Special Needs Children Are Not Adequately Supported

New Research Shows Special Needs Children Are Not Adequately Supported by Schools

A new report released by Mothers’ Helpers, has revealed that the majority of parents who have a child with special needs feel their child is inadequately supported by their school.

Mothers’ Helpers, a charity providing support to mothers with perinatal depression (who are at greater risk of having a child with special needs), surveyed 100 parents across the country whose children have attended a mainstream school within the last five years. The survey, titled School Experiences of Parents Whose Children Have Special Needs, revealed that the majority of parents felt that the support given by their child's school was average at best.

Of the parents surveyed, just 29 per cent felt their child was very supported. Of the remaining 71 per cent, 37 per cent felt support was average and 34 per cent felt their child was not very well supported.

The parents surveyed that did not feel their child was well supported said that as a result, their child with special needs' academic learning had deteriorated, they'd become unhappy and resistant about going to school, and their behaviour had become worse.

The parents identified that if they feel listened to by the principal/teachers, if they feel that their child is genuinely cared about, if they as parents are being supported and if the school is actively working in partnership with parents to find the best solutions for their child, then they begin to feel that adequate support is in place.

Parents also said that it is important that school staff have access to training on special education, that the Resource Teacher Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) and Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) are involved as early as possible and that a relevant Individualised Education Plan (IEP) is put in place and reviewed regularly. 43% of respondents did not have an IEP in place for their child and 41% said that the school did not have good knowledge or training in special education. 34% of respondents said that the RTLB and SENCO did not get involved at all or there was a significant delay in their involvement, and 34% of respondents said their child needed a teacher aide but they were not funded for one.

These findings follow the NZEI Survey released earlier this year that found 90 per cent of SENCOs did not believe that students with special needs had adequate support. Despite a call for a funding boost, no extra funding is expected according to the Ministry of Education's head of sector enablement and support Katrina Casey.

In a recent statement, Education Minister Hekia Parata said that she doesn't believe we are getting the best out of funding allocated to special education and as a result, rather than receiving more funding, the system would receive an "update" to make it simpler and better co-ordinated.

Mothers Helpers' founder and herself a parent of a child with special needs says that feedback from parents has made it very clear that more funding is required: "In particular, parents of children with special needs have made it very clear that in many cases they have needed a teacher aide to support their child but there just hasn't been the funding there for them to receive that. My child would not be in school at all if he wasn't having individual support by the school SENCO and principal because he needs a teacher aide full time but he's not eligible for one, and that's just not sustainable for the school."

"Parents are also saying it's crucial that there is funding allocated towards special education training for teaching staff because from our perspective there is a lack of knowledge in this area and that means our children don't get the educational support they desperately need."

In the meantime, Paterson says that there are some very simple things that schools can do to improve support for children with special needs: "Listen to parents. Show us that you care about the special learning needs of our child. Use our knowledge of our child as a resource and let us work together to find solutions for our special children. And don't forget that as parents, we are under considerable stress. Your support of us helps us to support our children."

ENDS

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