Mainstreaming Children With Autism?

[oracle]

deleted

Edited November 3, 2006 by oracle

[phasmid]

Could you post a link up Carole?

 

I'm not gaving a tough time of things but would like to go take a look.

[lil_me]

Sorry carole I have been trying to get onto that part of the discussion but the same is happening as it was yesterday, errors on the pages constantly

[annie]

I just posted agreeing to Rita Jordans comments about having Autism expertise in mainstream schools............and why I took Alex out of his old school.....because they didn't have any

[annie]

Hopefully this is the right link

 

http://www.awares.org/conferences/bb.asp?s...0010009#msg1778

 

Annie

XX

[smallworld]

Hi Carole,

Have been trying to follow the thread you mentioned (and others) but it's painfully slow. It's like stepping back in time ! I think your comment about 'needing a category of it's own' is spot on !!

Annie, your post was great (when I finally got to read it !)

 

wac

[oracle]

deleted

Edited November 3, 2006 by oracle

[smallworld]

sorry, Carole, this is a bit of a diversion, but what did you think of Digby Tantum's article ? I think I have to agree with him mainly, and have to admit I was very surprised by his article. On the whole I am very impressed by the conference, and I think it's great that your on there with bods whose books we all read ! are you going to join them ?

 

wac

[Kathryn]

Hi Carole,

 

Couldn't find it, but it's late and I'm a bit crosseyed, so will return.

 

Great paper of yours, by the way.

 

K

[oracle]

deleted

Edited November 3, 2006 by oracle

[UltraMum]

I couldn't track down Rita Jordan's comment

 

Not the most friendly of IT environments is it? I haven't got time to read everything - even on braodband it's slow...

 

Anyway - i have posted this: yes the line breaks are enormous! i used html coding but only one code was really needed instead of two to give para breaks!

 

 

 

There is a huge black hole in educational provision that children with HFA and AS fall into:

 

 

 

Take late diagnosis and add it to a school system where trainee teachers get only two or three hours of training to cover all SEN ... a school SENCo asked recently when a child with HFA would be cured?

 

 

 

Factor in high intelligence and education authorities who don't see an educational need if the child is performing in the core subjects - it won't affect the league tables .. am I being cynical?

 

 

 

Add in the pressure and stress of a teacher in a classroom of 30-35 children trying to meet the needs of an unpredicictable child but with no extra support...

 

 

 

There is very little in the way of facilities to meet these needs in mainstream - yet MLD and SLD schools are often inappropriate as well. My LEA is pushing hard to close the only autism specific school in a reshuffle of special school provision - these children will be educated in MLD/SLD settings which will not necessarily be 'autism friendly' and all of the experience of the staff will be diluted across the new school arrangements.

 

 

 

Why:

 

 

... have 27% of children with autism been excluded from school at some point and 23% been excluded on more than one occasion?

 

 

 

... have 50% of children with autism have changed schools at times other than at normal transition times.

 

 

 

Source: Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain, 2004

 

 

 

It seems to me that these figures (although regarding autism in general and not specifically AS/HFA) indicate a severe failure both of these children's ability to cope with mainstream schooling and of mainstream schooling's ability to cope with these children and their needs.