SEA and the child with autism

DR RADICA MAHASE

JOEL is 12 years old. He was diagnosed with autism at four and his parents gave him all the opportunities he needs to develop into an independent young man. For the past eight years they have been shuttling him from one therapist to another. They tried three different schools until they were able to settle in a school which he liked, with teachers who understood him and went out of their way to accommodate him.

After years of consistent work and preparation– sitting with him to go over all the work he did in school, extra tutors when they were needed, devising creative ways to get him to understand topics that he didn’t grasp as easily – after all that, Joel was finally ready to write the SEA exam.

His parents were apprehensive about him writing the exam but his teacher convinced them that Joel was ready and that he should be given a chance to prove himself academically. His overall percentage was only in the 70s but they kept hoping that it will increase to the 80s.

His mom, Arianna noted, “We didn’t want Joel to feel left-out because everyone else in his class was preparing for the exam. Then we started to get really frustrated and even considered stopping him. He was always frustrated and whenever he did a practice test and scored in the 70s he felt like he wasn’t good enough. Everyone else would get in the 90s and Joel would come home and be so depressed. He kept saying that he is not bright and his friends think he is stupid.”

Even if it is not meant to be, SEA has become an exam that society uses to determine a child’s intelligence – and somehow intelligence is tied to the child’s worth and where that child will end up in the future. All this, from one exam! So what then is the case of the child with autism who is unable to sit the SEA exam? The high functioning child with autism who is attending primary school but who is not promoted because he or she did not score marks worthy of promotion? Or what about the others, the lower functioning children with autism who might never be at that academic level that is deemed worthy enough to write this exam?

There are children with autism who can sit the SEA exam and excel at it if they are given the proper tools and support they need. Some may struggle with the academic work while others may struggle with writing exams. But certainly this doesn’t mean that they will not do well. What is means is that they need to be taught in a manner that is engaging and at their level. Sadly, our education system, however, does not allow for this as students are taught at more or less the same level (“slower” students are then forced to take extra lessons and parents have to pay for this!), exams are assessed in the same way and academics are given priority.

We need a system that will allow students to get extra, individual attention if needed. That’s why a teacher’s aide is so valuable as well as differential learning. Access to special concessions such as extended exam time is also very important. When we have tools and support in place we are sending a message that we understand that not every child is able to cram and pass an exam, while giving every child an opportunity to excel in his or her level.

Joel’s dad noted, “We were so stressed out with Joel writing the SEA exam and now I wonder why we even bothered to put him through that. But we didn’t want him to feel different or less than his classmates. He got his results and we decided that we will keep him in the private school because the school he passed for don’t have teachers specialising in special education. I won’t advise any parents who have children with autism to put their child through that stress.

“The whole system will just make your child feel worthless. SEA is only for bright children, it’s not for children like Joel. If your child is not getting in the 90s and didn’t pass for a prestige school then everybody acts like your child is a failure. The whole education system needs to change. One exam shouldn’t determine the rest of my child’s life!”

Dr Radica Mahase is founder/director, Support Autism T&T