It may be perceived as some martial arts schools jumping on the bandwagon to get some publicity, unless of course, their teachings help to improve the situation. Sad story really. We had a horrible bullying case here that made the local papers.

Bullied Jason goes from hell to hero
Katie Miller
08May08

BULLYING victim Jason Nicholls was treated like a hero by his classmates after publicly telling his story yesterday -- but his courage was ignored by teachers.

The 14-year-old has been repeatedly attacked, called names and robbed by students at his school because of the mannerisms he has due to Asperger's syndrome, which impairs his social and communication skills.

During the worst incident, which is under police investigation, another student allegedly held Jason by the throat, punched him, broke his hand in three places and stole his mobile phone during class while the teacher was absent from the classroom.

The bullying has become so bad that the Year 10 student is required to leave his classes five minutes before other students and eat his lunch in a separate 'safe zone' at Palm Beach Currumbin High School to avoid being picked on.

But there were no negative incidents at school for Jason yesterday after a school essay he wrote about his condition in an effort to be understood was printed in The Bulletin.

The Currumbin Waters local said he was nervous about going to school with his picture on the newspaper's front page but in the end he didn't have to face any bullies, only friends.

Jason said not one teacher had said anything to him about his newspaper appearance but added that not everyone may have seen it yet.

The bright student said many classmates did not know what the article was actually about but knew he had featured in the paper and asked questions.

"I had people asking me to sign my autograph and everything," he said.

"It was a bit weird ... something new."

Jason said he was glad he had spoken out.

"A lot is off my chest," he said.

"Maybe it will be (better now), we'll have to see."

Jason and his 13-year-old brother Blake, who started at PBC yesterday, rode their bikes to school together, which also helped the situation.

Mum Elise Nicholls said there had been some inconvenience to the family from TV media going to great lengths to contact them -including following Jason's grandmother to the rubbish tip -- but it was worth it to speak out.

"This was a big thing for Jason because he didn't know what sort of response he would get at school," she said.

"I think he's finally been able to reach the community and let them know that he's different.

"The overwhelming response from the community has been greatly received and appreciated."

Gold Coasters opened their hearts after Jason's story, offering encouragement and a range of gifts to boost his confidence.

Multiple business owners called The Bulletin offering to give something to the teen and his family, including a complimentary five-star experience from a Surfers Paradise hotel that wished to remain anonymous.

A personal trainer, a fishing charter company, a singing teacher and two martial arts clubs also offered their services free of charge.

The Toya Kan Karate Club at Oxenford and the Combined Martial Arts Academy at Nerang both said they had students with Asperger's or other autistic spectrum disorders.

"I was bullied all through my childhood just because we moved around a lot in the UK so my accent was a bit different to everyone else," said Paul Butterfield of Toya Kan Karate.

"I was absolutely appalled and disgusted by what I read about Jason and wanted to try and offer some support.

"People look at it as a self defence ability but ultimately martial arts gives you a lot of self-confidence and selfesteem and people tend not to pick on you so much when you have that."

There was also an offer from Robina local Aiden Grimes for Jason to walk the Kokoda Track next year, which Mr Grimes has done 53 times.

Mr Grimes, who himself has Asperger's syndrome, said he cried when he read the story because it mirrored his own life experiences.

Despite requests to his media personnel, education minister Rod Welford could not be reached for comment yesterday.

An Education Queensland spokeswoman said she could not discuss Jason's case specifically because of privacy legislation and provided an overview of general school bullying policies.