Tara Murray
A Keilor Downs mother has been left feeling defeated as she struggles to find a school that best fits her autistic son.
Linda Justin, who has three sons on the autism spectrum, says she has spent many years trying to find the best opportunities for her children to ensure their needs are met.
She said the closure of special schools when her oldest son was still in school had affected his health, she’s now facing the same situation with her 15-year-old son Luke.
Luke had been attending the Wattle Education Intervention Program in Niddrie until it closed last year.
Ms Justin said the closure of the program left many parents feeling like they had nowhere for their children to go.
“At the end of last year the wattle adolescent program was shut down,” she said.
“It was shut down without notice and we were left asking where else we can go.
“There was no support and no one would tell us why it was shut down.”
Ms Justin said in an email from Education Minister James Merlino, he states that the decision to close the program was based on issues with school registration, substantially higher rental costs associated with the venue and advice from the Disability and Inclusion Branch that better and more evidence-based programs are available.
The email ,seen by Star Weekly, stated that no student would be disadvantaged by the decision to shut the program.
But Ms Justin disagrees. She says both hers and Luke’s mental health has suffered.
She said her older son’s mental health suffered when his school closed a number of years ago and she was starting to see some of those signs in Luke.
“My mental health is at crisis point with what is happening,” she said.
“My biggest fear is how am I going to support him. I can’t go through this again.
“Why do these kids with special needs always have to fight and be put through the ringer?”
Ms Justin said she was offered a place for Luke in the Jacana Autism School, but she felt the school wasn’t suitable for him.
He is now transitioning to a school in South Melbourne which requires an hour and half of travel each way.
“They say there are better opportunities around for the children,” Ms Justin said. “Please explain what the better options are?
“They say they’re building schools in growth areas, in Melton and Wyndham, which is fair enough, but they haven’t been built yet.
“I’m still waiting for a letter to tell me what schools are around. There is a lack of schools for [special needs] adolescents. Why isn’t there a school in the region?”
The department of education was contacted for comment.
