Page 5319 - Week 12 - Thursday, 28 October 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
for students they have concerns about, intake packages specifically for schools have been developed and these packs support schools to know how to refer to Therapy ACT and to seek the necessary advice to support students who have a disability.
Therapy ACT and DET have collaborated on the development of policies such as eating and drinking policies to support students with mealtime issues such as swallowing impairments. Therapy ACT also provides a range of service delivery models and programs which are underpinned by a recognition that the school environment is a key consideration in embedding therapy goals into the students’ everyday environment.
DET and Therapy ACT have a number of collaborative programs which involve close working relationships between therapists and teacher staff to support students with a disability. These include the language intervention unit and support class language.
Therapy ACT also works closely with DET’s specialist schools to support individual teachers of students with a disability. This includes assisting teachers to support individual students and to implement therapy programs in areas such as seating and positioning, communication devices and feeding.
Therapy ACT also visits students in mainstream schools, including special units such as the learning support units for students with autism. These visits are aimed at providing information and support to teachers to help them modify the class program to help the student with a disability access the curriculum. Therapy ACT is also available for advice and support through teachers, through phone consultations and attendance at individual learning plan meetings. In addition to working with teachers, Therapy ACT also works with other education staff who support students with a disability. This includes contributing to the up-skilling and professional learning of learning support assistants and therapy assistants.
At Malkara school this year, Therapy ACT, as part of a pilot project, has provided support through supervision and up-skilling of a therapy assistant. I have been pleased to see the positive impact of this pilot over the last few months. The therapy assistant has been involved in providing individual sessions to students, implementing speech pathology and physiotherapy programs. Additionally, the therapy assistant has assisted to deliver other programs such as equipment-based assistance, toileting, weight-body transfer practice and hydrotherapy aimed at meeting the goals set by parents and therapists, all in the integral learning plan for that particular child. Both DET and Therapy ACT have regarded this trial as having good outcomes and all stakeholders so far have provided positive feedback.
I believe that my department has a very strong track record in supporting teachers who assist students with a disability. The programs that I have just outlined very briefly, along with all the new work that we are doing around the transitions from school, represent a robust, coherent package of support to teachers.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank both the teachers across ACT schools and Therapy ACT staff for the important role they play in the personal and educational development of students with a disability. I commend their work to the Assembly.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video