Huge problem facing families as 'school can't' rates grow: 'Parents floundering'

As a child growing up in Tasmania, Adelle Sushames was a “quiet achiever” who was painfully shy, often felt anxious and feared getting into trouble at school. She had one or two friends but struggled to speak in front of the class, respond to teachers or approach other peers during breaks.

Now the mum-of-two, who was diagnosed with autism and ADHD in adulthood, is a clinical psychologist working with neurodivergent young people to help support them in the mainstream school system as more children struggle to make it into the classroom.

In extreme cases, this is known as “school can’t” — a chronic fear of attending school due to anxiety and feeling unsafe — and is estimated to account for 43 to 57 per cent of absences among autistic children.

"Once you've got 'school can't', you've got quite a serious situation on your hands,” Sushames told Yahoo News Australia.

She said both her children are neurodivergent but had “gone under the radar” in primary school. While her son is now at high school, her daughter is in a “state of anxious burnout” and currently unable to attend school.

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Numbers of 'school can't' on the rise in Australia

And she is not alone. While there are no official figures, it's estimated that thousands of Aussie families are struggling with "school can't" — with attendance figures for 2023 standing at 88 per cent, down from 92 per cent 10 years ago.

Harper*, 9, was diagnosed with autism two years ago and after a recent interstate move with her family, has found it near impossible to settle into her new school.

Having a severe sensory processing disorder, it's painful for her to wear different items of clothing, which feel uncomfortable on her skin, while her school uniform physically hurts. She finds the campus environment noisy and confusing and has only been attending classes a handful of times.

It is estimated that one-in-100 people in Australia have autism and all schools are legally required to make “reasonable adjustments” to accomodate for children with a disability.

Current school approach seeks to fix 'what's wrong with the child'

However, according to Jackie Hall, founder of the Parental Stress Centre, many Aussie schools still focus on the "medical model" of disability which is “very deficit based”.

“It's looking at what's wrong with the child, what we need to fix and correct in the child, whereas the 'social model' of disability is looking at how the social world — their environment — is actually what's disabling your child or young person,” she told Yahoo News Australia.

She said it's important for teachers to understand what the world often looks like to children with disabilities. Like those with clothing aversions who experience pain from what they are wearing.

“If you walked around with a steel rod down the back of your shirt all day, it's going to be distracting, especially if it's got nails in it. You're going to be like: ‘Oh my god, I'm in so much pain’.

“You're not going to be able to concentrate, you're not going be able to learn or focus."

'Masking' can cause stress, anxiety and exhaustion

Hall said autistic girls in particular, had a tendency to "mask" their symptoms to fit in, causing them high levels of stress and anxiety which can lead to exhaustion, meltdowns or shutdowns.

While there are strategies that can be implemented in classrooms to benefit neurodivergent and neurotypical students, she said many schools are stuck in “old, antiquated ways” which don't resonate with today's children.

“I just think there's a lot of parents, lots of teachers that are just floundering,” Hall told Yahoo News. “They want to do new things, but have no idea what to do.”

Sushames said this often came down to a lack of support for teachers or classroom resources.

“Neurodivergent children can thrive at school if conditions are right for them. It’s about being aware of the sensory differences that might impact the child, such as loud noises they cannot tolerate — the bell at the end of recess or background noise in the classroom," she said.

“They need to feel safe, they need predictability and need to know what to do.”

Schools legally required to support disabled students

An education department spokesperson said the federal government provided recurrent funding for all schools, totalling $29.2 billion in 2024 including $3.7 billion under the Student with Disability scheme.

"All schools are required under the Disability Standards for Education (DSE) 2005 to provide reasonable adjustments for students with disability so they can access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers," they said.

This includes ensuring adequate training for teachers who are required to be able to support the full participation of disabled students while meeting the learning needs of all children, they added.

* Name has been changed

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