Giant Steps at Deloraine caters exclusively to children with autism

Giant Steps is the only school in Tasmania that caters exclusively to children on the autism spectrum.

Principal Tim Chugg said with only 43 students, the school has the ability to meet each individual child's needs. Mr Chugg said many students had struggled in the mainstream school environment, and Giant Steps provided the support needed to engage with their education.

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The Tasmanian Department of Education estimated there are more than 1000 students with autism in Tasmanian government schools.

In 2018, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 92.3 per cent of young people on the autism spectrum attending school had some form of educational restriction.

Of the 106,600 young people with autism surveyed, 77.7 per cent reported experiencing difficulty at their place of learning.

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Of those experiencing difficulties, 59.8 per cent had trouble fitting in socially, 55.3 per cent experienced learning difficulties and 51.5 per cent reported having difficulties with communication.

Giant Steps parent Sarah Shepherd said her son, Blake, was dual-enrolled at the school and currently attended a state school in addition to Giant Steps.

Ms Shepherd said Giant Steps had been "life changing" for Blake, and that they make the commute to Deloraine from Railton so he could attend the school.

"It has helped him so much, they help him find ways for his brain to connect with things," she said.

"At Giant Steps, they find ways to teach him things in his way of learning.

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"He says he's around 'kids just like him' and he feels comfortable around them."

Michael Lowe said mainstream school had not worked for his son, Josh, and Giant Steps had been a positive change after he started out at mainstream school.

"It's much more suited to his needs and he's made improvements in various areas of his life," Mr Lowe said.

"It's been a really good experience for us, and more importantly for him."

Disability education advocate Kristen Desmond echoed the sentiments that Giant Steps did great work.

However, she said there needed to be more education and funding so that government schools could provide a similar educational experience and help more Tasmanian children with autism.

"Giant Steps has seen some amazing success for families," she said.

"But why can't we cater for these kids at their own schools?

"What I would like to see, is the right support and the right resources in every school."

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