And now …
Anyone who was at the launch of A Perfect World on Monday night will tell you that “Billy Glish” — David Cohen’s old school friend Bill English — gave a soulful and eloquent speech about the challenges faced by families for whom autism is a daily reality. His observation that the book gave lie to the “middle-class stampede towards excellence” was particularly perceptive.
I think the next step for Bill is to match the sentiment with policy. And to not play politics the way he did in his speech to last year’s National Party conference, which included this passage:
Research by Professor John Hattie of Auckland University shows that the biggest negative effect on a student’s learning is disruptive behaviour in the classroom.
Government policy says every child should be taught in a mainstream classroom if at all possible. It’s called “inclusion”. This policy causes more problems for teachers than any other. I have sat in staff rooms watching teachers cry as they explain that a particular child is unmanageable and it’s only Tuesday.
Teachers tell me that badly behaved students are one of the main reasons teachers leave the profession.
And teachers have to deal with students with severe behavioural problems every day. Often they succeed, sometimes they don’t, and the cost of failure is high for everyone. Honestly, the system often relies on exceptional classroom teachers instead of the specialised resources some children really need.
Mainstreaming has had positive effects but it’s time for a more flexible attitude that balances the rights of all children, and gives teachers a fair chance to do what we ask them to do.
The best thing we can do to support effective teaching is to provide more options outside the mainstream for students who won’t or can’t be managed in the classroom.
In the absence of any explanation of what those outside-the-classroom options might be, it was hard not to read that as an attack on our children’s right to an education, and perhaps an appeal to the resentment of middle-class parents. It was reported as: “The National Party says mainstreaming in schools has gone too far and is harming the learning of many students.”
That was certainly the angle seized upon by education minister Steve Maharey, who baited English in the House about his proposal to “wind back mainstreaming”.
But Steve Maharey should look to himself too. One of the reasons that our older son, Jimmy, has been able to stay and grow in the system is that we applied for assistance shortly after the launch of the ongoing resource (ORRs) funding scheme in the 1990s. We were declined support, but — because we’re educated and literate and able to write persuasive prose — won it on appeal. This means he’ll have assistance, principally in the form of teacher-aide hours, until he is 21. Today, children with more significant needs than Jimmy are routinely denied ORRs funding. The well is empty. And we all pay for that in the end.
Since I began talking about these issues, I’ve been contacted by other parents, who struggle not only for classroom support, but for understanding. Depending on where you live in the country, you may find that autism is poorly grasped by the people you rely on within the system, and that teachers have little or no access to the specific training they need to manage ASD kids. It hurts to turn up to collect your child and be given a daily laundry list of the bad things he or she has done.
So here’s the challenge to both major parties: get your act together on autism. Make sure it is properly understood in the system — for what it is, rather than as part of some special-education grab-bag. Don’t play off our kids against the fretfulness of middle-class parents of “normal” children. And if the mainstream classroom isn’t the right place, give us options. In short, do justice to the promise that every child has the right to an education.
Stu wrote on August 8th, 2007 at 10:07 am:
As the husband of someone who has to deal with mainstreamed kids (including Autistic kids), and who has had to listen to my wife crying about the behaviour, I can only say it’s not fair. It’s not fair on anyone - the teacher, the so called “normal” kids, the special needs kids, the parents. It’s hard work, and no one gets the support they need. And it’s about time that it changed.
lesley maclean wrote on August 8th, 2007 at 10:37 am:
Not only that, but early intervention services as well. Like many, I find myself faced both with the strong message that early intervention is crucial for a positive outcome, and simultaneously with the various agencies that provide it refusing to take me seriously. We were turned down by three early intervention agencies who were stumped by the fact that my son does possess some social skills and can do eye contact if he wants. They observed him in conditions far removed from the settings he finds challenging. So somehow a quiet room with one adult giving him lots of attention is going to replicate the realities of his kindergarten filled with noisy children engaged in complex social interactions. And consequently they conclude that everything is just fine, pat pat.
I would have preferred to hear something to the tune of “your son clearly has some issues but we just don’t have enough money in the pot and we are going to give it to other children” , crappy as that is, than “there is nothing going on with your son and you are probably just neurotic”.
Of course the real crime is the lack of resourcing provided for our kids, but on top of that, a certain degree of respect and support for the parents would be greatly appreciated. It’s a heartbreaking experience to have to promote your child’s worst qualities and keep the positive bits to yourself for fear of that being used against you.
Rob Hosking wrote on August 8th, 2007 at 10:47 am:
I’m amazed - given what I’ve gleaned about your kid - that you were initially denied ORRs funding. We’re going jsut going through that process now for our daughter.
It’s a difficult enough process for us - and I’m used to dealing with bureacratic jargon, and Claudia is an educationalist by training. what the hell it must be like for less experienced people boggles the mind.
Andrew wrote on August 8th, 2007 at 12:07 pm:
Good luck with your application Rob. It’s funny how you read things, but from what I’ve gleaned I’m amazed the Jimmy received ORRs funding in the end. The well is indeed empty.
My autistic daughter started school on Monday. Kindy and the support she received there is looking like paradise in comparison. We’re yet to receive the ORRs denial but I’m not going to hold my breath for this funding.
I find the in-your-face advocacy that my daughter needs from me a real challenge (maybe it’s the autistic gene in me). But these past few days has been a real crash course in what sort of an effort will be required.
Russell Brown wrote on August 8th, 2007 at 12:43 pm:
Good luck with your application Rob. It’s funny how you read things, but from what I’ve gleaned I’m amazed the Jimmy received ORRs funding in the end. The well is indeed empty.
I simply don’t think Jimmy would have received funding if we applied today. We were really lucky — and Jimmy has benefited enormously from that luck. He’s doing NCEA level 1 this year, and that’s something we once thought wasn’t realistic. It gives us the confidence to aim higher than the ed-psych who suggested he might get a job parking trolleys at the garden centre.
And Stu, you’re right. The current environment is really hard on everyone, including the teachers. I’ve independently supplied info resources to our kids’ teachers, which seems to have helped.
Michael Gregg wrote on August 8th, 2007 at 8:40 pm:
I attended an ORRS review yesterday - the day after the book launch. It was FRUSTRATING. What’s simple for me to see is that Teachers Aide support is either required, or not. If it not, parents would not ask. If it is needed, it should be provided. For the benefit of the teacher, the classroom and the child in need. apparently an ORRS review is underway within the Ministry. But given I was told that the scope took six months to complete by a contractor, it is unlikely that anything will change quickly. What do we need to do to convince the government to meet the needs of our children?
Michael Gregg wrote on August 8th, 2007 at 8:45 pm:
The conundrum is when an ASD kid turns 6, they MUST attend school. But if not ORRs funding is available, the parent is faced with an impossible choice - school and buy a teacher aide yourself OR no school and break the law. Is this fair?
Hilary Stace wrote on August 9th, 2007 at 9:57 am:
There is great potential for this site to have a real influence regarding special ed. issues. We should monitor what those in power are saying too. I see the National Party’s spokesman on Special Education is Alan Peachey. Anyone know his track record on inclusion for ASD kids during his time at Rangitoto College?
Anu Kaloti wrote on August 23rd, 2007 at 11:58 am:
I fully agree with Lesley. My 5 year old son was very recently denied ORRS funding because “his symptoms are not severe enough”. How “severe” does a child have to be to qualify??? To add to the mix, he attends a high decile school. Perhaps He would be better off in a low decile school where teacher aides are just handed out and no questions asked!!!
Jolene wrote on March 20th, 2008 at 8:20 am:
To add to the mix, he attends a high decile school. Perhaps He would be better off in a low decile school where teacher aides are just handed out and no questions asked!!!
What an ignorant statement. My son attends a decile 3 school and he is 9 and a half, diagnosed ADHD/Aspergers, cannot read nor write yet apparently doesn’t even qualify for teacher aide assistance. The principle won’t even apply for ORRS stating kids like my son fall through the cracks because they are not good enough. There is NO just handing out teacher aides anywhere!! Research your statements first please..
Jolene wrote on March 20th, 2008 at 8:23 am:
The principle won’t even apply for ORRS stating kids like my son fall through the cracks because they are not good enough.
Sorry I mean’t because children like my son are not bad enough to qualify.