Coronavirus: ‘overlooked’ autistic children sitting ducks for Delta outbreak

The outbreak at a Sydney special needs school was a long time coming, industry advocates say.

Disability advocates acknowledge there may be complications vaccinating children with severe autism.

The Covid-19 outbreak at a Sydney special needs school that sent hundreds of students, staff and relatives into isolation could have been prevented if the federal government had managed its vaccine rollout effectively, disability advocates say.

On August 5, Giant Steps, a special education school in Gladesville, on the lower north shore, closed after a staff member tested positive for Covid-19.

Two days later a student tested positive and on Thursday it was revealed a total of 18 cases had been linked to the school.

“The community was just sitting waiting for this to happen and hoping that it didn’t – but of course it did,” said Autism Awareness Australia chief executive Nicole Rogerson.

A school for children with ­autism in Melbourne’s west has also been closed after a Covid-19 case was linked to its bus service. The Western Autistic School in Laverton has been closed until further notice, with close contacts who travelled on the bus told to get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days.

When the pandemic began, all Australian states and territories agreed special needs education centres were essential workplaces, meaning many stayed open. But many teachers and disability workers remain unvaccinated.

The federal government allocated 508,000 vaccines to aged-care and disability staff and residents under Phase 1A of the rollout.

On August 2, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommended children aged 12 to 15 “with specified medical conditions that increase their risk of severe Covid-19” – including those with severe asthma, diabetes, obesity, cardiac and circulatory congenital anomalies, epilepsy, trisomy 21, those who are immuno compromised and those with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism – be prioritised for a Pfizer vaccine.

Disability advocates acknowledge there may be complications vaccinating children with severe autism. But when it comes to the industry’s teachers and support workers, there is no excuse, Ms Rogerson said, particularly in light of the spread of the contagious Delta variant. “It really is not an exhaustive list of schools, this could have been done by now,” she said. “If something had been set in place that would have meant ­absolute peace of mind for all of those families now worrying.”

When the NSW government organised a mass vaccination drive on Tuesday for year 12 students in order to complete their HSC exams, children with disabilities were again overlooked, Ms Rogerson said.

“People with disability in our community, they’re so used to being an afterthought and, sadly, that was just another moment of, ‘oh, right, OK, you’ve thought about all of those’,” she said.

“And unbelievably, this school is located about 2km away from St Joseph’s in Hunters Hill, who managed to get jabs for … year 12 boys.”

On Friday, more than 60 disability organisations across Australia signed an open letter calling on national cabinet to take immediate action to ensure those with disabilities were protected.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt did not respond to questions from The Weekend Australian about the vaccine rollout for disability workers.

The NSW Teachers Federation, which represents teachers in public schools, released a statement saying it was critical all teachers and staff be prioritised.

“Noting the disturbing growing transmission and infection rates amongst school-age students, the government must develop and implement a vaccination rollout plan for students,” federation president ­Angelo Gavrielatos wrote.