Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder found out the staff at Cooinda Primary School's specialised program were not trained to handle their children's needs.
An internal review of the program by the education department found staff needed to be trained.
A parent who spoke out about the experience say they are not satisfied by the school's response.
abc.net.au/news/special-learning-program-cooinda-primary-school-staff-untrained/104165802 Share Share articleParents of students at a primary school in country Western Australia say they were shocked to find specialist staff were not trained to support their neurodiverse children.
An internal review by the education department investigated the specialised learning program (SLP) at Cooinda Primary School in Bunbury, two hours south of Perth, after a group of parents raised concerns.
SLPs cater for the specific needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through support from trained teachers and other education support workers in mainstream schools.
Cooinda parent Nathalie Johansson joined the group of parents raising the alarm after her 10-year-old daughter reported repeated incidents that were not flagged by the school.
Ms Johansson said her daughter, who lives with ASD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and sensory issues had consistently been left without the support she required and was unsupported by an SLP staff member while participating in mainstream classroom learning.
She said repeated attempts to communicate with program staff went unanswered.
"She was left to fend for herself," Ms Johansson said.
"We were told our children were in good hands and they would send someone with them so they had support, but that wasn't the case.
"I was told that if the program wasn't working that I should go somewhere else — but there is no where else."
Of the 11 primary schools with SLPs in WA, Cooinda Primary is the only one outside the Perth metropolitan area.
Several parents have removed their children from the program and elected to either homeschool them or attempt mainstream schooling elsewhere.
Parents expressed their concerns at a meeting with then South West District education director Sue Cuneo in March this year.
Ms Johansson said they learned of the lack of proper staff training at the meeting.
Following the meeting, Ms Cuneo requested the School of Special Education Needs conduct an independent review of the school's program.
The summary of the internal review seen by the ABC acknowledged the difficulties schools encounter in recruiting and retaining staff.
"These challenges are even more pronounced in schools situated in regional areas of the state, such as Bunbury," it stated.
The review found SLP staff were not trained in alignment with the Department of Education's Autism Blueprint.
It recommended for those relevant staff to receive the training required to meet the needs of the program's students and for the school improve its communication with parents.
Ms Johansson said she was not satisfied with the department's eventual response.
Developmental Disability WA education advocate Maxine Drake supported the parents through the complaint process.
She said it was critical that there was good communication between families and schools.
"It's a big thing for parents to leave their children at the classroom door or at the school gate, because they're trusting that the people who they're leaving their child with will understand them," Ms Drake said.
She said families with neurodiverse children sought out schools with specialised learning programs so their children could feel a sense of belonging.
"At Developmental Disability WA we say mainstream education leads to mainstream life, because kids are with their peers and they're learning social skills and they're making friends," Ms Drake said.
"Though issue with limited choice for parents is a significant one — It means parent have to work far harder with the school that they have."
The Department of Education was contacted for comment.
Posted Thu 1 Aug 2024 at 2:52am Thursday 1 Aug 2024 at 2:52am Thu 1 Aug 2024 at 2:52am , updated Fri 2 Aug 2024 at 5:59am Friday 2 Aug 2024 at 5:59am Fri 2 Aug 2024 at 5:59am
