Pauline Hanson on autistic kids in school

[Dave The Man]

I am Autistic and I feel Disgusted we have people in Australia who Voted for someone so damn Stupid

https://twitter.com/MomentsAU/status/877354574167777284

[think positive]

Honey do you have the link to her speech? I'd like a little clarification on exactly what she said.
(And please, give Twitter the flick, it does so much damage!)

[think positive]

Ok, just saw it on Facebook, she really didn't handle that well, and I get why your upset,

In my youngest daughters grade prep class there was a kid who obviously had a very disturbed home life, he was a nightmare in class, and he took far more of the teachers time than any kid with a learning disability! I found out the kids history eventually. And I don't begrudge him one second of the time he took. Poor kid.

[Mugwump]

As reported in the Age, she said that children with autism deserve special, smaller classes, as they require a lot of the teacher's time when in mainstream classes, and this diverts teaching away from the other children.

This seems like a pretty sensible thing to say, fairer to autistic kids and those without that problem. Whenever something ignites twitter it's a fair bet that someone has said something useful. The usual cut-out person from Autism Australia may witter about "inclusion" as though that meat-free slogan trumps any further thought, but Senator Hanson, for all her faults, appears to have said something that deserves discussion. I have met cans of spam with more IQ points than Pauline, but she at least has the striking parliamentary virtue of saying things that ordinary people think, without seeming to care much about being liked on twitter.

[think positive]

As reported in the Age, she said that children with autism deserve special, smaller classes, as they require a lot of the teacher's time when in mainstream classes, and this diverts teaching away from the other children.

This seems like a pretty sensible thing to say, fairer to autistic kids and those without that problem. Whenever something ignites twitter it's a fair bet that someone has said something useful. The usual cut-out person from Autism Australia may witter about "inclusion" as though that meat-free slogan trumps any further thought, but Senator Hanson, for all her faults, appears to have said something that deserves discussion. I have met cans of spam with more IQ points than Pauline, but she at least has the striking parliamentary virtue of saying things that ordinary people think, without seeming to care much about being liked on twitter.

So do you grade those with the spectrum, or just plink them all into one basket? I believe there are still some specialised places, however many autistic kids thrive in a mainstream environment, and indeed, can teach the average child a thing or two about tolerance, inclusion, or is a 99.9% average the only thing worth obtaining in school?

[Mugwump]

As reported in the Age, she said that children with autism deserve special, smaller classes, as they require a lot of the teacher's time when in mainstream classes, and this diverts teaching away from the other children.

This seems like a pretty sensible thing to say, fairer to autistic kids and those without that problem. Whenever something ignites twitter it's a fair bet that someone has said something useful. The usual cut-out person from Autism Australia may witter about "inclusion" as though that meat-free slogan trumps any further thought, but Senator Hanson, for all her faults, appears to have said something that deserves discussion. I have met cans of spam with more IQ points than Pauline, but she at least has the striking parliamentary virtue of saying things that ordinary people think, without seeming to care much about being liked on twitter.

So do you grade those with the spectrum, or just plink them all into one basket? I believe there are still some specialised places, however many autistic kids thrive in a mainstream environment, and indeed, can teach the average child a thing or two about tolerance, inclusion, or is a 99.9% average the only thing worth obtaining in school?

That's about implementation, and guidelines and judgements etc, but the principle of matching teaching resources to need and not having one child's needs dominate a teachers time is surely a good one. The point of the education system is to deliver learning across a curriculum, not to serve the ends of social engineers. If you try to make it do everything, it does nothing very well.

[think positive]

I have A very good friend who teaches at a school with about 75% refugee students many don't speak English very well, all are behind, what about the other 25%?

There are degrees of autism some function better than others. In my other daughters class was a boy with muscular atrophy, he was in a wheel chair but his brain was clear. He needed extra time from the teacher. None of the parents I knew begrudged him that. Where do you want to draw the line? Both my kids made it to uni, I'm sure the disturbances from students not fortunate to be as close to the required normal as they are, cost them no more points than say sports or the latest tv crush discussion.

Im pretty sure most schools would make sure any kids with special needs are not so needy that they would take much away from the more fortunate able bodied able minded kids. also, kids with special needs have an aide at school, all schools public and private. i did the course and helped a couple. The struggling kids were no more of a burden than the kid who was a genius at English but could not figure out 5 + 5 for the life of him.


In my opinion, It didn't need to be said, she could have point scored elsewhere

[HAL]

Europe.

[Culprit]

The quicker she is back in prison greens the better.

[Skids]

As reported in the Age, she said that children with autism deserve special, smaller classes, as they require a lot of the teacher's time when in mainstream classes, and this diverts teaching away from the other children.

This seems like a pretty sensible thing to say, fairer to autistic kids and those without that problem. Whenever something ignites twitter it's a fair bet that someone has said something useful. The usual cut-out person from Autism Australia may witter about "inclusion" as though that meat-free slogan trumps any further thought, but Senator Hanson, for all her faults, appears to have said something that deserves discussion. I have met cans of spam with more IQ points than Pauline, but she at least has the striking parliamentary virtue of saying things that ordinary people think, without seeming to care much about being liked on twitter.

Yep, definitely worthy of discussion.

My wife is an EA and works about 80% of her day supervising/helping one autistic boy in the class. The school employs 5 other EA's in similar roles. I think the resources could be way better managed.

Kids that are at a different level need to be taught at a different level and in a different way. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

It's been 35 years since I left school. In the core subjects, students were split into 3 levels; Advanced, Intermediate & Basic. Maths was slightly different with 4 levels; Advanced, Ordinary, Elementary & Basic.
Isn't that segregation? What's different here?

I was a Sunday League reserves level football player. How would it have benefited me, or my team mates if I trained with an AFL level squad?
My average kicks, running ability and every other aspect of my game wouldn't help anyone.

Geez, we have seperate Olympic games for people with physical disabilities, why the uproar when there's a call for seperate learning facilities?

[David]

[Skids]

I wasn't comparing it to sport as such, just an example of having people where they should be in regards to ability.
I was initially graded as an advanced mathematics student when I entered High school, but as it got more complex, I requested to be 'dropped' to the lower grade.

I don't see the point of having someone who is struggling with the curriculum in a classroom, just to appease the people who seem so hell bent on' 'inclusion'.

My wife spends half her time chasing this kid around the school and I don't see how this benefits anyone at all.

[ronrat]

I have both a niece and a good friend who both went through Yooralla. My mate would go off to school and when he got homehis neighbours would play with him and include him in things they could and when kicking the footy he would commentate and keep score. He is working, has his own flat and terrorises the bookies with his scooter and is a life member of the East Ringwood footy club. My niece on the other hand went to a mormal school when they moved to Queensland and it all turned to hell in a hand basket. Someone put a flea in her ear that as a 13 year old she had rights and every time my sister or a teacher said no she would ring some goverbment bod who told her she could do what she wanted. She left home at 15, hasnever worked, is abusive to alland sundry and has had 3 kids taken off her. She accused both her grandfathersm her father (who was dead), her mothers new husband and his father (who she had never met either), me, my brother (who had not seen her for 20 years) of systematically raping her. My Dad only found out when he the QLDtransport Department tried to take his school bus licence off him and Dad had to defend himself and the social security person was left stunned when the dates mentioned coincided with school holidays when MUM andDad were in Fiji and a stint when my biece was in Melbourne and Dad was in hospital having triple bypass surgery. The lot was thrown in the bin by the DPP in Melbourne as the bullshit it was.

My laboured point is that there is no right answer to this and to listen to twitter and Pauline Hanson is folly. EVERY effected child should be comprehensively examined physically and mentally to determine when and where they can fit into a normal school environment and what changes can be made to include the child. Thjere maybe a need to have certain skills taught somewhere else or an aide for those lessons the child will need help. It really is a piece of string. But Pauline should think it through. How many special school north or west of Toowoomba. None I guess.

[stui magpie]

^

Good call ronrat.

Autism has a wide spectrum and it's only one of the many conditions that can impact people, many of which have a range in themselves.

Chucking a blanket over a condition and saying they all should go or shouldn't go to normal schools is dumb and doesn't take into account the abilities and needs of the individual.

Some challenged kids benefit from being part of the norm, some don't, and some are just too disruptive to the rest. Horses for courses.

I remember when my son was in grade 6, they had this kid join his class from the Concord annex who had some intellectual disabilities. he was a tall kid, so was my son (183cm at 12) and somehow he became a defacto integration aide for the kid, worked with the teacher and the actual integration aid to help the kid adjust.

My daughter did a 12 months trainee-ship with the Glenroy special school which is part of Yooralla. Those poor kids could never integrate into a normal school. I think they had about 1 funeral each term while she was there.

[swoop42]

I don't believe Pauline was really meaning to offend but like the vaccination comment it was ill informed.