The Senate Education and Employment References Committee of the Australian Federal Parliament is holding an inquiry into "school refusal" (or school can't), since COVID.
The Autistic Realm Australia Inc (TARA) is preparing a submission to the Inquiry. We would like to collect some information to make sure that
- School Can't is fully understood by the Inquiry and
- the effects on Autistic children and their families are heard
We need to make it clear that School Can't may have been made worse by COVID, but it is a much longer- standing issue for Autistic children and current responses are failing them.
All through this survey we use the words School Can’t instead of school refusal. We know that children want to do well. They aren’t refusing to go to school. There are reasons that they can’t, and that is what this survey is about. Finding out the reasons.
You are welcome to answer as many or as few questions as you feel comfortable to. The very small number of 'Required' questions is needed to help us analyse the data.
All responses are un-named [anonymous], but there are options at the end of the survey
- to confirm whether you would be willing for your responses to be quoted in TARA's submission, and
- to state if you would be willing to be contacted by TARA to help us better understand your response
- to provide data like your age. This will help us understand a bit about you, so we can relate your experience and that of other people who responded to the wider community.
If you have any questions about the survey, or if you need help to complete it, you can send a message to The Autistic Realm Australia Inc at https://www.facebook.com/autisticrealm/
Before you start the survey, please read these descriptions of what School Can't does and does not include.
School Can't is not the same as truancy - sometimes called 'wagging school' or 'bunking off'.
Truancy is when the student pretends to parents/carers/guardians that they attend school, when they do not.
School Can't is when students do not hide their unwillingness to go to school or that they are not attending. Parents/carers/guardians of a child who experiences School Can't know that their child is not at school.
School Can't may appear in different ways. It could look like
a student who does any of the following:- refuses to attend school, or has problems remaining in class for a whole day and/or
- has extended times away from school
- has occasional days away from school
- misses classes
- attends class but does not do the class activities
- is almost always late for school or class
- constantly begs to miss school
- shows illness, pain, or worry about attending school
- experiences an intense stress or anxiety just at the idea of going to school
- has parents/ carers/ guardians who know they are away from school because of school refusal
- does not try to hide missing school from their parents/ carers/ guardians
So, School Can't is about much more than attendance. And this list is not complete. You may have your own examples.
School Can't is most often related to mental health concerns, especially worry or anxiety. Other causes include lack of support for sensory needs, unmet needs for adapted learning goals and content, lack of suitable support in the classroom, and lack of positive relationships with other members of the school community.
The views and opinions expressed above are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Beyond Blue.
