'He's not a dog, it's a person' Mum responds to 'alarming' note her neighbours sent her about her autistic son

A mum has taken to social media to share the letter she received from her neighbours who complained about the noise her autistic son makes.

Magenta Quinn, from Brisbane, Queensland, posted a picture of the note on Facebook alongside an open letter to its authors, explaining how she received a visit from the police in the middle of the night because of their noise complaint about her son, who has autism.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155716202799300&set=a.38850389299.50957.560459299&type=3&theater

She wrote: '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.'

The mum wrote the note in response to the letter her neighbours sent her, which read: 'Whilst I sympathise with your situation it is a very disturbing noise that comes from your garden continuously, every day, sometimes late into the night.

'It is not fair on the community to have to bear this disturbance especially as it occurs daily.

'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.'

In her post, Magenta added that she decided to share her story to raise awareness about mental illness and disabilities, and also said that she's received a lot of support from her community after sharing the letter, with many commenting on the post.

One said: 'I hope you are doing OK and have a good support network. Unfortunately as you know those who lack understanding of autism and disability really can't fathom that sometimes you make do with the tools you have. That might be the back garden at 6am. I think it looks like you've got an overwhelming amount of support from the general public. Great to see. Its easy to be uncaring when you wish to remain 'anonymous'. Hopefully they pop around one day and meet your son.'

Another wrote: 'I am speechless! Their complete ignorance and intimidation tactics...disgusting! Karma is a bitch and she LOVES to dish her stuff out to imbeciles like them! If I was your neighbour I'd knock on your door to see what was happening THEN offer to help! I hope your son remains blissfully unaware and 'noisy' in his garden safe place 💙💙💙💙💙💙'.