Schooling
What type of help is available for children in school?
What type of help is available for children in school?
Manitoba schools have a mandate that they will provide appropriate education for all children. Inclusion within the regular classroom at their neighbourhood school with their peers, with appropriate supports, allows children to feel like part of the group, are accepted, valued and safe. In many cases, children with AS may attend school with little or no individualized supports and receive and appropriate, inclusive education. However, students with AS often need some kind of support to be able to learn, and interact appropriately with their peers. There different ways of delivering support to children with disabilities within Manitoba’s public school system. In some cases, support can be in terms of delivering the curriculum in different ways (using overhead or powerpoints, providing oral testing etc). This is called differentiated instruction and may not require any formal individualized plan to be made for your child. If your child still experiences difficulty accessing the curriculum, there may be a need for further adaptation of curricular delivery and goals. The Association for Community Living has developed a handbook for parents that is useful in advocating for inclusive education for your child called “Parent Guide to Inclusive Education”
Adaptation can change the way that your child reaches their curricular goals, but they are still expected to reach the same goals as their peers. Adaptations can include things like using a keyboard to produce written work if your child has difficulty printing or writing, getting books on tape or CD if your child has difficulty reading etc. Sometimes, even with differentiation and adaptation, your child may experience significant difficulties with the curriculum, In these cases, and upon consultation with you and a team of professionals who are knowledgeable about your child and the education system, a decision may be made to modify the curriculum in a given subject area.
A modification to the curriculum changes the number of goals that your child is expected to meet to fulfill the requirements of their programming. They may do some of the same work as their peers but are not expected to master the same number of skills. Course modification is of particular importance when in high school and considering post-secondary education as your child may not be eligible to attend some post-secondary programming unless they are able to upgrade their course work or wait until they can enter the program as a mature student. In any case where your child’s educational program is being individualized to provide for their appropriate education or in cases where your child has been granted individualized funding to aid in their programming a document known as an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be created to outline their student-specific planning. The creation of the IEP requires your presence on a planning team that will include representation from the school administration, the school resource teacher and others involved with your child’s educational programming.
More information about IEP’s can be found at www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/iep/index.html while information regarding the funding process can be found at www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/funding/index.html
Another good resource from Manitoba Education that can be used to support your child’s educational programming is “Supporting Inclusive Schools: A Handbook for Developing and Implementing Programming for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder”
To learn more about the kinds of supports that may be available to your son or daughter within the Manitoba public school system, contact your school resource teacher or principal. You can also contact your school division student services administrator.
Manitoba Education has an autism specialist who is also available for consultation. You can contact Brent Epp at 945-6885.
Are there any supports for adults with AS who are attending post-secondary education at university or college?
Vocational Rehabilitation can provide some financial assistance in obtaining a degree or certificate at a post-secondary institution as long as there is a plan to gain employment using that training after graduation. Contact your local office to learn more about the supports that they can provide. You can visit Vocational Rehabilitation
The Canada Access Grant can cover part of the cost of his tuition and books. Information regarding this can be found here: Canada Student Loan – Grant
Here is an excellent link to give an introduction to life as a college student with Asperger Syndrome: AspergerDVDSeries
