I just wanted to let parents and supporters of these children know about a petition that is currently gathering force at the link below. Some 260 signatures have been received since the 23rd March 2010 ! from parents, professionals and supporters, who are expressing very strong views in support of the need for the creation of High Schools for children with Aspergers and High Functioning Autism.
Parents here in Australia with children who have Aspergers or HFA do not have any choice but to send their children to main stream schools or home school them. For some, this may be suitable, even preferable but for many and perhaps the majority of these children the experience of main stream is disastrous both academically and psychologically. The views expressed in this petition have this common alarming theme. Their children are not getting the education they are entitled to in an environment that is safe for them.
These schools exist overseas. The number of children diagnosed with these conditions are increasing. For many of these children, asking them to learn in a main stream school with the main stream teaching style is like teaching them in a language they don't understand. ALL Australian parents need to feel confident that their children are being educated in an environment that is safe for the child. ALL Australian children are entitled to an education in a safe environment.
If you would like to join us and ask the government to support either a public or private school for these kids in each state, please go to this link.
http://www.gopetition.us/online/35002/signatures.html
I also understand that there is currently a NSW Parliamentry enquiry into The Provision of Education to Students with a Disability or Special Needs. I understand that they are still taking submissions. If anyone feels they would like to submit, I guess that now is the time. I believe this is the site to visit if you intend on submitting.
- Sharron's blog
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Good high schools
Duncraig Senior High School has over 20 mainly High Functioning Aspergers students in it's mainstream school. It is very successful.
Please do not hide ASD students away in their own schools. Basically everyone wants to make and keep a friend at school. Making friends and building relationships are so important for the ASD student to be feel good about themselves and to succeed at school. This might be as simple as building a relationship through playing Yu Gi Oh cards every recess and lunch with someone who thinks like you do.
Private schools are not the answer. You cannot solve all the social problems by wearing a better uniform. To the outside observer it looks better. If you are the only ASD student in the school who will be your friend? Who will understand you?
Visit Duncraig SHS (Mainstream and NOT the Education Support Centre) and see how they have succeeded in creating the right atmosphere for ASD students to flourish.It is not rocket science and can be achieved within any school.
Then you will know what to look for in your local high school.
Good High Schools
Hi everyone, I agree that Duncraig is excellent, but what happens when you are not in the catchment area and you cannot access the appropriate environment for your child?
Please can you tell me what is the next step after receiving thediagnosis and also what are the criteria for an autism extension program in high school. I have been told it is a 4 phase process but I do not know the phases or the eligibility criteria.
Thanks in anticipation of any replies
High school and my twins with aspergers
Hi my boys don't go to high school for another 2 years but I have not stopped thinking about it, I worry what it will be like for them and then there is the bully factor! They are easily led astray and that really worries me as well. I am lucky at the public school they go to at the moment but it is so hard to get funding when they were in infants they got a couple of hours a day now they are in 4th class they get 1 hour if they are lucky a day, you would think that the higher in grades eg: 4th,5th and 6th class they would get more help but it seems to just drop away!
High School and my son with Aspergers
Now in his second year of High School, I could not have imaged the problems that I am currently experiencing. At Primary school was hard enough to prevent my son slipping through the cracks, when he had limited teachers, but high school, with many more teachers it appears to be impossible. I spent alot of time in choosing a school for my son and the one I finally picked happens to be a 40 minute round trip from home. The special needs teacher is very approachable and we communicate by email regularly but the other teachers just don't seem to understand the additional management/direction these children need. Even the detention system of sending forms home when work or assignments are not completed has failed consistently because if my son does not give the form to me to sign and return the next day, the teachers do not follow it up. Specialised High Schools would be great but I think we need to go back to the education of these teachers and make sure they are given a good foundation of information and practical knowledge of how children with Aspergers/Autism and other common uniquenesses are best taught, managed and directed.
High School and my son with Aspergers
I had exactly the same problem with my Year 7 son with Asperger's and his teachers. Frankly, in my experience, most have little if any understanding of Asperger's but you can't tell them that! My son brought nothing home from school - homework, pencil case, notices for me to sign and a specific point I made to the school when we first met to set up his management program was that he would need help to organize these things.
We need specialized schools for our kids but not so specialized that they are isolated from other kids and from the world around them.
My boy was expelled without notice from his Catholic secondary school nearly three weeks ago, supposedly for constantly disrupting his classes. No protocols were followed. His principal did not speak to him and I had to tell him what had happened when we got out the door. No one from Catholic Education seems willing or able to do anything about the matter so I have lodged a complaint with Equal Opportunities and Human Rights to at least try to prevent this happening to another family. He is currently without a school to attend because the local schools which are suitable have capacity class sizes at present. Mainstream schools have a legal and moral obligation to educate our Asperger's children but many of them are not sending their staff to regular and appropriate personal development programs and as a result, are putting kids like my lovely boy in the "too hard" basket. It's both infuriating and heart-breaking.
School and Aspergers
I agree that teachers have no real understanding of what aspergers is. Our Son just started high school and we were promised all this extra help, but instead he was left to fend for himself. Even with the funding of an aid, and outreach support for the first term, it did nothing to really support him. He came home so overwhelmed, with no help to write down messages and no guidance as to what to do with all the incomplete worksheets that were just stuffed in his bag. He managed on his own to scribble down some info for some of his his homework, but was so overwhelmed by the whole thing that he would just sob and say he can't go back there. When you ring the school about the issues it's the same tone all over again - the over reactive parent, 'he's doing OK at school''they would stay. He tried sooooo very hard to hold it together at school. Once he got to me it would all come out.
I have read countless stories like mine, so after 1 1/2 weeks of High School we have decided to homeschool our son. We have enrolled at the Australian Christian College - distance education. They are going to tailor make a lesson program for our son, so that he can finally succeed at learning, because we know there is a good brain locked up in there. The principal was the first teacher to fully listen, understand and care, and we never once felt judged or intimidated, as we have done most other times in the past.
Any way we know it is not going to be easy, and to be honest my husband and I are quite nervous - it's a huge change, but we think it is worth not seeing our son lost, lonely, confused and depressed. We start lessons this week, so wish us luck. We'll let you know how we find it.
All the very best to you all.
Yvette and Matt Goodall
Home Schooling
Hi Matt & Yvette
I was very interested to read your blog.
My son is in Year 5 and we're seriously thinking about high schools for him - we're even contemplating moving overseas for an appropriate school.
I remember reading somewhere that a big reason for home-schooling kids with aspergers is that mainstream high schooling is one massive exercise in navigating negativity.
So - I'm wondering, how is your home schooling going?
Regards,
Mark