BRIMBANK has the highest number of students with autism in the west but few local support services to help them, a report has found. <\/p>\n
Documents from the Thornton report, obtained through Freedom of Information by Greens MP Colleen Hartland, found Brimbank has the highest number of students in the Program for Students with a Disability, at 32 per cent. <\/p>\n
Wyndham was next, with 24 per cent, and Melton at 19 per cent. <\/p>\n
Community consultation outlined in the documents revealed family frustrations over education needs not being met. <\/p>\n
The report found the location of services specific to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or of general specialist schools does not correspond to where students live. <\/p>\n
Last month, Education Minister Martin Dixon announced that Laverton P-12 College was the preferred site to establish a P-12 school for students with an autism spectrum disorder. <\/p>\n
Mr Dixon said the proposed stand-alone school would be located alongside the Laverton P-12 College, and less than 1km from the Western Autistic P-3 school. <\/p>\n
But Autism Angels committee member Despina Havelas said parents in Brimbank and Melton were crushed by the decision. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the core things in life is you want your child to have a good education,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost parents know Laverton is too far away, and too long for these children to be sitting on a school bus.\u201d <\/p>\n
Ms Hartland said the problem was \u201cbigger than these documents show\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is impossible to see the true scale of the problem as not all students with autism are included,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Government needs to stop delaying, build the P-12 school and improve support for students in mainstream schools.\u201d <\/p>\n
Western Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn said it was an ongoing problem. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe could spend $100 million on education in the west and still be behind the eight-ball,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
More here: BRIMBANK has the highest number of students with autism in the west but few local support services to help them, a report has found. Documents from the Thornton report, obtained through Freedom of Information by Greens MP Colleen Hartland, found Brimbank has the highest number of students in the Program for Students with a Disability, at 32 per cent. Continue reading
\nAutism needs not met for Brimbank students<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"