Do Schools understand or even want too!

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Sometimes I feel the schools really have so much to deal with, and due to lack of funds etc.. really have no time for the more intelligent children, well the ones who seem to be doing ok.

But as a parent that can be so frustrating, knowing with the right help and support your child could do better. I guess the schools just have to meet a certain level and there are so many special needs now, do not think the schools have enough resources to cope.

Unfortunately this means its all comes down to the parents, and if your lucky enough to be able to afford treatment like at the new Dore Centre just $5.000.00 a time! otherwise all down to the parents, who often feel like bad parents and the lack of understanding and support can put real pressure on these families...

Acting Principals point of view:
I am a Primary School Principal (acting) but also have a son who was diagnosed last year with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (high functioning/Aspergers). We received an e- mail from you today about your website and am now (obviously) looking it up. I feel there is NO support for my son in the education system. As he is \'high functioning\', GSE Special Needs do not get involved - he is beyond level 1 on the NZ cm...

My Comment:
Its really good to hear from a Principals point of view, I really feel at times that the Ministry of Education have no idea how hard it can be, well here in NZ anyway - seem years behind everyone else!

You can never be to intelligent to be effected, in fact sometimes its harder because you know how different you are and its hard growing up and just not quite fitting in.

Have also added this insight from a teacher below as feel a good example of what happens in the system:
I am mum to a 17year old son who I believe has Aspergers Syndrome. I am also a teacher of pupils with varying needs, including Autism and ASD. As a teacher I have seen how some parents have had to fight to get the right provision for their child. As a parent I say I 'believe' my son has Aspergers Syndrome because the first time he was seen by the psychiatrist (aged 6) I was told his behaviour was because of 'family circumstances' (difficult divorce). The second time, when my son was having great difficulties with eating and attending school (aged 15),again he was not given a formal diagnosis. I was simply told he had 'very rigid thinking' and was unlikely to achieve his education via the conventional route'. I am thankful that I was able to understand my son's difficulties and knew my way around the education system. Even so,his GCSE years were very difficult to negotiate. I was constantly having to see teachers to explain and extract work for him. Thankfully, he still managed to do very well in his GCSE's and has gone to college. I believe his non-diagnosis was driven by political and financial considerations.My heart goes out to all the parents grappling with our current education system.

Would love your thoughts on this, as going to attend a conference where hopefully all views will count... and just maybe can help change a few views

public schools are terrible. They probably always will be for kids who are not "average."

Yep, New Zealand is way behind! Everyone says this and I agree. But why?

retropolismetropolis"Yep, New Zealand is way behind! Everyone says this and I agree. But why?"

I Think its more so in South Island where I am, I love the South Island also and live in a wonderful place, great for my children. But I also at times find that some of the people can be hard work.

Sometimes feel some people here are rather naive its like they have not really lived in the real world, I guess you could say I can find some of them false, but maybe its because NZ is such a small place and they feel have to act and be a certain way to please others.. because pushing boundaries as I have found, just makes you the outsider here and people back off.

I really like real people, maybe thats because I come from London. Hate the playing games bit, what I say is what I mean... maybe its because they are happy the way they are and with understanding, often comes change.

But overall the NT brains operates one way, Aspie brains operates another, so wires get crossed!

It really does depend entirley on what school it is ... nothing to do with where it is!

There are three small towns where i live all with a population around 15,000 each. Each of the 3 towns have a number of primary schools then each one has a large Secondary School (about 1200 students each.)

Ive been to all 3 of the Secondary Schools throughout my time in education and found the first one i went to didnt even know what "Autism" was! ... my form tutor was convinced he could cure autism and he worked closley with the SENCo to try and do that even when the LEA told them it was not possible (there was also someone else with Autism in my form). My mum even took them a number of books on Autism for the Staff at the school to read but none of them were interested! - nor were they interested in doing a swap for one or two weeks with a LSA from a special Autistic School in a nearby town (shows how much the school cared really.) The school eventually wanted me perminently excluded so i left before then and was educated at home.

I then started to go to my nearest Secondary School 3 afternoons a week where i worked with the SENCo and a number of other students on the Autistic Spectrum - it was amazing how much difference the staff at this school were compare to the staff at the previous school.

Then this September i began Sixth Form at the furthest of the 3 schools away from me. I travel by bus daily to / from the school with a number of other students who go there and live in the same town as me. This school has a specialist unit for students on the Autistic Spectrum and the teachers here all understand what Autism is and how to deal with different matters. This is the complete oppisite to the First school I went to ... why cant every school have a trained member of staff to work with students with ASD's.

Schools seem to be able to cover all other areas what people dont really need - specialist Drama, Arts, RE staff but no specailist staff in Autism! Seems strange they can afford to pay for translators for students from other countries aswell to study in school however most of them cannot even have the common decency to understand Autism.

I'm a nineteen year old college student in the United States. I found schools to be utterly worthless in regards to helping with my 'differences.'

They simply didn't understand AS. I'm very high functional and I can attend classes easily, but I would be penalized for stupid things...such as not looking at a teacher as he or she spoke, not working well in groups, being "rude," and doing things in an unorthodox manner. I remember vividly a test in secondary school in which I developed a shorter, easier version of a formula to use for the math course I was taking. The teacher failed me on this test not because I had the wrong answers or my formula wasn't sound...but because I didn't do it the "right" way.

I'm now watching my younger brother struggle through secondary school with the same problems and it's extremely frustrating.

I have also been told that I have a "disability" in college and need help. NTs really don't get it. Group projects...don't give them to me. I'd be glad to do all the work a group would have to do on my own. It's difficult for me to communicate an idea to a group without being given odd looks or being blatantly ignored.

*shrug*

In short...schools simply don't know how to "deal" with out "disabilities."

When I was at school, I was not diagnosed as having AS. There for, they technically did not "neglet my different needs".

I know that the high school I attended for a breif period of time had a unit for people with special needs and there were some autistic individuals in there.
I live in NZ, but am not sure about the rest of the schools and if they facilitate for people on the autistic spectrum.