum's situation, but the noise was "very disturbing and occurred continuously".

I would kindly request that you consider your neighbours and try to limit the amount of time that is spent in the garden such that we do not have to listen to the disturbing noise daily and sometimes before 6am.

"I am giving you the opportunity to help us live together in this community without it becoming a constant battle. If this continues at the regular intervals it has been, I intend to make formal complaints against your address to council to help resolve this issue."

They ended with, "Yours sincerely, Neighbour."

Image: Magenta Quinn, Facebook

In her Facebook post, the mum responded to the neighbour, writing, "Dear neighbour who left me this note. While I appreciate the odd noises of a mentally ill person can be disturbing, I can guarantee that you have no clue when compared to living with it 24/7 for 17 years.

"Having 3 police turn up at my doorstep at 10:30 at night when I'm new to the area may have made you feel you are avoiding confrontation, but for me it was alarming to say the least. 

"Talking with council won't help, he's not a dog, it's a person. If you'd like to take him on a holiday so I can get some rest that would be awesome. Otherwise, please feel free to come and chat with me, there's a lot you do not understand.

"Have a great day!"

The autism mum has received overwhelming support from those genuinely sympathetic to her situation, and families who have loved ones with disabilities.

Behaviours such as moaning, toe tapping, humming, pacing, rocking and clapping are all known as 'stimming' and are common in people with conditions such as autism. The behaviour can be addressed to a point in occupational therapy sessions however is used to self-soothe and can therefore plays an important role in that person's life.

Send an email of support to this autism mum by using the email
