Response from ATT submitted on the 02.09.09 (We do not yet know if our response will get be published ).
“I am delighted with the outcome and that justice has prevailed.”
It is with some sympathy that we share Mrs Teresa McCarthy concerns over the lack of support given to teachers of children with autism. These teachers should indeed be fully assisted in what can be the most valuable and honourable job in the whole world that is to educate and support the growth of children with additional needs and especially the very vulnerable children who have autism. These children are coming year after year in increasing numbers at our school doors, and what assistance and support is there?
One should however ask whether the decision made by the Inverness Sheriff Court to award Mrs McCarthy £71,158 really is an act of justice. In which way does this help address the core problems faced by autistic children unable to fit to most currently available provisions? Justice is about providing an educational system in which all children, irrespectively of their disabilities have the opportunity to learn to their fullest potential. And after all, isn't it one of the policies of the Scottish Government, clearly laid out in Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) 2004 and 2009? The education authorities have the remit to identify and address the additional support needs of children and young persons who face a barrier to learning. Too often however, these glossy words have little effect in the reality of the classroom. It was said that the council failed to implement measures to control the boy’s behaviour until after the final, major incident, but the real failures are much wider still.
A child who has autism may present with challenging behaviours, however, these in the majority of cases, result from mismatches between what a child needs and what a system is able to provide. Our primary interest at the Autism Treatment Trust is in the child and why challenging behaviours occur in the first place. The reasons are often quite complex and may be associated with a variety of factors such as confusion, disorientation and/or distress, however we would like to suggest that a potential problem the child may have and one that requires investigation by a paediatric gastro-enterologist would be the presence of pain, particularly bowel pain. We have arranged the comprehensive testing of over 400 autistic children and it has been shown that approximately 60% have bowel problems. The self-injurious and often ungovernable children are most frequently the ones with bowel disorders that have gone unnoticed and untreated.
Additionally, in the area of education, one should stress that the Scottish Government, unlike its English, Welsh and Irish neighbours has systematically refused to implement, or even explore on a pilot basis the potential benefits, of the well-researched educational methods that rely on the rigorous assessment of the child's developmental levels, needs and abilities, and assisting step by step the child's learning with the support, and encouragement of his teachers. Methods that provide an in depth understanding of the child's behaviours. In the incident report for example, it is unlikely that the child's challenging behaviours were triggered by using a certain classroom door and light switches. The child's behaviour responds to a much higher logic than this, a logic which educational and medical systems have to unravel in order to address it effectively.
We must however hope that the potential drawback of being fined such a large amount of money, at the expense of the tax-payer, for each incident encountered will eventually force not only the local education authorities, but most of all the Scottish Government, to become much better partner to the autistic child, playing a major role in truly meeting his needs ad assisting him to reach his fullest potential.
Dr. Lorene Amet, D.Phil
Principal Scientist
Autism Treatment Trust
Edinburgh
"Autism Treatment Trust is dedicated to helping individuals with autism to reach optimal health and learning"
Posts
