Autism Ontario—Ottawa English Chapter
Report on 2006/2007 Education Survey by the Education Committee
Background
Over many years, the Ottawa English chapter through its office and support groups has
received calls from parents in Ottawa area boards with concerns about their children’s
education. In 2005, a handful of parents in the autism community became concerned
enough to join together to create an education advocacy group. In 2006, this group
became the Education Committee of Autism Ontario—Ottawa English chapter. Its role is
to support the autism SEAC (Special Education Advisory Committee) representatives to
the Boards in advocating for students with autism spectrum disorders. The education
survey was designed to give parents of children with autism spectrum disorders an
opportunity to share their experiences with the education system and to provide a tool for
change.
Methods
The survey was printed in both English and French and made available in both online and
printed form from the fall of 2006 to early February, 2007. It was distributed through the
Autism Ontario—Ottawa English chapter; the Asperger Syndrome Parent Support group;
the online yahoo forum, autismsupportOttawa; the Children at Risk membership; and the
francophone autism community.
Responses:
143 surveys were completed by parents of children with autism spectrum disorders from
junior kindergarten to Grade 12. Forty percent of children of survey respondents have a
diagnosis of autism, 40% of Asperger Syndrome, 17% of pervasive disorder—not
otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and 3% of “other.” Responses were received from
students in Ottawa area boards and day treatment schools (McHugh programs.) Those
with children in private schools or home schooled were only asked why they made their
choice.
Results
We have categorized the results into several key areas:
Supportive Environment
A supportive environment is one where a child is included and feels welcome, relaxed
and safe. The vast majority of respondents (83%) replied that teaching staff treat their
child in a warm and accepting manner. Says one parent, “Our son’s school has wonderful
resource people who care very much for all the special needs children in the school.”
However, only two-thirds of parents (66%) believe their children have adequate
supervision during the day; leaving a third who either do not feel that the supervision is
adequate for their child’s safety (17%) or are unsure (17%). Says one parent, “My son is
not supervised at recess and this concerns me. He has no sense of danger, so if another
child tells him to do something he will do it.”
Most parents say their children are fully participating in the school day (79%). Still, 17%
believe their child is being excluded (one parent commented that her child loses two
months a year through a shortened day.) Gym class can be a trouble area for children on
the spectrum because of increased unstructured time, sensory overload, increased
opportunities to be bullied, slow processing speed, and poor mastery of skills. Fifteen
percent of parents believe their child has difficulty participating in physical education
because appropriate accommodations are not made. Says one parent about her son, “He
was taking gym this year but had to drop it because the teacher didn't have the skills
required to integrate him. He can't do Outdoor Ed because of the "fear of something
happening" even though he goes to a "normal" summer camp for 6 weeks with 7 day
canoe trips into the interior.”
While teaching staff is generally supportive, peers are significantly harsher. When
parents were asked if their child experienced bullying in the last 5 years, 43% responded
yes. The incidence of bullying may be much higher as a further 20% were unsure—
presumably because many children on the spectrum are non-verbal or have limited
communication skills, and even those who are highly verbal often have difficulty
communicating this kind of information. When parents were asked whether their children
were currently experiencing a bullying problem 1 out of 5 responded yes. Close to
another third were unsure.
A similar number (1 out of 5) children have required a mental health leave from school in
the past 5 years, suggesting that a considerable number of children on the spectrum
experience school-related stress. Within the Asperger Syndrome population this number
is 40%.
Either a real or perceived inability to provide a supportive environment was the prime
reason 11 parents of children being home schooled or in private school gave for choosing
those options over a publicly-funded system.
Placement Satisfaction
Almost two-thirds of parents are satisfied with their current school placements. Not
surprisingly, those most satisfied with their child’s placement have direct EA or resource
support. The vast majority of parents who are dissatisfied with their child’s placement
want their child either fully or partially integrated into the classroom with direct support
from an EA or resource teacher (44%). 10% feel their child should be in a specialized
class.
In the last five years, an astounding 1 out of 5 parents have switched school boards to
gain better access to services. This movement appears multi-directional, suggesting that
no one Board offers the full range of placements desired by parents of children on the
spectrum.
Academic Needs and Supports
Just over half of parents believe their child is either almost meeting or is meeting their
academic potential (55%) while more than a third of parents (37%) believe their child is
not reaching their academic potential. About one in five parents don’t believe their child
has access to all the necessary learning aids, adapted curriculum, etc. that would allow
their child to achieve their potential. Several parents commented on the lack of adapted
curriculum. Says one parent, “There is no modified or “visual curriculum” for these
children especially if their language ability is way below their cognitive ability. No-one
assumes responsibility for creating this material or sees it as a gross inadequacy if the
school doesn’t have it.” Another parent comments: “While the teachers try their best to
help my boy, they have next to no special materials, aids, or resources in the classroom.
As a result I have to buy a considerable amount of extra support material and I spend a
LOT of time (2-3 hours per school night) doing supplemental teaching.”
Almost half of parents (47%) do not believe their child has enough individual support
from teaching staff and a similar amount (47%) do not believe the teaching staff
understands autism well enough to be effective in teaching their child. Many parents
clearly do not believe teachers and EAs have enough training or resources; nor do they
believe their children have access to effective learning tools and resources.
These sentiments were echoed in the comments section where training of teachers, and
particularly EAs was the most frequent issue raised. Almost a third of the comments (22
of 78) mentioned inadequacy of training of teachers and EAs. Many parents echoed
comments such as this one: “I think the most frustrating thing for us is the lack of
training our son’s teachers have. Even his EA has little experience working with ASD.
They have no training in how to use visuals or help build social skills for my son.” Five
parents noted that Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) techniques should be part of
teacher and EA training.
Three parents specifically noted that support from outside professionals that would be
helpful was prohibited (OCDSB policy.)
Supporting Communication/Social Skills Needs
Communication and social skills are key prerequisites for learning and a core deficit of
children with autism spectrum disorders. Over a third of parents (38%) were dissatisfied
or very dissatisfied with the special education support provided for developing language
communication skills. For those receiving augmentative communications support, almost
twice as many parents were dissatisfied with the type of support received (21%) than
satisfied (11%). Almost half of parents (48%) are dissatisfied with the social skills and
life skills support their child is receiving. Says one parent, “Schools should all have
social skills groups for students in need.”
Behavioural Needs
Children with autism spectrum disorders typically have high levels of anxiety. While
some children internalize their feelings, becoming withdrawn or depressed, others
externalize their feelings, resulting in behaviours that can be disruptive in the classroom.
Satisfaction with support to address behavioural needs was split down the middle with
just slightly more parents responding as satisfied or very satisfied (38%) than those
responding dissatisfied or very dissatisfied (33%). A lesser number (17%) responded that
they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. This polarized response suggests what parents
have been telling us for some time; that experiences vary considerably from school to
school in how behaviours of children with autism are managed. To illustrate: one parent
commented, “They seem very open with me bringing in teaching programs and
suggestions for dealing with problem behaviours.” A very different experience from this
parent, now home schooling: “Life was a revolving door from school to home to
detention room at school.”
About seventeen percent of parents believe their child is being unfairly impacted by the
Safe Schools Act and suspended inappropriately. Said one parent: “These students are
being targeted by bullies and when they respond inappropriately they are the ones who
are punished instead of the bullies.” Despite the fact that a child’s special needs is
supposed to be taken into account when applying the Act, parents’ experiences such as
this one suggest otherwise. “Even though the school understands what my son is going
through, the Safe Schools Act prevents them from looking at the cause of the particular
situation.”
Transitions
School transitions are often difficult for children on the spectrum; whether they be
transitions from preschool to school, from middle to high school, a change to a new
school or the transition to a new school year. Half of parents responded that they were
satisfied or very satisfied with the support their child received to make any major
transitions for the current school year. Just over 20% of parents were dissatisfied or very
dissatisfied. Says one parent about her son’s transition into Grade 9, “The school did not
inform me during the transition meeting or after that certain options were available to my
son, e.g., a resource period he could have used to study instead of being overwhelmed by
homework, even after I mentioned repeatedly he was having homework issues. .. All
options available should be laid out for parents and the pupil … and staff (principal or
whomever) should be sure the parent understands these options so an informed decision
can be made.”
Parental Communication
Most parents (65%) are satisfied or very satisfied with their communication with school
staff about their son or daughter’s progress; however a considerable number (22%) are
dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the communication. Also troubling is that over half
of parents (57% in total) stated they had some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, or were
unsuccessful in resolving their concerns. Says one frustrated parent, “No matter how
hard a parent tries to provide information and be involved, the school staff closes the
door on any suggestions. It is the most frustrating process I have ever encountered.”
Political Climate
While the Safe Schools Act was the only government policy specifically addressed in the
survey, 10% of parents included comments on their frustrations with Ministry and Board
policies in general. Says one parent, “The Board determines a child’s ‘need’ for an EA
not by the measures specified by the psycho-educational assessment (which would be
proper) but by the allowance afforded to the school, as a percentage of the overall
staffing budget.” Several parents echoed this parent’s sentiments: “The staff at my son’s
high school are willing to help and do what they can but are unable to provide the
needed accommodations because of staffing and budget limitations.” Several parents
who had fought and won a legal decision against a school board felt as one parent stated,
“This is the only reason, in my opinion that the [board] is accommodating my child’s
needs.”
Conclusions
Generally, most parents believe their children’s teachers and EAs are doing their best to
provide a supportive learning experience. However, this falls far short of parent
expectations who in many cases feel their children are not being educated to their
potential. As one parent put it, “The staff that work with my child are concerned with his
well-being and want him to succeed, but they have not been well-educated in how to deal
with autism specifically.” Parents place the blame on lack of resources and training
opportunities, and to a lesser extent Board policies that limit funding or other
opportunities.
Bullying is a major concern and it highlights a need for peer sensitivity training and peer
support programs such as Circle of Friends or formal buddy systems. Concern about the
Safe Schools Act and its effects on exceptional students is also an issue. Many parents
would like to see more emphasis on the behavioural and social needs of the students.
Several parents reflecting on positive experiences commented that it works best when
everyone involved works as a team. As one parent aptly put it, “There also needs to be
more support and communication between the parents, the school, and the school
board.”
If you have any questions about the information in this report or would like to see the
data, contact:
Michelle Dewar: 613-841-3099 or michelle.dewar@rogers.com
Heather Fawcett: 613-823-2794 or hfawcett@sympatico.ca
Please note that the survey results will be divulged in the aggregate only to protect the
privacy of the respondents.