Autistic boy’s dismissal hurtful
An Auckland father is ‘‘shocked and humiliated’’ after his autistic son was banned from attending his pre-school – despite doing nothing wrong.
Zeeshan Ahmed said Tiny Town Kindergarten Pakuranga gave him notice last Friday that he would have seven days to remove his son, Arsal, permanently.
The 4-year-old, who cannot speak, had attended the pre-school for about a year without incident, Ahmed said. ‘‘He is very calm and peaceful . . . not aggressive at all.’’ Ahmed said being the parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder could be depressing, and the manner of his son’s dismissal added to his sadness.
‘‘How can they ask my son to leave? Education is his basic right
He was learning good things and his behaviour was changing positively. Zeeshan Ahmed
and he was not doing any damage to any kid or any facility in the kindergarten.
‘‘He was learning good things and his behaviour was changing positively after we got him enrolled last year.’’
Ahmed said the pre-school cited a lack of funding for the one-onone attention the boy required.
But the Ministry of Education said any issues could have been resolved with ‘‘a little discussion’’.
‘‘We’re really disappointed that Tiny Town Kindergarten has taken this step without getting in touch with us first, so that we could help them work through any problems they had,’’ said Steve Stuart, the ministry’s head of sector enablement and support.
The ministry’s special education team had been working with the family, both at the kindergarten and at home, since they arrived in Auckland more than a year ago, he said.
The kindergarten’s centre manager would not discuss the case, saying it was ‘‘inappropriate’’ to talk about the processes that lead to Arsal’s dismissal. She referred questions to the ministry.
Calls to Tiny Town’s managing director were not returned, but the company said on its website that it strives to provide ‘‘the best possible day care Auckland wide for every child’’.
Ahmed said his son had been learning positive behaviours at the pre-school, such as picking up objects and feeding himself.
To lighten the load, Arsal was only attending the centre 30 hours a week, he said.
‘‘I know that it’s hard, so I was just sending him for four or five hours daily.
‘‘Luckily, he is not grown up yet and he cannot understand why he is being kicked out.’’
Stuart said the ministry would be talking with the kindergarten ‘‘about what work we need to do with them to ensure they provide an inclusive service in future’’.
The ministry said Tiny Town’s actions were not illegal, as early childhood education is not compulsory.
However, Tiny Town is required to have a plan to deal with children who may have special education or behavioural needs.