Parent adivce for Canberra Australia school system / CGS

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Butterflyrose
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14 Nov 2012, 7:18 am

This is a long shot but I thought I would put this out in the hope that someone might be able to comment. We might need to move interstate from Melbourne to Canberra.

My 7yo son has AS and right now we are in a private school in Melbourne that is supportive of his needs. Although we pay for an aide to assist him at school, the school is also willing to provide further support and assistance as much as they can do to cater for his differences.

We might need to move interstate to Canberra but I really don't want to unless I know more about the school and how adaptive they are for ASD kids. The actual school we are looking at attending is Canberra Grammar School (CGS). If we had to live in Canberra idk if this is the best school for ASD kids but I want to know if anyone knows first hand how supportive they are with ASD kids or if not what other school options we might have available.

Really, I don't want to move my son but we may have little choice and would like to understand the school/state differences with anyone that has had previous experience in the system.



one-A-N
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15 Nov 2012, 4:15 am

They certainly are aware of ASD. I know someone who used to work there, and they had been acquainted with ASD for some 15 years because of working at the school. They haven't worked there for some years now, so I have no idea how the school goes at handling Aspie students at present.

There is http://www.autismaspergeract.com.au/ which operates in the ACT. They may have contacts or members who can speak about Canberra Grammar and other schools.

A lot, of course, will depend on the individual needs of your son. And a number of parents of neurotypical students find that one school works well for one child, but is a major problem for another of their children. A lot depends on the cohort of fellow students - year by year this can change. You might find a lot of supportive students in one year, and a bully in the next year.

I cannot help you with the ACT school system in general as I live in Sydney.



Butterflyrose
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16 Nov 2012, 4:30 am

Thanks for that information. Really appreciate your help.

We still have to go through the interviewing process but was surprised when we told them that our son has AS they didn't know of any other child there with ASD and wasn't too sure how they could support his needs. Thought it strange given it's a boys school, even our current school has about 5 kids like ours (which is also a boys school).

Well looks like the interviewing process is going to be more for us asking how supportive they are rather than getting the spot.

It's hard when we have already found the right school to move him. Yes, I know exactly what you mean how it depends a lot on their peers but most of all I have found it's the principal of the school and how supportive they are at making things happen.