July 1, 2017, The Australian: Special needs education calls for co-operative effort http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/special-needs-education-calls-for-cooperative-effort/news-story/4c0837dcc8efac3ad711bfe513d76f75 This demoralised principals and teachers, especially those in special schools that have long been underfunded, are not adequately recorded in National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy ¬results, were never properly consulted, and then were compromised by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority when the national curriculum was being designed. ... However, the most pressing issue at the moment is the significant escalation in the number of students with various forms of ¬intellectual disability, probably now of the order of 12 per cent of the total Australian school population and growing exponentially. Autism is the most discussed form of this disability but there are many others. There seems to be little research on the causes of this growth in numbers although medical evidence suggests that foetal and hindered early childhood experience are key.
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.