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Fluorescent lighting, the school bell, the texture of the carpet—all aggravations found in a classroom that send 7-year-old Maggie, diagnosed with autism at 2, and a growing number of kids like her into hair-pulling, biting and screaming tantrums.
To Suzanne Lanthier, executive director of Autism Speaks Canada, there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution for children with autism in the classroom. The severity of the autism spectrum disorders differ greatly from case to case, as do the manifestations in a child's communication and social skills. Even though early therapy is a child's best chance for successful development, Lanthier says, few schools are prepared to address such diverse demands, unable to accommodate a family's needs or provide sufficient training for educational assistants, or in her words, "glorified babysitters."
"[In these cases] everyone loses. The child doesn't have support, the classroom loses because of the disruptions, the teacher loses because they already have to deal with a class of 30," she says.
According to Maggie's mother Shaune Botosh, the idea of her daughter in a public school terrifies her. It was a particularly rough day at Maggie's large, noisy preschool that made her bite through the skin of a classmate, and Botosh realized something needed to change.
In 2008, Maggie entered The Gregory School of Exceptional Learning, a special needs school in Ancaster, Ontario that arose from principal Angeline Sarabura's own trouble treating her son's learning disability. Autistic students at The Gregory School receive Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI), enhanced by picture communication, sign language, speech, physical and music therapy, as well as any other service a particular child requires like Seeing Eye dogs. Most importantly, they're taught proper social skills in a safe atmosphere, surrounded by children with similar disorders and educators who understand their meltdowns.
"It's very frustrating to have a disorder like autism. They recognize they're not normal. They think, ‘Everyone else understands, why don't I?'" she says. "These kids can learn, you just have to know how to teach them."
Once told she would never talk, Maggie doesn't even need sign language anymore to communicate. She knows how to calm herself down, her confidence has grown and she even won an award last year for her sense of humour. "Who would have thought? It was always happening in her head, she just couldn't get it out," Shaune says.
Each province has different funding available for autism treatments, and even with the money the Botoshes receive from the Ontario government, they've still had to make sacrifices to afford Maggie's education. But to Botosh, it's worth it.
"It's the best thing I could ever do for her. Tuition is high, no doubt about it. But I urge parents to try it out for six months, and see how much peace it brings to your life - not just for your child but for you too."
By Caroline Maga
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