Autism inclusion teachers to be trialled in nine SA public high schools in $250,000 pilot program

The mother of a 13-year-old boy with autism and ADHD, who has been suspended multiple times, has high hopes a new pilot program in SA schools will help neurodiverse students.

At just 13-years-old, Beck’s son, who has autism and ADHD, has been suspended multiple times throughout his schooling.

“I saw my son, for want of a better word, profiled quite a lot as being a naughty child,” Beck said of her son, now a Year 7 at Seaford Secondary College.

“It was quite complex going through the school system knowing that was the view.

“He was really, really disruptive in class.”

Her son is among students who will benefit from a $250,000 state government trial to employ autism inclusion teachers in nine public high schools from the end of this year through term 4 of 2025.

The role of an autism inclusion teacher (AIT) is to build knowledge and expertise to influence the practice of other staff at a school.

The pilot will trial three models of support, which vary in their level of staffing attention, and Seaford Secondary will use the most comprehensive of them.

It is estimated that more than 2250 students with autism will transition from South Australian public primary schools to high school in the next three years.

“A lot of the strategies put in place were to manage behaviour as opposed to actually understanding what diversity and neurodiversity could look like,” Beck said of how her son was treated in school.

“To have skilled professionals in schools … that’s the sort of stuff that kids through the school system require.

“They don’t require suspensions.”

Seaford Secondary College Principal Harry Stassinopoulos and parent Beck said students would benefit from the autism inclusion teacher trial. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Seaford Secondary College principal Harry Stassinopoulos said AITs would complement work already being done at the school to support its 35 neurodiverse students in a population of 850.

“Our belief is education is the biggest equaliser and in order to be able to do that you need to be able to provide equity,” Mr Stassinopoulos said.

Education Minister Blair Boyer expects the cost of putting autism inclusion teachers in high schools would be “costly” after, from the start of last year an AIT was placed in every public primary school in a $28.8m initiative.

“We have a key role in helping people develop the skills they need to support young people with autism,” Mr Boyer said.

“It’s even more important when you consider that those transition points for young people when they are leaving primary school and going to high school are always tricky.”

A unit on autism will also be delivered to all students undertaking the Certificate III in school based education support at TAFE SA.

There was previously an elective subject to support students with autism but this will now be compulsory for all new students.

Originally published as Autism inclusion teachers to be trialled in nine SA public high schools in $250,000 pilot program