Back to school today in Wales after the Easter holidays. Tommy loves going to school and I love him going to school too. It’s a joy to have him home during the holidays, however he really misses the activities and the fun he has at school and we’re just no match for that here. After two weeks he is more than ready to return.

Tommy goes to a specialist autism school in the Vale of Glamorgan (in Wales, UK) which I can’t praise enough. They see Tommy and the others there as children first, their capabilities second and some way down the line they see the autism. That’s not to say they don’t cater for or understand the autism, they do, they just choose to focus on what’s great about each child and to bring out the best in each one. The school is ‘Ashgrove’ in Penarth.

From my viewpoint as a parent this is the education system at its best. Individual attention to understand each child’s learning style, small classrooms and  committed staff all make for a fabulous experience for Tommy and others there. They have realised that Tommy is at his best when outdoors and he has the opportunity to go horse riding each week and will start surfing this week too.

The opposite experience is the sausage machine approach of an education system where children get ‘processed’ through the system and need to fit into the one ‘type’ of learning style that the system caters for. Large classrooms are required to ensure that the ‘cost benefit’ is maximised. I do not have the experience of a child in that setting so I am not in a position to say that any school is still like this these days, however I do believe that in mainstream education at least, there are schools all along the continuum from the ‘sausage machine’ to the ‘individual’ approach that vary in their ability to nurture and educate our children.

I hear it often from other parents that mainstream schools also offer varying degrees of support for children on the autistic spectrum. With large number ratios of children to staff it’s only too common for children with additional needs to be seen as a burden as they take far too much time to deal with in proportion to others. A cynical view perhaps but very real for families I know. Bullying is rife not just for children with autism, but all special needs and differences too. Again, this is very individual to the school and for those that have an unpleasant school experience there are those that have adequate and appropriate support too. Sadly, it’s the former instances that I hear about far too often.

There was a book I read many years ago that really stood out for me about education, learning and different intelligences, called “In their own way”.  I didn’t appreciate what significance that book would have for me many years later however it was a book that really captured my attention back then. It went out of print for a while but a new edition is back in circulation. We all have a different intelligence and will learn most effectively in different environments. A true individualist approach to education that requires us to believe that intelligence is a ‘capacity for learning’ in their own way.

Albert Einstein’s quote resonates with me here: “Everybody is a genius. But if we judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”.

I have no pretence that Tommy will achieve great things in his education in the traditional sense, but this is where I am also grateful. The ‘traditional’ way I am referring to worked for me when I was at school and university. I was the ‘type’ that thrived in the education system of the 70’s and early 80’s by being challenged and pushed to learn, rewarded with ‘significance’ (praise and rewards) and was expected to go into higher education to the point I believed it was non-negotiable. Even then the system only worked this way for some, but failed many others (in both senses).

I am grateful that education is one area in which we have few concerns for Tommy. Whether he will actually achieve anything academically or not I don’t know, but I am sure that if he is capable then he will have the best chance possible where he is.  The point is he is getting an education that is entirely suited to his type of intelligence, learning style and is being given the opportunity to do it in his own way.

 

With love and gratitude

Nadine.