Except it isn't, it's for people looking at the societies education pages and how useful they were. I think the title was misleading, as there nothing about education and just stuff about the site, maybe I misread something, but again it seems to be all biased towards children and parents.
Some of us are independent adults who lacked educational opportunity because of lack of diagnosis and struggle through on our own, where are we in your survey?
you clicked off it - the point you make in your initial thread post TheCatWoman - which maybe reaffirms my assessment...
agreed, me being too quick to judge maybe Expecto_Patronum
I've filled it in now. Although I didn't understand your initial confusion, this thread has been useful for me to collate my own thoughts and hopefully, provide the Nas with constructive feedback.
Thats similar to how I felt when I looked at it, but I didn't find anything relevant to me and clicked off it.
There is a whole section on home schooling in the education choices part.
I think you make good points about it being deficit biased and targeted towards adults themselves. It is important there is an adult section as they will be the ones making a lot of decisions about children's education but it would be good to have a section for children to access too.
I haven't filled in the survey yet. I had a quick glance. As I don't need to access the education part of the website I found it hard to answer the questions because I'm not trying to find information. However, I think I should be filling it in to help support others. I will have another look when I have more time and feel a bit more informed about what I am answering.
so its not really education for all, is it
I think that the 'for all' part of title refers to the survey rather than the education content on the site.
If I were thinking of going back into education as an adult and so many of us do go back, I wouldn't find anything helpful to me, so its not really education for all, is it?
Hi TheCatWoman,
Thankyou for your comments about the Education content survey. The intention of the survey is to help us identify what parts of the current Education content need to be improved to meet a wider audience and be more useful to both autistic people and their parents and carers. We'd really value your feedback if you have time to provide it
Suzanne Mod
I'm with you on this one TheCatWoman
I've had a good look at them and the questionnaire too.
The education pages themselves are strongly biased towards patients carers and teaching professionals rather than autistic students themselves.
They are deficit biased and heavily geared towards education needs in childhood and youth.
There are some pretty big omissions too - nothing about homeschooling (I have family experience of the necessity of that), "girls" are only explicitly cited for professional tips and maybe the biggest one is that it's all about trying to mitigate the challenges to rather than promoting the strengths of autistic people.
So yep. I agree that it's a good idea that the NAS are looking at reviewing them.
Unfortunately the questionnaire itself exhibits many of the same problems as the resource itself. The biggest of which being that question 4 alienates the biggest group missing in the resource itself - autistic people themselves!!! It leans hard into children being the reason for the survey and putting "parent" and professional at the top of the choices again caregivers and professionals are identified as being the primary "target" of the questionnaire.
Armed with is I went to the survey armed with this to address these points in my answers - and maybe anyone from the NAS reading this response to you will register the problems too.
Interestingly for someone like me going to the webpages to truly assess them in order to give a rational answer to the survey I had to answer "No" it didn't provide the answers in order to make a response!!!
If I was feeling a bit more "up for it" myself at present I'd back that up with an e-mail to the NAS on the topic too.
The thing is, perhaps that the sort of attitudes the education pages and the survey itself shows go into the sort of conditioning autistic people have by society that makes me and others "not feel up to" doing something about it..?
Thanks for raising the thread TheCatWoman
I believe society is enriched by whole life learning.
It is but that is a separate issue and worth discussing.
However the thread created by NAS was specifically about their educational pages.
The title isn't misleading as it doesn't talk about education for all but rather the survey being available to all.
I don't dispute and perhaps feedback to the Nas would be that a section for adults learning would be useful. But I don't think a part of a website for accessing education can tackle the issues of past education failures.
The Catwoman seems, I think, to want to give feedback on her own experiences of education and how this affected which whilst those feelings are very valid, just doesn't fit in with the point of the survey.
I believe society is enriched by whole life learning.
Is the point not to review how useful the education section of the NAS website is? The questions were asking how easy people found finding that section and how useful/relevant it was etc. It will be biased towards parents and children because these are the people the education system is relevant to.
I don't think they were trying to survey people's own experiences of education.
I'm a little confused by your confusion.
Do you mean the survey from the post linked below?
community.autism.org.uk/.../open-to-all--short-education-content-survey
I read only the article on higher education. It was pretty good that one.
I love the education inspiration demonstrated by some rural South Korean Grandmothers attending the first year of primary / grade schools with falling rolls.
These Elders can learn to read, write etc. and gain confidence to use the local bus to help broaden their horizons.
www.bbc.co.uk/.../world-asia-50425019
I feel those of us who are Autism Latelings; can rather find we fall between the (various) provision cracks of how to apply and practice our diagnosis knowledge for our longer term benefit.
This applies to educational institutions and beyond.
I have been trying to advocate for older adult neurodivergent support needs when navigating courses etc. Hard won, limited progress, to date.
Even on a day-to-day practical level - wouldn't it be great if sensory items also offered items reflecting adult hobbies and interests. Not everyone wants a Dinosaur, or Unicorn, adorning their study / office desk.
