School autism support

Pilot program embraced by Limestone Coast schools

Hannah Waters has a decade long association with working with students and for much of her teaching career it has been working with children with disabilities.

A classroom teacher at Mount Gambier’s McDonald Park School, Hannah (pictured) is one of the 400 Autism Inclusion Teachers (AIT) that were installed in all South Australian schools this year to help build understanding and knowledge to support autistic children and young people.

The State Government has invested $28.8 million to provide access to an Autism Inclusion Teacher (AIT), in every public primary school, including Reception to Year 12 schools, as part of a key election commitment.

Given her background, Hannah was a natural fit for the role at McDonald Park School and she has hit the ground running.

“Throughout my time in education, I have helped educate a range of students with different needs, including children with autism,” she said. “Autism diagnoses have become more common now that we have a greater understanding of autism. Statistically in Australia, 1 – 2 in 100 people are autistic. In 2018 205,200 people were diagnosed with autism, with 83% of diagnoses being people under the age of 25. Knowing these statistics prompted me to apply for the AIT role.

“As an education system, I believe it is crucial we continue developing our practice to best support all children, regardless of their specific needs. My passion is inclusive education and ensuring that all students needs are met through a quality differentiated learning program.”

And Hannah is looking forward to expanding her skills and knowledge base in providing that support as part of the AIT program.

“I am looking forward to be gaining a greater understanding of autism through the training and development provide,” she said.

“What I learn from this I anticipate will be transferable to improve teaching practice for all. I am looking forward to being able to positively impact my colleagues’ teaching practices by providing evidence-based approaches to teaching children with autism.

“I hope to be able to provide teachers with practical solutions to help lighten the load teachers are faced with on a day to day basis. I am also looking forward to having a positive impact on students engagement to school and ultimately learning.”

Of course, it is a role that will also come with its challenges but Hannah is looking forward to tackling that part of the role as well.

“I anticipate that one of the challenges of my role as an Autism Inclusion Teacher will be to balance the holistic needs of individuals, as well as the number of students with autism,” she said.

“Children with autism typically have other co-occurring needs, therefore I will not only be building on my knowledge of autism but also considering other learning barriers such as ADHD, dyslexia, working memory, anxiety, trauma, health needs and more.”

The plan going forward is that Autism Inclusion Teachers will be trained to share contemporary evidence-based approaches with their fellow educators to assist them in supporting and educating autistic children and young people.

“This will enable improved practice relating to autism that builds inclusivity and works for individual school communities,” Hannah said. “This means all children, regardless of having an official diagnosis, will have access to modern evidence-based teaching approaches.”

The government has a clear vision as to what this new AIT roll out will aim to achieve and the program has been designed in consultation with autistic people with lived experience, parents and carers, educators, schools, students, families, experts, and community organisations to ensure it fits the need of the community.

Most of the appointed AITs were already practicing classroom teachers, like Hannah, while others are in key leadership roles at their school. Each AIT will work 1-2 days each fortnight in their new role, providing practical opportunities to apply their learning across the site.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said his government understood the confronting experience of having a child diagnosed with autism.

“We stand with parents as they navigate their child’s path through the school system,” he said. “I am proud to see South Australia leading the way in this space, by harnessing and expanding the dedicated efforts of our passionate and committed teachers.

“This nation-leading initiative will see these teachers build their own skills and in turn each school’s capacity to work with autistic children and young people. This significant initiative is an important step to change lives and better support our students through their education.