Successes in Education For Children Diagnosed as being on the Autistic Spectrum

Many children with Asperger Syndrome face extreme difficulties at school, often from bullying by other students or from a lack of empathy and understanding by teaching staff. Jeanette Purkis has Asperger Syndrome. As a child, Jeanette was brilliant academically but had enormous difficulties at school. Jeanette was bullied throughout her school life and had few friends. In this lecture, Jeanette will relate hr personal experiences of primary and secondary education, drawing out lessons of what schools and teachers did that worked and what didn’t work. Jeanette will also discuss methods and types of schooling and compare what may be the most effective educational interventions for students with Asperger Syndrome. Jeanette will talk about post-secondary and university education, highlighting the strategies people on the autism spectrum and their parents or carers can best use to make university and post-secondary education work best for them. The lecture will also address the value of education in preparing people with Asperger’s Syndrome to enter the workforce and what strategies may be effective in improving employment prospects for people on the autism spectrum.

Jeanette will be available to answer questions from the audience after the lecture.

Jeanette is the author of an autobiography, Finding a Different Kind of Normal, Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Jeanette has owned a small business and has a Masters degree in Fine Arts. Jeanette now works as a civil servant for the Australian Federal Government.