Xavier’s beautiful mind
Autistic student heads to Herbert Morrison as academic high achiever in PEP
Published:Monday | July 17, 2023 | 12:07 AMAshley Anguin/Gleaner Writer
Despite the stigma surrounding autism, 12-year-old Xavier Harrison stands as living proof that autistic children are capable of academically doing as well as, if not better than their peers.
Xavier, who aspires to become a builder, scored 359 out of 360 in his favourite subject - mathematics – on the Primary Exit Profile xaminations.
Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at age two, the top achiever is encouraging children like him to push through.
“Never give up, you can make it to high school. Autism is not a disability, it is a different ability. Do not make anyone bully you for your autism, show your strength and maybe one day you will be as good as me,” Xavier said.
Graduating from the John Rollins Success Primary School in Montego Bay, St James, with multiple awards and a placement score of 334.6, Xavier got placed at his first choice, Herbert Morrison Technical High School.
Speaking with The Gleaner, Xavier said his loving and attentive parents are preparing him for high school.
“I don’t really know if high school will be miserable. It is something I will have to get used to, the classrooms, because I am going to be very bad at navigating [them] just like at John Rollins Primary. I didn’t understand where I was to go,” a concerned Xavier stated.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was at first challenging for Xavier to adapt to the online classes because he wouldn’t settle down. However, eventually he coped.
Both parents reminisced on the challenges they endured with an autistic child.
Andrew Harrison, Xavier’s father, said, “It has gotten better over the years but at the beginning, in terms of accepting the fact that you have an autistic child, that was a bitter pill to swallow. Coupled with that, he was very hyperactive, you have to constantly be watching him wherever you took him. There was a challenge of knowing that in spite of the fact that he was brilliant in achieving academically, his motor and communication skills weren’t at the level where we wanted it to be.
“In Jamaica the health card does not cover such things, so in terms of getting him help with speech and occupational therapy, it was very difficult. All of what we had attempted, we had to foot that out of our pockets,” he added.
Kerry Harrison, his mother, added, “I went overseas and did some research and came back, because I wanted to teach him myself. I resigned from my job when he was three because I really wanted to put him on the right path. I worked with him, took him to school, and taught him just about anything. I asked them at the school to just keep him occupied and don’t worry about the academics, it will come.”
Best decision for him
Moving to John Rollins Success Primary School in grade five was the best decision for him, as his parents believe it helped him progress.
“A lot of girls like to protect me from running away. I talked to them and we learned a lot from each other. It wasn’t difficult for me to make friends at school and I was on the quiz team, which entered competitions.
His mother smiled as she explained how the girls at school took care of her son.
“When I go to school, girls carry his books, his bags; like five girls would just walk with him. They say, ‘I hope you choose Herbert Morrison because I want to go to school with Xavier,’” she said.
Before his move to the primary school, his father was opposed to exposing Xavier to that kind of environment due to fear.
“I was scared. As a matter of fact, I am still scared about the prospect of him going to high school. I was scared to expose him to it. I know that it was probably one of the best things, because I know that we really wanted him to interact with children who are normal, for him to have a sense of what normal children do. At the same time, we were really just scared to expose him to certain things, because we know some children can be very brutal,” the older Harrison explained.
“If it were left up to me alone, he would not be in primary school, because I think I am a little overprotective of him,” he added.
Xavier is described by his teachers as a warm, loving and resourceful child who participates in almost everything.
“He is approachable and it was a pleasure and easy teaching Xavier. Any school that gets him, they have received a very special child,” his teacher Olivine-Green Walker told The Gleaner.
Inclusive environment
Principal Yvonne Miller-Wisdom said, “We have a special education unit at the school, so we focus on an inclusive environment. One of the courses I did in the master’s degree was the exceptional child, and it speaks to students with autism. In addition, it doesn’t matter what type of child we get; we do not test them, but it is good, however, to know where they are so we can put in place the intervention that is needed.”
“The first week he came in, he was crying and screaming, but after that we never had that issue. It was established when he came that the students and teachers would all have to show Xavier love. In terms of packing his bags, he had difficulties, so when it was time for dismissal, the students would assist him. The ministry [of education] also put in place a shadow teacher, so we got a person and she was there every day in the classroom to ensure he would write down his homework and assist him with getting his lunch,” she added.
Before his diagnosis, both parents saw signs that something was wrong.
“At age one he could read even better than me, the bigger the word the easier it was for him to pronounce. He could say his ABCs, count, but he was not communicating. When we took him to church, he knew everyone’s licence plate number, but when people talked to him, there was nothing. He was stacking tin stuff on top of each other and while other children played with toys, he used the calculator,” she said.
“I was a bit concerned because he was really echoing what was said, he wasn’t really talking. Everything has to be in a specific order, so I decided to do a little research and everything that I came across speaks to autism,” his father said.
Xavier gradually started communicating at age five and progressed as he got older.
Dr Carleene Grant-Davis, consultant paediatrician and head of the Department of Paediatrics at Cornwall Regional Hospital, said she was not surprised by Xavier’s academic performance.
“Because autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as it is correctly called, encompasses a wide spectrum where the affected individuals have varying cognitive functions. Asperger’s syndrome refers to high-functioning individuals with ASD that tend to have normal or superior intellectual abilities,’’ Grant-Davis explained.
“Social skills training and assisted communication therapy will help him with overcoming his challenges. The problem is, these resources are not readily available to us,” she added.