Celebrating Autism Inclusion

April is the month of World Autism Acceptance. It builds on the United Nations' World Autism Awareness Day (April 2), which in 2023 is focusing on the contributions of autistic people to our society in many forms. In schools, we can celebrate the contributions of autistic children to their classroom, friendship groups and the school community more broadly.

When I think back to working with my first ever class in 2002, the messaging, information and support for neurodiverse learners has improved so dramatically. Videos such as those found on the Amaze network's Spectrospective present a series of experiences in school that demonstrate strength, resilience and hope for children with autism, but also highlights some of the many challenges children have faced in schools and society over the years.

In Victoria alone, I have seen so much progress in schools right across the state and how we approach supporting children with autism in the education system. And it should be noted that the government system is responsible for educating the vast majority of our at-risk cohorts, stepping up to ensure every child receives a great education, no matter their challenges.

That we have now reached a point where we can start to say, 'Let's celebrate autism as a strength' is such a vast step forward from the many uninformed, sometimes-harmful approaches and opinions society had in the past.

At RNPS we specialise in having only amazing children, and many of those children are autistic or neurodiverse. The journey through schooling for these children and their families is not always straight forward, there can be extraordinary challenges as everybody in that child's life struggles to support them in the ways that they need. For many families, there can be extreme stress; constant communication with the school; feelings of guilt, frustration, sadness, grief and hope all mixed into an awkward tonic. I can only express my thanks and awe to those families who support their children and advocate for their needs while also understanding the challenges they may experience at times. Of course, we love our children unconditionally, but children can often challenge us and test how true that is.

For this month, as we head into the school holidays and many families head off for a much needed rest and recuperation, I want to celebrate the contributions of our autistic children. I want to acknowledge the amazing knowledge, interests, stories, and skills they bring to our school and our classrooms every day.

I also want to acknowledge the contributions of families (often extended families play an important role) in supporting these children to work through their challenges, to learn to harness their skills and to excel in a life that is perhaps a little different from what their parents had expected.

In a similar vein, I would like to recognise the important role our teachers and, in particular, our Education Support staff play in supporting these children and helping them to build relationships, forge friendships, overcome anxiety, and participate in everything positive that a school community offers. Activities such as camps, excursions, public speaking, presenting at assembly ... nothing is off limits to any of our students and they all do an amazing job of 'giving it a go'.

According to a survey from 2016, 1 in 100 Australians is autistic and 85% of Australians have personal contact with someone who is autistic (link to Amaze). It is essential that as a society we continue to improve how we recognise and celebrate the contributions of autistic people.

If you feel you don't know enough about autism, I urge you to follow some of the links above to learn more. With an unemployment rate of almost 32%, it is clear that we can do a whole lot more to learn about a cohort in our community and provide even more support to allow everyone to be their absolute best. It's what all of us want for our children and what every child deserves.

Canteen