Education and Health Standing Committee
Inquiry into support for autistic children and young people in schools
Western Australian Education Support Principals and Administrators (WAESPAA) is a professional association representing the interests of the Education Support sector in all schools. WAESPAA is formally recognised by Government, the Department of Education and the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA).
The purposes of the Association are:
- to promote the role and status of education support administrators.
- to advocate for a range of educational services for students with disabilities,
- to promote the professional development of education support administrators and key personnel.
- to promote research and excellence in education support,
- to liaise with other organisations whose views and activities affect the development and standing of education support services and facilities,
- to provide a forum for the development of policies and exchange of ideas that relate to students and staff in education support; and,
- to promote, whether directly or by way of joint membership agreements with other associations, the interests of education support administrators.
1. Prevalence of autism in WA and projected demand for support in schools.
The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has significantly increase globally over the past few decades. In WA, the Telethon Kids Institute quotes one in every 100 individuals will have a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder.
Understanding the prevalence of Autism in West Australian schools is crucial for developing appropriate support systems and educational interventions to ensure inclusivity and promote positive outcomes for students with ASD whether in mainstream or SEN contexts.
Several factors contribute to the observed prevalence rates of Autism in West Australian schools
a. Increased Awareness and Diagnostic Practices: Greater awareness and improved diagnostic practices have led to better identification and diagnosis of individuals with Autism. This has likely contributed to higher prevalence rates over time.
b. Changes in Diagnostic Criteria: Changes in diagnostic criteria, such as the transition from DSM-IV to DSM-5, have broadened the diagnostic boundaries, potentially affecting prevalence rates.
c, Potential links between ADHD and ASD have been seen which may also impact the prevalence of diagnosis.
How will an increase in the prevalence of ASD effect the availability of support for Autistic students in school?
The majority of students with an ASD diagnosis are in mainstream schools, approximately 20% are in Education Support settings: Education Support Schools, Education Support Centre, Specialist Learning Programs (SLP) and Endorsed programs.
Most Education Support settings have seen a significant increase in the complexity in the need of students. Often it is an ASD diagnosis with intellectual disability, trauma, mental health diagnoses the list goes on. We have also seen a significant shift in the last 10 years in the demographic of our students from the majority of students having an Intellectual Disability Diagnosis to an ASD diagnosis.
We have also seen an increase in demand for enrolments across the board in education support settings to the point that most are now at capacity. New endorsed programs are being opened up, but these do not meet the growing need.
It does means that specialist settings and support is often not available to students with a complex ASD diagnosis.
With most students with an ASD diagnosis being in mainstream there is an increase demand on mainstream teachers to understand and meet the needs of these students. Many teachers do not feel adequately trained or have the skills, or the time to support students with ASD, and need to the support of Education Assistant Special Needs. The resourcing schools received for students with an ASD diagnosis does not often equate to a fulltime Education Assistant SEN. Which often leaves a teacher making a decision around what part of the curriculum a student will have support for.
Many Universities do not include units in special education or if they do it in one unit which briefly talks about how to support students with disability or ASD. Although they are beginning to recognise that they need to start to do this it will take a while before we see pre-service teachers coming out of universities with a good practical understanding of how to meet the needs of students with ASD.
We therefore have the issue of early career teachers in classrooms in which there are students with ASD without any understanding of how to support them. This requires significant support from the Administration of the school and from external agencies.
2. Current support available for autistic students in WA schools, including consideration of
How:
a. evidence-based practices are implemented across the school system; Evidence-based interventions are available to cater to the unique needs of students with ASD. These interventions need to be shared through a mandatory professional learning for all educators, as well as optional professional learning through State-wide services (or the Catholic/independent equivalents).
There is a great variety of practices that occur across the system some of which are evidence- based but some are not. An example which is widely supported is TEACCH is an evidence-based intervention designed in the 60’s for people with Autism and other Communication handicaps. TEACCH endeavours to use the strengths of the individual to support their development of independence, functionality, and autonomy.
Aspects of TEACCH are heavily used in schools across WA to support their students engagement in the learning program.
Another widely used evidence-based practice is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) which is an approach, and its techniques can help students with ASD improve their social skills, self-care skills, communication skills, play skills and ability to manage their own behaviour. SLP base their programs on ABA
b. What are the challenges and successes for implementing evidence-based practices across the school system?
One of the biggest issues with implementing evidence- based practices in WA is the lack of availability to quality training. Although School of Special Education: Disability (SSEN:D) does offer training is tends to be aimed at high functioning student within a mainstream setting. To get training that is of value to support students with complex needs is often extremely difficult. An example would be the access full training in TEACCH which is currently only available in the Eastern States.
The second issue is that every single student with ASD is different and all evidence- based practices need to be adjusted to meet the individual needs of the student. A one size fits all model does not work. Teachers need to have a sound knowledge of any program to be able to effectively adjust it to meet the student’s needs.
c. What is the interaction between school supports and other service areas that autistic students are accessing?
Education Support settings work hard to develop positive interactions with Therapy providers. The NDIS can help students with ASD access services but can also hinder them. Therapists come with a range of experience and understanding and unless they are from organisations such as the Autism Association their experience can be very limited.
Therapists sometimes do not understand that a therapy room is completely different to a classroom. A student may demonstrate a certain behaviour or skill in therapy which does not translate to the classroom or visa versa.
One of the fiction points in the interaction between schools and service providers particularly in Education Support Settings is the sheer numbers of Therapy providers that come through the setting on a daily basis. In many schools this can add up to thousands across a term. The Therapist either remains in the class to do therapy, which can have success, but can cause an upset in the routine which disrupts the flow of lesson and can upset other students with ASD. The alternative is that the Therapist takes the child out for therapy which means they are missing curriculum input and teaching and learning. Again, these skills are not always transferrable. There is huge value in having therapy for students with ASD when it is managed well and is designed to meet the needs of the individual student
3. Strategies in other jurisdictions that support systems to respond to the needs of autistic students and the application of those strategies to WA.
NSW public education system have Schools of Specific Purpose (SSP). The key feature for the 117 special schools is that they have been called out and valued for providing a unique and individually tailored response. The Department recognises this. “Specialist settings for students with disability
are part of a comprehensive system of support offered by the department, to deliver increasingly personalised learning and support in response to the needs of individual students” =
Inclusive practice across all settings
The department in NSW recognises that every student is an individual, with unique personal circumstances, needs and aspirations. NSW public schools reflect their communities; therefore, their students and staff are diverse. Teaching and learning practices need to be designed for diversity and intersectionality, considering how different individuals experience the world.
Specialist settings as one part of the NSW department’s inclusive and flexible system of supports are guided by the goals of maximising student outcomes, enabling parent/carer choice, and constantly adapting to reflect the best available evidence.
Support classes in mainstream schools and SSPs are available to deliver highly personalised and responsive services, supports, and infrastructure for students with disability. All education programs in place for a student with disability, and the decision to place a student in a support class, should be regularly reviewed with the student and their parents/carers to determine its ongoing appropriateness.
In the NSW public education system inclusive education is achieved through practice, and inclusive outcomes are not limited to mainstream settings. Evidence demonstrates that a range of specific factors work together to improve educational, social, and employment outcomes for students.