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Better Support Needed For Students With DisabilitiesGippsland MP Peter Hall, The Nationals’ Education Services spokesman, wants the criteria for assistance to students with a disability changed to better reflect the needs of individuals. By Peter Hall - 10th May 2006 - Back to News Mr Hall is concerned that students who need intensive supervision are not in some cases receiving it – and are at risk of harming themselves or others – simply because of the way an Educational Needs Questionnaire is worded.
Mr Hall told Parliament this week that students who score highly in categories relating to 'challenging (excess) behaviour', or a separate category of ‘safety’ should receive full time supervision.
The definition of a child who fits into the ‘challenging (excess) behaviour’ is a student who "is unable to function in almost all school activities without constant supervision to prevent injury to self or others. The student requires an individually tailored fully supported program at all times."
The definition under the category of "safety", the highest level available, says "The student cannot operate in the classroom and the playground unless constant supervision is provided."
Mr Hall told Parliament: "On reading those two categories (in the Educational Needs Questionnaire), one would have thought that if either of those boxes were ticked, it would be automatic that the student would receive the full-time aid and assistance they require.
"That is not the case.
"You can have a student who fits within both of the those categories but is not given full-time aid because, based on the assessment criteria, the student has scored well on some of the other categories, such as mobility, motor skills, vision or hearing, and an assessment is made on the average score across of all of the different categories."
Mr Hall said that, unfortunately, there were examples in East Gippsland schools of students who came within those categories but were not receiving full-time aid.
"For example, a student attempted to self-harm and assaulted others three times per week on average, requiring police and ambulance officers to come to the school and take them away, yet that student still does not qualify for full-time aid. That is absolutely disgraceful."
Mr Hall wants the Minister for Education and Training to amend the educational needs questionnaire so that children who score the maximum in either of the areas of 'challenging (excess) behaviour' and 'safety' be immediately recognised as requiring a minimum of level 5 support funding.
This should occur regardless of the scores in other areas, which become irrelevant once high levels of behaviour and safety are established, Mr Hall added.
Outside Parliament, Mr Hall said: "This is a matter of safety for the individual children involved, as well as their classmates and school staff.
"By the very definitions of the Educational Needs Questionnaire, children in either of these categories need full time care and supervision. They are not getting it, and that must be rectified."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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