ASD advocacy in the ACT is still alive and strong

Recently, Marymead distributed a message that said:

Autism sector advocacy - Camilla had spoken to Jon Martin from the Australian Autism Alliance, who informed that there there is now little representation on the Alliance of local peak bodies in ACT. He suggested speaking with the ICAN Network or the Autism Self Advocacy Network. It would be difficult to set up a peak body, as NDIS does not pay for sector-wide advocacy, and it is not funded by government. As the Autism Alliance is in its infancy stage, it is unable to support the establishment of an ACT peak body at this stage. Discussions were held about exploring options for an existing NSW peak body to expand its coverage to extend to the ACT.

The implied demise of SOfASD and ASD advocacy in the ACT are premature. The ASD community in the ACT can remain confident in representation from Speaking Out for Autism Spectrum Disorder (SOfASD), their existing well established systemic advocacy representatives. SOfASD continues to be a strong voice for autistic people and people living with ASD in the ACT (BTW there is no "NSW peak body" for ASD advocacy, particularly for systemic advocacy).

Autism cage details emerge as United Nations investigates abuse of children

Emma Macdonald

Disturbing new details of a Canberra school placing a 10-year-old boy with autism in a cage have come to light, as the case spearheads an investigation by the United Nations into potential human rights violations of 55 students with disabilities across Australian schools.

While the boy's parents do not wish to make a public statement and do not want their son's identity or school revealed, Fairfax Media can confirm that the boy was forcibly placed in the cage on a handful of occasions early last year.

Autism Asperger ACT merger with Marymead prompted by NDIS funding limbo

Megan Gorey, Canberra Times

A key support service for more than 2000 people affected by autism and Asperger's syndrome has been saved by a last-minute merger after funding changes sparked by the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme cast doubt over its future.

Autism Asperger ACT services are to be folded into a specialised autism unit run by Canberra-based organisation Marymead under a move hoped to bolster support for children and families.

A commentary on the ACT Government's response to Autism-related Questions on Notice 3-May-2016

The following shows the questions that were asked, the Government's attempt to answer, and some comments on the response given by the ACT Government.

Q1. How many public schools in the ACT currently have enclosures that can be used to prevent autistic students from wandering or absconding.

A1. ACT public schools use a variety of enclosed spaces to ensure the safety of all students. These include school perimeter fences, enclosed playgrounds, and enclosed courtyard spaces. Learning Support Units have different forms of play spaces and enclosed spaces and not all units have an enclosed space attached to the classroom. A list of units in schools is located at Attachment A.

The Government's response does not answer the question. A question that says “how many” expects/requires a numeric answer. Hopefully, most primary school students in the ACT understand how to answer such a question.

Cage inquiry reforms overwhelm Education Directorate

Emma Macdonald

The roll-out of reforms to schools prompted by the autism cage scandal has hit bureaucratic snags within the ACT Education Directorate – including timelines not being met, meetings not being attended, expertise not being available and information being double-handled.

ACT Education Minister Shane Rattenbury will publicly release the Schools for All oversight report on Friday, saying it was important schools and authorities were accountable for progress towards safe and inclusive learning environments for all children.

Poor availability of Speech Therapists in the ACT

ABC 666 Canberra had a short discussion (around 7.20am, 19/5/2016 = 1:39:20 into the ABC's online catchup at this link: https://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/peEDnx500Q) with Ms Anne Rowe about the difficulty accessing speech therapists in the ACT.

No clear reason was given for the difficulty reported in accessing speech therapist in the ACT.

SOfASD observes the following factors:

New withdrawal-space guidelines for schools aimed at preventing another cage scandal

ACT schools must now follow strict new guidelines on placing students in withdrawal spaces, as part of the government's response to the autism cage scandal.

The guidelines stipulate that withdrawal spaces should not be locked and students must not be prevented from leaving.

Human Rights Watch condemns boy in cage affair in national report

A leading international human rights group has highlighted the decision to place a 10-year-old autistic student in a metal cage as a violation of disability rights in Australia.

Human Rights Watch, one of the world's most respected campaign organisations, detailed the incident in its latest annual report on abuses and concerns in Australia.

Fwd: autism prevalence again

Dear Mr Barr MLA,

below is another letter expressing serious concern about the ACT Government's planning of services for autistic people in the ACT. Surely, autistic people in the ACT deserve better than this.

Our original letter on this matter is available online at: http://sofasd.org.au/d7/node/142

I attached a copy of the Minister's response.

yours sincerely,

assessment of the Expert Panel's report (2015) and the ACT Government's response

Bob Buckley, SOfASD Chair

Following is SOfASD's view of the Schools for all Children and Young People: Report of the Expert Panel on Students with Complex Needs and Challenging Behaviour (The Report) and the ACT Government's response (available at http://www.det.act.gov.au/school_education/complex-needs).

The Report's Terms of Reference, the Expert Panel's report itself and the ACT Government's response to The Report all omit any mention of the “cage” affair that was the catalyst for the appointment of the Expert Panel. The Report is unclear about why the ACT Government convened the Expert Panel: key aspects of the recent context relating in challenging behaviour in schools are absent.