Geordie
Geordie
PARENTS of autistic children have been forced to create a school to cater for their special needs, because South Australia is the only state without a specialised education facility for students with the developmental disability.
Treetop Autism Specific School founder Fiora Christou yesterday said she decided to start the school because her autistic child's needs weren't being met in regular schools.
"There's a big disparity between what is available within the education system around Australia," she said.
"When we're talking about figures like one in 80 children being diagnosed with autism, surely it makes sense to provide for these kids and give them the tools that they can be as active as they can be in the community and not wait until they are flailing within our systems."
She said the school would need an initial $10 million and $3-5 million each year in operating costs.
An Education Department spokeswoman said the State Government provided recurrent funding for non-government schools that met the required registration and planning criteria.
"Provided this school met these criteria, it would be eligible for funding, however the department is not aware of any formal approaches from the Treetop Autism Specific School to date," she said.
"There are a range of educational programs to support students with autism depending on a child's particular needs, which currently include 22 disability units, 110 special classes and fifteen special schools, as well as additional supports for students in mainstream classrooms."
Unlike all other states, SA does not have a school that caters only for children with autism and Asperger syndrome.
More than 200 students have already pre-enrolled for Treetop Autism Specific School. The independent Reception to Year 12 school's primary focus will be to promote student independence and integrate students with autism and Asperger syndrome into the community.
Ms Christou said Treetop would register as an independent school next Monday and hoped the school would operate with assistance through both state and federal government funding and third-party grants and scholarships.
Parliamentary Secretary for School Education Senator Jacinta Collins said the Federal Government "looks forward to any future application from the Treetop Autism Specific School".
"If successful, funding would be provided as is the case with any special school," she said.
Autism SA chief executive officer Jon Martin said there were 4800 South Australia students on the autism spectrum and said an autism-specific school would benefit both students and their families.
"If they can access an education that primes them for better economic participation and reduce dependency on social security benefits, then it's a good thing," he said.
"If it succeeds in getting off the ground, then we certainly want to make sure that it works and that the students are getting the best education they can, so we would be very actively involved."
Ms Christou said the school, which planned to open between mid-2014 and early 2015, would employ occupational and speech therapists, childhood psychologists and other medical specialists to provide students with access to personalised medical care.
The school hopes to provide one teacher and one support officer for every five students and the school will adapt two autism-specific educational approaches, Applied Behaviour Analysis and Relationship Development Intervention.
Ms Christou said the school wanted to forge relationships with nearby primary schools.
"So if our students show an aptitude in numbers or music or PE, then to have a reciprocated agreement where our students can be duly enrolled in both schools and to invite the other schools students to work in a buddy system with our kids, we're allowing our students to have the best of both worlds," she said.
Ms Christou and her family moved to Melbourne in 2009 so her son, Andreas, now 10, could attend a school for children on the autism spectrum for nearly four years.
She said Andreas was previously a non-verbal child who was afraid to go to school and vomited at the sight of his uniform. But the school's specialist education had transformed his life and he was now able to talk and even attend school camps.
Ms Christou realised the need for such a school here and decided to establish one in Adelaide.
While the school's location is yet to be determined, Ms Christou said Treetop's board hoped to buy a centrally located metropolitan school that had closed and provide a bus service to students living up to 45km away.
Highbury's Nikki Dalton has registered her interest in enrolling her autistic son Sam, 12, at Treetop.
Sam receives specialist education at Modbury Special School but can only stay there until he is 15.
Ms Dalton said there was a huge need for specialist education for children with autism spectrum disorders.
"We considered looking at a few schools around Brisbane and Queensland where there are specific schools up there for autism and we do know some people who have moved up there specifically because they can accommodate children with autism," Ms Dalton said.
For more information about the school, contact Fiora Christou on 0402 363 868 or email [email protected].
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