Education : Why One Size Can Never Fit All

Having three children all with special needs but vastly differing educational requirements, the 'mainstream or special school' debate is one that I have had cause to consider in depth.  Periodically, a politician will try and resolve this puzzle with a wide sweeping and generalised policy.  'Inclusion wherever possible', 'state of the art special schools','special educationally trained teaching staff in all schools'.  The individuals behind these drastic and often opposing ideas, it appears, often draw on their personal experiences and attempt to implement these new changes with single minded commitment.

Experience drawn from my own family circumstances, though, leaves me certain that there can never be a 'one size fits all' educational package for our children.

My eldest child, Rose (who is eleven, has Asperger's Syndrome and is socially and academically able) attends a very modern state high school.  Her first few weeks as a pupil at this school were rife with tears, tantrums, bullying accusations (you name it!).  One term in, and she is thoroughly enjoying the richness of school life.  The school has an excellent special needs resource, quiet rooms where certain pupils can work if the classroom becomes to overwhelming, established bullying procedures and well-trained, caring staff.  With this 'safety net' ready to catch her if and when she falls, Rose has gained in confidence, and her educational future looks bright.

My middle child, Daisy, has severe learning difficulties as a result of a rare genetic syndrome.  At the time of writing she is nine years old, and to date she does not speak and shows no indication of recognising any word other than her own name.  And yet despite this considerable handicap, Daisy continues to enjoy mainstream experience.  She attends an excellent special school for three days each week, where she receives speech therapy, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and close medical supervision.  For the remainder of the week she attends our local village primary school.  Granted, she is not able to follow the curriculum in any meaningful way; but she has learned to be comfortable and relaxed in a busy school environment, and has made age-appropriate friends within her own community.

Daisy is the darling of our village! Teaching staff have often commented on how the children in her mainstream class have benefited from her involvement.  They have learned tolerance and understanding, and show emotional maturity beyond their years.  This is one angle of the inclusion debate that is often overlooked.  The question 'Would the inclusion of this pupil have a negative effect on her peers' was raised, of course.  My husband and I turned the question on its head and asked it right back!  I have grown and matured as a person so much since having my children.  These same benefits of expansion are also available to others with whom they, and other such children, come into contact.

We were brave pioneers in our community.  The primary school had never before been asked to consider a child so severely affected by learning disability.  Many well-thought out letters and tense meetings later, Daisy's dual placement has been a runaway success for all involved.  Would it not then follow that we should insist on the same type of schooling for our youngest child, Lenny, who has classic autism?

Lenny's learning ability is not nearly as severe as Daisy's .  His socialisation, however, is fundamentally affected.  His sensory perception is impaired (or rather, more accurately, is super-normal, a state causing problems without number in a mainstream environment).  Smells, sounds of certain pitches or sounds coming from more than one source, clutter, direct eye-contact, all of these (and many more) issues can reduce my son to 'meltdown phase'.

We did try Lenny in a mainstream nursery for a couple of terms, but it proved to be almost painful for him and highly disruptive for the other pre-schoolers.  He spent the majority of his mornings hiding amid a heap of dressing up clothes with his hands over his ears.

A specialist autism resource with low stimulus classroom design, small learning groups and specially trained staff was the only real option.  Lenny now loves school (despite having to spend over two hours each day travelling).

Three children, one family; three different answers to the education question.  No two children with special needs are the same.  All have needs 'outside the norm' but 'outside' covers a whole lot of space, and there are inumerable directions to take!  I sincerely believe that finding the right schooling environment for children with special educational needs can never be a political question.  The politicians need to step back on this issue, and allow experts, parents (the real experts!) and the children themselves the space to make their own decision in this matter.