HELPING children with autism to thrive in the classroom can be a tricky task, but a new specialist school could change all that
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The Sycamore School, set to open its doors from term one next year, is an alternative full-time option for primary students unable to cope with mainstream education.
Up to 70 diagnosed youngsters can be enrolled at the Alexandra Hills school, which is aimed at delivering the national curriculum while developing student's intellectual, social, emotional, behavioural and physical skills.
The facility, located in the TAFE campus grounds, was co-founded by Cindy Corrie and her husband Cameron after they struggled to find a mainstream school which catered to the needs of their austistic son Samuel, 7.
Ms Corrie said many families like hers felt disenfranchised with the education system, with a lack of resources to help autistic children learn and get by.
Unstructured play times, bigger class sizes of up to 30 children and a shift to standardised testing in mainstream schools all had a detrimental impact on autistic students' outcomes, she said.
"We wanted to provide a full-time program that didn't put boundaries up and was something they (the students) had a say in," she said. "We are focused on the strengths of young people and respect their perspectives."
With up to 2.5 per cent of the population on the autism spectrum, Ms Corrie said the Sycamore School would tap into a niche market for families looking for specialist full-time intstruction for diagnosed children.
About 50 have enrolled in the not-for-profit school, with about 20 vacancies left to fill.
While prep to grade six lessons will be delivered, there are no plans yet to extend students' education past primary level.
The Sycamore School experience was about preparing children for their transition into a mainstream high school, Ms Corrie said.
"It might mean starting to bring in timetables earlier, with a focus on organisational skills," she said.
Ms Corrie, who is conscious of the demand for continued support for older students with autism, said ways to support high school students would be investigated.
The school is focused heavily on developing students' life readiness, with social and communications skills integrated into the program.
With a prep-heavy cohort enrolled for term one, tactics to make sure all students feel welcome before their first day were already in place.
Principal Nigal De Maria said invitations for children to "meet their chair" or "meet their the school gate" will soon be sent out following parental consultation, in an effort to ease anxiety and help pupils become familiar with their new school.
"As autism is such a wide spectrum, it is important for us to be able to reach every student," he said. "There will be a range of different strategies to do this."
Smaller class sizes with two educators to every 10 children, in-house support from speech and occupational therapists and help from an on-site social worker to build connections with families, the community and external agencies, were offered, Mr De Maria said.
About 20 experienced staff will soon be appointed, with one employee to every 3.5 children across the school.
"We are a specialist school which provides autism friendly learning," he said. "We will support our young people based on their capacities and strengths.”
Mr De Maria, who brings two decades of experience to the role, worked for the past six years as the head of campus at the Inala Flexible Learning Centre.
Prospective parents and their children can visit the Sycamore School at its open day on Saturday, December 10, 11am to 2pm.
Find the Sycamore School at Block F, Alexandra Hills TAFE, 29 Windemere Road, Alexandra Hills. Follow the road into TAFE and turn left at the round-about to find the blue-corrugated fencing which encloses the school.
For more information, visit thesycamoreschool.qld.edu.au.
