Moving to Sydney with child with Autism

[shell1911]

My husband has a work opportunity in Sydney, we are exploring the possibility of moving. My husband and I lived there once before pre-children but things have changed massively since then! We have two young children 18 months and 3.5 yr old who has high functioning Autism. He manages well here in a mainstream nursery but does receive some additional support as he finds interacting with others a challenge. I'm trying to figure out how inclusive the schools are there. Has any one. Had any experience or know of any schools that are supportive and inclusive. We are looking around the northern beaches. Any advice or ideas would be great, thanks!

Although we have no first hand information on what you get in the UK.. But we have had huge help with our ds who is turning 6. He has learning disability and mild asd. Faschia funding gives you $12,000 to spend on ot speech etc up until they turn 6 as well as supplies to help.
At school ds has an iep. He goes to a nice small private school.
His other health problems are well managed by the large city hospitals.
It will go against you in immigration having a child with sn. High functioning will be a huge bonus tho! Being main stream will also help.
I presume your son has a formal diagnosis. This I have no doubt would have to be re done here.

FACHSIA is only available for citizens and some New Zealanders who came before 1999. There's very little funding you can access if you are here on a visa.

I can't help with schools sorry. I know friends have struggled to get support in place for their HFA kids in mainstream schools in SW.

I live in Melbourne although I have taught in Sydney in a school in the northern beaches.

One of my best friends sons has high functioning autism. She's a teacher too so although she is ahead of the game in some ways she finds it an uphill struggle and when I compare her experiences in the state system there compared with the support that is available in the uk there is no comparison.

Things like there not being any formal training for TAs. In fact having a TA in a class is not the norm at all.

We are only pr .. We get faschia.

But surely you are not on a visa if you are PR? The OP would be here on a visa? Once the FACHSIA funding runs out, you're pretty much on your own for funding even as a PR or a citizen.

Pr is still a visa. 876 I think. It can be revoked. Different types of pr. Ours was ens. They may be coming on a pr visa. Our funding runs out in April. Now ot speech and physio are being shared. 5 appointments are part covered by enhanced primary care plan, (ot),private health gives us $500. His treating tea may the hospital will do all his developmental screens ( as they did on a 457) and will include him in the inhouse ot and speech programmes ( free) it does of course depend on personal circumstances. Op's child has high functioning asd. So may only need iep intervention at school! Our ds has cerebral palsy, asd, global developmental delays and a few other bits n bobs!
He was born here while we were on a 457. I have been super impressed with his care and level of provision. I'm far for an expert on how sn works in the uk other than reading on the sn threads and from friend who has two asd kids in the uk. I know we do better than her for help and support!
But we were very very lucky to get through our pr application! It was... Creatively worded! Ultimately all the gov care about is will the child go to mainstream school... Yes he does.. For now

Residential eligibility
Residential eligibility for access to funding is the same as that for Carer Allowance (Child). That is, both the carer and the child being cared for must be:

an Australian resident - this means they are living in Australia on a permanent basis and they are either:
an Australian citizen or
the holder of a permanent resident visa or
the holder of a Special Category Visa: someone who arrived on a NZ passport and who is not affected by the changes to residence requirements, and has lived in Australia for long enough to satisfy qualifying residence periods or the newly arrived resident's waiting period (whichever applies to the payment being claimed).
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