Susie O’Brien: Senator Pauline Hanson’s autism comments beggar belief
SENATOR Pauline Hanson is an absolute disgrace to suggest the mere presence of kids with disabilities are holding other students back, writes Susie O’Brien.
Susie O'Brien
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SENATOR Pauline Hanson is an absolute disgrace to suggest the mere presence of children with disabilities are holding their fellow students back.
PAULINE HANSON WILL NOT APOLOGISE FOR COMMENTS ON STUDENTS WITH AUTISM
PAULINE HANSON SLAMMED OVER SPEECH SUGGESTING AUTISTIC KIDS BE REMOVED FROM MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS
During a debate about school funding, she said:
“Most of the time the teacher spends so much time on them they forget about the child who is straining at the bit and wants to go ahead in leaps and bounds in their education.
“That child is held back by those others, because the teachers spend time with them”.
She went on to say: “These kids have a right to an education by all means, but if there’s a number of them these children should actually go into a special classroom, looked after and given that special attention”.
And: “We need to get rid of those people because you want everyone to feel good about themselves.”
Get. Rid. Of. Those. People.
I honestly can’t believe she said those words.
The Senator’s office has since clarified that “those people” referred to do-gooders wanting kids with autism to stay in the classroom, not the autistic kids themselves.
Yeah right.
It beggars belief that parents of kids with disabilities have to defend their right to access the same schools as any other kids.
The fact Senator Hanson appears to see disability as a shameful deficiency that must be hidden away instead of accepted and accommodated is yet another reason why she is clearly not fit to hold political office.
Senator Hanson doesn’t understand the first thing about autism, which exists on a broad spectrum, from children who can function quite well in mainstream schools to those who need full-time aides.
Many are very smart and just need help navigating their way around friendship groups and the social side of things. Such support is generally offered by trained professionals, not classroom teachers.
Senator Hanson’s suggestion that children with autism should be segregated harks back to a time when any child who was different in any way was immediately whisked off to a special school.
Doesn’t she realise that for decades now children with disabilities have been integrated very successfully into mainstream schools?
This is especially true for kids with autism — most operate very well with a bit of extra counselling and support.
If anything, the problem is with the funding model, which gives individual schools funding for children with special needs, often leaving it up to the principal to decide exactly how it is spent.
This can mean funding obtained for one child is shared with another who might not have received government support. This can mean some children don’t get the full amount of help they have been funded for, which can affect their chance of reaching their full potential.
Now, I should stress there are some really excellent special schools. One family friend I have known for nearly a decade attends Ashwood School, which is widely recognised as a leader in educating children with mild intellectual disabilities. My friend’s daughter is getting a terrific education and learning to be a confident and independent adult. The specialist setting has meant her particular needs have been met, and she has gained all-important life skills other schools simply don’t teach.
So I do understand there is a place for special schools, but it’s a decision usually made by the parents in conjunction with the school. For Senator Hanson to suggest she knows better than expert teams of parents and teachers is most offensive.
If there is a problem with teachers spending too much time with particular students, I’d say it’s the naughty kids whose parents haven’t taught them discipline, not those on the autism spectrum.
Originally published as Susie O’Brien: Senator Pauline Hanson’s autism comments beggar belief
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