Should autistic children be educated in the main stream classes?

Senator Pauline Hanson an outspoken Australian federal senator thinks not.  Her argument is that these children take up too much of the teachers' time detracting from the education for the bulk of the class members.

I am not a Pauline Hanson fan however we need to note that she clearly wanted the best for these children but with them having special school placement.  Of course she received widespread criticism and rightly so as these children do very well in main stream classrooms provided the teacher has the support of a teacher aide to assist with their special needs.

Obtaining the aide time is not always easy.  As an ex school principal I could not allow one student to disrupt the whole class on a regular basis and create huge tensions for the teacher.  I would move heaven and earth to ensure aide time so that the autistic child could stay in the main stream.

Just this week I had a grandmother of an aspergers lad comment on Ms Hanson's comments and agree with her.  The grandmother indicated that her grandson used to call out very disruptively in class and that the only way he could be kept in the main stream was to have an aide.  Fortunately his parents had the funds to pay for an aide.  The lad in question is now a young man who has university qualifications and has lectured at university level.  He is a very well rounded and adjusted citizen who has done extremely well.

Perhaps Pauline Hanson would be better placed not to comment on matters outside her realm of expertise.  It is not the first time she has done this.  However my anecdote about a real situation allows us to see Ms Hanson's comments in a realistic context.

May the Force of reason be with us!


GD