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I feel like my child's school hides the kids with autism.

Pynx

Hello everyone, I just wanted to get some advice on what I should do about my child's school. There is a specalised class for kids with autism in a main stream primary that my child attends. I feel like all the kids are excluded from activities as far as I can tell. At Christmas there was a big things for all the other kids like nativities etc and we had to tune in on the schools channel on YouTube to have a look. They were encouraging parents to make a big deal and have popcorn and things at home as they weren't allowing parents in school at the time. So after the last day of term we all got together at home and there was not one thing for the kids with autism. I was left in tears because I felt really angry. All the news feeds is about all the neurotypical kids achievements with photos and all the good stuff that goes on in class ..nothing about the kids with autism. They were giving leaflets out at the school gates for after school activities but didn't give us one because my child has autism. The queen's jubilee was another example. Photo ops at the school gates but we were smiled at but not asked to be involved like everyone else. It just feels like the schools website is full of all the amazing things that all the other kids get involved with but the amazing children with autism are not celebrated for achieving anything or partaking in anything. I feel so upset by this and have mentioned it with no real response. I don't want my child to feel that the differences they have stops them doing things others do. I dont know where to get advice or what our rights are. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Parents

  • I think you should talk to other parents of autistic kids at your school and then meet with the head.

    Yes there are sensory and communication challenges but autistic kids have right to participate. I'm intrigued as to why they are all in one class. I get that it may be easier to manage the environment, but at the end of the day they are going to have to live in a majority neurotypical world. There should be an opportunity for NT kids to learn about autism and how to respect difference, as much as for autistic kids to find strategies to negotiate life without heavily masking.

    At the end of the day, it's discriminatory to exclude the autistic kids and everyone misses out.

    As for the nativity play.... When I got my diagnosis, (I was 56), my mother cried. "But, you could have had the 'help' when you were at school"; she said. Well, there wasn't any in the 70s, but if 'help' had looked like exclusion from the school play, no thanks! That kind of 'help' I would not have needed. I was VERY good at drama and often in a lead role! The respect I got for my contribution, helped end the bullying.

    How dare they exclude the autistic kids. 

Reply

  • I think you should talk to other parents of autistic kids at your school and then meet with the head.

    Yes there are sensory and communication challenges but autistic kids have right to participate. I'm intrigued as to why they are all in one class. I get that it may be easier to manage the environment, but at the end of the day they are going to have to live in a majority neurotypical world. There should be an opportunity for NT kids to learn about autism and how to respect difference, as much as for autistic kids to find strategies to negotiate life without heavily masking.

    At the end of the day, it's discriminatory to exclude the autistic kids and everyone misses out.

    As for the nativity play.... When I got my diagnosis, (I was 56), my mother cried. "But, you could have had the 'help' when you were at school"; she said. Well, there wasn't any in the 70s, but if 'help' had looked like exclusion from the school play, no thanks! That kind of 'help' I would not have needed. I was VERY good at drama and often in a lead role! The respect I got for my contribution, helped end the bullying.

    How dare they exclude the autistic kids. 

Children
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