School Placement

Choosing a school for a child with ASD to attend in the ACT can be difficult. The following:

• Offers some suggestions for newcomers to the primary school placement process
  
• Summarises placement options at the primary school level
• Summarises some of the recent experiences of parents trying to place children in ACT schools
• Discusses a few of the issues associated with school environments

The emphasis is on government schools because this is the sector that includes most of the services for children with substantial special needs and where most of the authors' experience lies. We understand the Catholic education system provides some services specifically tailored to children with ASD. Please contact the Catholic Education Office if you are interested (we would hope to include relevant material when it is available to us).

The material provided here is meant to complement information available from the Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section. It is not an alternative to the Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section information.

Suggestions for the placement process

The following suggests an approach to the placement process for parents of children entering primary school or a special school for the first time. It aims to help you find information and consider the available options.

We suggest you get started early. The placement process takes a lot of time and can require significant effort. There will be plenty of delays so try to avoid adding any yourself. We suggest parents use the following process:

1. Obtain an assessment of your child's abilities -- such an assessment should aim to indicate his/her level of functioning, document specific areas of developmental/educational need and recommend the type of educational settings that would most benefit the child
2. Spend some time writing down your expectations, requirements and aspirations for the education of your child
3. Understand the educational settings available in the ACT and how each might work for your child
4. Read the Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section Handbook on Services to Students with Disabilities in ACT Government Schools (see below)
5. Plan your approach to the education system -- decide which places to approach seeking a placement, what type of program you will ask for at each place and who you will take with you to help negotiate. Negotiations should lead to an agreed Placement Report (see below)
6. Ensure you receive a copies of:
   
   

   1. The agreed Placement Report that sufficiently describes your requirements and is signed by both yourself and a Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section representative; and
   2. The Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section notification to parents of the placement. The Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section documents "The Referral Process" from their perspective on page 3.3 of the Handbook. The process described develops a "Placement Report" and finishes with a "Placement in program". The "Placement Report", to be signed by the parents, specifies "the expected educational outcomes of the placement". This suggests the "Placement Report" is effectively a preliminary Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Curriculum Plan (CP). Parents should be wary of signing a "Placement Report" that does not adequately document their requirements, expectations and aspirations. No mechanism for resolving disputes in the referral process is identified.

Assessing the needs of children with ASD

Getting an assessment of a child with ASD can be difficult. Assessment is more specific than diagnosis (and diagnostic services in the ACT are limited). Several alternative approaches have been taken by parents. Generally, a combination of the following can be used:

1. Various independent ASD specialists (mostly from outside the ACT) provide assessment services of this type. Try asking your GP or paediatrician for referrals. And you could contact other parents and/or members of the ACT (or another) Autism Association for suggestions and informal information.
2. You could ask each service specialisation in CHADS (speech, physio, O.T., sensory and psychology) to test and provide a detailed written report on your child's developmental progress and specific areas of need.
3. Make an appointment with your child's preschool or unit teacher. Let her know beforehand that you want to discuss and identify developmental and educational challenges that are specific to your child.
4. Observe and prioritise the challenges associated with your child. What are the barriers to your child's participation with other children (either as individuals or in small groups)? What extra or unusual demands are placed on the family by the child's ASD?

Placement options in educational setting

Placement depends on the type of setting that is appropriate for the child. The main options are:

1. Mainstream school
2. Special units in mainstream schools
3. Special schools
4. Home schooling.

There are a number of documents that may help you understand special education in the ACT:

Services to Students with Disabilities in ACT Government Schools: Handbook (The Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section Focus Programs Section, 1998)

You can find a copy of this document in most schools or at the Autism Association (note: Focus Programs has been restructured into Student Participation).

Each school has a Behaviour Management Policy that includes its educational philosophy.

Ask at the school office for a copy.

Approach relevant schools to collect the information you need to make a prioritised list of placement preferences.

• Continue collecting information by asking questions and writing down the answers
• Listen to alternatives and suggestions; be flexible in your approach and expect to learn from the people you talk to
• Do not spend time at this stage of the process trying to influence the opinions of the Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section staff
• Do not expect commitments or promises.

Develop your list of placement preferences. Revise your expectations, requirements and aspirations. If there are commitments you would like from a school, consider how you might negotiate them. Once you are ready, start approaching the schools on your list.

Parents report that some schools are resistant to the enrolment of children with ASD. The Integration Support Unit at Weston Primary School or the Student Participation Section at the Department of Education and Training, Special Education Sections head office (Tuggeranong) may be able to assist.

Mainstream School

Many children with ASD can benefit from placement in a regular class in a mainstream school. Some have little difficulty with the academic content but may be challenged by the social components of the school environment. Some support may be available for a child with ASD in a mainstream school. The types of support available include:

• Advice for the teacher on including children with ASD in mainstream classes
• An itinerant integration support teacher can oversee the child's program
• A Special Teachers Assistant (STA) may support the student for part of the day or week.

Parents may wish to check a school's Behaviour Management Policy prior to placing their child at the school (ask at the school office for a copy - all schools have one).

Several schools have "special units" that may be relevant for children with ASD. The Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section special units in primary schools are described as suitable for "students aged 5to 12 years who have a mild to moderate disability". These units provide support for students with special needs and opportunities for integration into mainstream classes. Some of the recently developed units are ASD specific or have an ASD focus. Others provide generic special education environments. The units include:

There are Communication Disorder Classes at Lyneham Primary School and Village Creek Primary School. These have specific entry requirements.

Learning Support Centres support "students with a borderline-mild intellectual disability and associated significant academic deficit. Curriculum Plans are developed in consultation with parents". In 1998, LSCs were located:

• In primary schools at Ainslie, Chisholm, Charles Conder, Curtin, Duffy, Evatt, Gilmore, Giralang, Gordon, Gowrie, Macgregor, Monash, Narrabundah, Richardson, Rivett, Southern Cross, Taylor, Theodore, Village Creek, Weston
• In high schools at Calwell, Caroline, Ginninderra, Kambah, Lyneham, Melba, Stromlo, Wanniassa

At present, most children with autism are placed in special schools. These schools offer generic special education programs. There are two special schools in the ACT that offer programs for preschool and primary aged children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities:

• Cranleigh
• Malkara

While these schools aim to facilitate integration into mainstream settings, some parents report that physical separation makes effective integration difficult to achieve.

Turner Primary School has 75% mainstream students and 25% students with mild to moderate disabilities.

The Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section reports that children with ASD placed in special schools are supported by the Disability Program, a part of the ACT Department of Health and Community Care. The numbers of specialist staff available and their limited expertise indicate that essential therapies including psychology, speech therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy are not available for children with ASD in special schools. For example, parents report that non-verbal children with ASD may not receive speech therapy.

Recent experiences

In recent times, the Department of Education and Training, Special Education Section has been unable to notify families of numerous children with ASD of their placement until the week before the start of the school year. Such a delay can be highly stressful: it makes transition planning and the preparation of children with ASD for their new placement very difficult.

Ask for what you need. The system does not identify individual needs or provide services automatically. If you feel that your child would benefit from a specific treatment, program component or service (e.g. a specific program to improve balance, coordination or muscle tone; specialist after school care) then you will usually need to ask for it specifically. Do not assume it will be provided as part of the educational program. It is wise to communicate about such important issues in writing.

Relevant services are not coordinated. They can be hard to find and are rarely directly suitable. Talk to other parents about the services they have been able to access and what they needed to do to develop those services. You may need to be creative.

Issues associated with placement

Section 4 of the Handbook discusses Special Needs Transport

Section 10 of the Handbook includes information on

• accessing therapy services
• After school care The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires countries that sign up, such as Australia, to establish several specific rights. Particularly:
• Article 23 states the right of the disabled child to special care, education, health care, training, rehabilitation, employment preparation and recreation opportunities; all these shall be designed in a manner conducive to the child achieving 'the fullest possible social integration and individual development, including his or her cultural and spiritual development.'
• Article 28 recognises the right of the child to education, and with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity, makes primary and secondary education compulsory and available free to all.

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