Controversial Australian politician Pauline Hanson wants autistic children removed from mainstream classrooms.
The One Nation Leader argues that teachers spend too much time helping autistic children to the detriment of other children in the classroom.
“These kids have a right to an education by all means, but if there are a number of them these children should actually go into a special classroom, looked after and given that special attention,” she said in the Australian Senate on Wednesday.
“Most of the time the teacher spends so much time on them they forget about the child who wants to go ahead in leaps and bounds in their education, but are held back by those.
“It’s no good saying we have to allow these kids to feel good about themselves and we don’t want to upset them and make them feel hurt.”
Hanson said parents and teachers had raised the issue of having autistic children, as well as children with disabilities, in the mainstream classroom with her.
“We have to be realistic at times and consider the impact that is having on other children in the classroom.
“We need to get rid of those people because you want everyone to feel good about themselves.”
Her words have been meet with negative reactions on social media.
In New Zealand, the Ministry of Education defines Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as the ” affects the way the brain receives, processes and responds to information. It can have an impact on: readiness to learn, communication, social interaction, thinking, and sensory regulation”.
In an online resource for educators, the Ministry outlines how, in New Zealand classrooms, while students with ASD may have some differences in the way they learn, “as a teacher, you will find you don’t need a separate curriculum”.
“Instead plan for all learners, taking account of the range of learning needs within your class… consider how all the students in your class would benefit from and respond positively to these same strategies.”