Autistic school: New unit at Flinders Christian Community College, Tyabb
A new centre for autistic kids hasn’t even been built yet and it’s already had to increase enrolment targets to meet demand. Here’s why.
South East
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A one of a kind centre for children with autism will be created at a Mornington Peninsula school.
Flinders Christian Community College will open the Joshua Centre at its Tyabb campus in 2022.
The centre will initially open to students in Years 2-4 and ultimately expand to years Prep to 12.
Each class would have a teacher, a full time educational support worker and access to occupational therapists and psychologists.
There would also be the chance for children attending the Joshua Centre to integrate with mainstream students at Flinders.
Tyabb campus principal Nick Haines said families from as far away as the Yarra Valley had already expressed an interest in the concept.
“We’ve had at least 20 families get in touch already,” he said.
“Some are prepared to look at relocating to the Mornington Peninsula so their child can attend the Joshua Centre.”
He said students attending the centre would need an official diagnosis and entry would not be based on a “first come first served” model.
“It’s important that the centre is the right fit for the child and determining that could involve visiting the child at their current school to observe them.”
The Tyabb campus has a popular agricultural program and Mr Haines said Joshua Centre children would also be able to interact with sheep and chickens.
“Animals can be very calming for autistic kids,” he said.
The centre has been a passion project for Mr Haines, inspired by his own ten year old daughter who was diagnosed as autistic when she was in Prep.
In 2019 the family spent three weeks travelling to Christian schools with autism units in NSW and Queensland.
“Having Ellie with us gave us some real insight into how a purpose built unit at Flinders could help kids on the spectrum thrive, not just survive, in the school environment,” Mr Haines said.
“Ellie’s non verbal, but we asked her how she felt about the different schools we visited and she would write the answers.”
While Ellie – who is in Year 5 at Flinders – will be too old to attend the Joshua Centre when it first opens Mr Haines said offering the chance to other kids “meant the world”.
The project received $20,000 from the federal government’s Local Schools Community Fund in December 2019.
“There’s a lot of special furniture and equipment that we need and that money will help pay for it,” Mr Haines said.
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