Dene Beltrame is president of Griffith Autism Support Group and mother to 11-year-old Noah, who is on the autism spectrum. She says Ms Hanson’s heart might be in the right place but her proposed solution is wrong. 

“I feel she’s uneducated about what she’s talking about. There are a lot of special need kids who can thrive in a mainstream environment given the right support.”

Noah is an example of a thriving child doing well in a mainstream school. A few weeks ago, he dazzled The Area News readers with a video showing his encyclopedic knowledge of capital cities. He got in front of the camera again showing his trademark wit, announcing his intention to become a “sit-down comedian”.

Noah dismissed Ms Hanson with a joke, but his mum challenged her views.

“I think parents should decided what’s best for their children rather than politicians... the government should instead be focusing on continual help for teachers, aides, peers and the community to become further educated and have access to support from professionals like occupational therapists through mainstream schools.” 

Mrs Beltrame supports the establishment of a specialist school in Yenda for children on the spectrum proposed by Autism Spectrum Australia (ASPECT).

But she sees such schools as a “stepping stone” to a mainstream environments, rather than a means of long-term segregation. 

She said the ASPECT school can give some children on the spectrum the targeted support they need to build up their skills and confidence to integrate more effectively with other children. 

“The mainstream environment is always the number one choice. All classes have children with special needs, and having them in the class teaches all children how to be more accepting.”

Ms Beltrame said parents who would like more information on the proposed ASPECT schools at Yenda can contact her at dbeltrame15@bigpond.com.