State defies experts' advice on Jacob's autism

A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy whose autism is so severe that his doctor warned other children would be at risk of violence if he went to a mainstream school was told he was not eligible to attend an autism school.

Disability advocates say the plight of Jacob Carter - who has not been to school for six months - highlights the failure of Victoria's education system to meet the needs of students with a disability.

Jacob was told last year he could not remain at Marnebek School, which caters for students with intellectual disabilities, as his IQ was too high.

His parents asked for him to be assessed to attend a specialist autism school. But even though health professionals warned Jacob was unsuited to a mainstream school, the Education Department said his language disorder was not severe enough to qualify for funding to attend an autism school.

Jacob's grandmother, Elizabeth Ashman, said a paediatric psychologist had told the family that one week at a mainstream school would ''break'' Jacob.

''To put him in a mainstream school with no support, no nothing, is akin to putting a child in the deep end of of a swimming pool who can't swim and just watching him drown,'' Ms Ashman said.


''Who is going to be the one to explain to other children's parents 'Oops, sorry your child got whacked in the head with a chair'. Jacob does that all the time. He attacks his mother with knives.''

Independent reports by a paediatric psychologist, occupational therapist, GP and speech pathologist, seen by The Age, all testify that Jacob would not cope in the mainstream.

The speech pathologist said Jacob met language criteria for funding, which was at odds with the department's assessment.

''Placing Jacob in a mainstream school would be detrimental to Jacob's mental health,'' his GP, Dr Fakhruzzaman Bhuiyan, said in a letter to the Education Department.

''The other children in a mainstream school would be at risk of violence should Jacob have a meltdown or decide a child is in his personal space, as he has proven to do with his siblings at home. Should Jacob or another child be harmed, your department would have to bear full responsibility, as you have been advised by multiple medical professionals of Jacob's behavioural problems and the risks to both himself and other children if placed in a mainstream school.''

An Education Department spokeswoman said as soon as Jacob returned to school, the department would provide further assessment and assistance to enrol him in the best school to meet his needs. ''Specialist schools have enrolment requirements - including professional assessments - to ensure students are at the right school for them,'' she said.

Children with Disability Australia executive officer Stephanie Gotlib said Jacob's experience was not uncommon and many parents were forced to home school.

''Our education system isn't meeting the needs of students with disability if they can't even go to school,'' she said. ''To me it indicates there is a major crisis.''