#Education
Target:
Minister for Education & Skills
Region:
Ireland
Website:
www.abaschoolsforum.com

"Who would force major changes in schools where the kids are making major progress? And who would do this without even seeing the schools first-hand?

OUR GOVERNMENT, that's who!

My name is Alison Lynch and I am mother to Sean, a 9 year old boy with autism. For the past number of years Sean has received an ABA education, which has made a huge positive difference to the quality of his life and to mine. ABA stands for Applied Behavioural Analysis, an extensively researched method of education and internationally recognised as the most effective educational intervention for children with autism.

For over a decade now the Irish government has funded 13 'pilot' ABA schools in this country. My hope, and the hope of so many parents and professionals, was that having researched the effectiveness of these schools, the government would see their immense value and would open up others throughout the country.

However with a decision that defies logic, having invested taxpayers’ money in these ABA schools, the Department of Education and Skills is effectively forcing ABA schools out of existence. They are demoting ABA expert staff, diluting ABA principles, and are thereby discounting my son's potential. AND THE DEPARTMENT IS DOING ALL OF THIS WITHOUT SO MUCH AS EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SCHOOLS!

This move will have a seriously negative impact on the educational provision for children with autism in this country. Where other developed nations are embracing ABA schools our government is abandoning them.

[Follow this link for our Facebook Group "Autism Education - Save Our Schools": http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=115848678471888&ref=ts]

I ask you to join with me, with other parents of children with autism, with ALL OPPOSITION PARTIES and with all interested in fair and proper process in calling on the Minister for Education & Skills to take the reasonable and sensible step of evaluating and assessing the ABA schools before taking a decision on whether to effectively close them.

Surely this is not too much to ask when the welfare and education of such vulnerable children is at stake.

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The AUTISM EDUCATION - SAVE OUR SCHOOLS petition to Minister for Education & Skills was written by alison lynch and is in the category Education at GoPetition.