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Autism and starting schoolAutism is becoming more widely understood and there are increasingly special measures in place to make sure your child gets all the help he needs at school.
Autism is what's known as a 'spectrum disorder' which means the severity with which your child is affected can vary enormously from other children with the same disorder. "The degree to which a child's autism affects him can make a big difference to the type of education he receives, for example, whether he attends a mainstream or specialist school," explains Mike Collins, education adviser to the National Autistic Society (NAS). If your child is diagnosed with autism, you should expect an individual response from the local education authority (LEA), tailored to meet his specific educational requirements. It's also vital that things remain flexible as your child's needs and abilities will change and develop over the years. If your child has a statement of Special Educational Needs (see What happens pre school?, below), there's an annual re-assessment of how he is doing and if you're not happy with any aspect of his education, this is the forum to express your concerns. If, however, you are still unhappy you can contact the Independent Panel for Special Education Advice. What happens pre school? If your child is over two and you're concerned about how he is developing, you can ask your LEA to assess his future educational needs. This process is called statementing and will be done by professionals, including educational psychologists who will contribute to a statement of Special Educational Need or SEN. This provides the basis of your child's future education needs and should help guide you as to where he should attend school (see Mainstream or special school, below) Although there is support available for parents with autistic children in the pre-school years, the amount and range of services varies according to where you live and whether the LEA thinks your child needs extra help. 'There are around 150 LEAs so support varies enormously,' says Collins. 'But examples include the Early Bird pre-school scheme for parents and pre-school/outreach teachers who go out to the families in their own homes to work with the child in preparation for school.' To find out more, contact your LEA and ask to speak to the 'parent partnership officer' about what help you can expect to receive in the run-up to your child starting school. Mainstream or special school? There are various choices when it comes to where to educate your child but your final decision will largely be based on his degree of disability and social and intellectual ability. The choices include:
The advantages of mainstream education are that it's locally based and your child will have normal role models. However, special schools offer specific expertise about teaching children with special needs and this may help them fulfil their educational potential as well as provide a more protective environment, avoiding possible bullying. Parent Felicity Cairns from Tonbridge in Kent chose Cage Green Centre for Autism, an autistic unit attached to a mainstream primary school, for her four-year-old autistic son Charlie. He spends the majority of his school time there but also attends the reception class of another mainstream school, St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School, for one hour a week, too. "Charlie was diagnosed at 22 months so I had more time than many parents to think about what sort of education he might need," says Felicity. "I spoke to parents with children at Cage Green, trying to convince myself that Charlie wasn't like their children and wouldn't have to go to "special" school. It was almost as if I thought of special school as a failure but, with hindsight, it was all part of the acceptance process. The truth was that Charlie is severely autistic and would never cope in a mainstream school full-time. The teachers at his unit know just what makes him tick and how to use this to teach him things he might not otherwise be interested in." Teaching children with autism Collins says that good teaching practice for children with autism is good practice for other children too and there are three key aspects to teaching children with autism:
Ronnie Norman, teacher in charge of Cage Green Centre for Autism where Charlie is taught says: "The main priority is to work on the children's social and communication skills and try to make sure they have the skills to access the National Curriculum wherever possible." The unit also provides music therapy, art and drama classes, extra-curricular activities like trips out and the children join in with whatever they can at the main school. The aim is to work towards gradual inclusion of pupils with autism into the main school, whether that's for one hour or 20 hours a week - it will be different for each child. There's also some reverse inclusion, with children from the mainstream school attending lessons, lunch and playtimes in the autistic unit. How you can help Start the process of looking for a school as early as possible so you have plenty of time to choose and to prepare your child in advance. Your LEA's education officers and outreach workers should be able to help you reach your decision. Once you've chosen a school, you need to introduce the subject gradually with your child. "It's helpful if he can visit the school before he starts out of school hours, so he can see where he might sit and the room he'll be in," Collins suggests. "Then visit again with the children in and activities going on and perhaps, on the third or fourth visit, let your child sit in on a lesson," he recommends. It's a good idea to prepare a daily timetable that your child can look at in advance. This will help him gear up for the major changes that school life inevitably brings - ask staff at the LEA for help in doing this. Once your child has started school, keep track of his daily activities - most special needs units keep individual diaries for parents - and communicate regularly with his teachers so that you are working to the same objectives and using the same techniques. "As far as I see it, the most crucial aspect of special education - whether in a special or mainstream school environment - is the success of the home/school relationship," says Felicity Cairns. 'If there's good communication and the parents and teachers are working towards the same objectives, the child stands a good chance of fulfilling his or her potential.' Melanie Deeprose is a freelance journalist and mother of one. She lives in Gloucestershire. |
