TreeHouse report reveals inconsistencies in educational provision for children with autism

TreeHouse, the national charity for autism education, has published a report highlighting the inconsistency that exists in including children with autism in the educational system.

The report, entitled Improving Inclusion: Getting inclusive education right for children with autism also revealed that schools are often too target focused; do not appropriately manage children's behaviour and do little to prevent bullying.

One parent, who contributed towards the report, said: It depends on the attitude of the head, which filters down to the staff. One bad teacher can break you. There isn't enough education for teachers.

Overall, the parents' responses that fed into the report confirmed that the success of inclusive education is not dependent on location. However, it is clear that there is still a long way to go in ensuring that all children with autism can benefit from an adequate range of inclusive practices.

Sasha Daly, Policy & Parliamentary Manager at TreeHouse, said: Parents see the benefits that inclusion brings and positive experiences have increased parents' confidence in the education system to meet the needs of their child. On the other hand, TreeHouse is aware that many parents continue to struggle when trying to access appropriate inclusive education for their child.

In order to continue to improve inclusion in education, TreeHouse calls on local and national decision makers to support the development of a general education system that is inclusive of all children. Training for teachers also needs to be improved and school inspectors need to have appropriate training to enable them to effectively inspect schools for this provision.

The report contains responses from parents from all over England and will support TreeHouse's fringe events at this year's Political Party Conferences on 8, 14, 23, 30 September. The report can be found at www.treehouse.org.uk