Page 5991 - Week 18 - Thursday, 12 December 1991
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to poor literacy and numeracy skills, drug and alcohol abuse and teenage pregnancy. I acknowledge that there are extremely limited services outside the education system specifically for adolescents with behavioural disturbance.
I also acknowledge that in times of tight fiscal constraint it is a matter of how best the dollar can be directed, and I think the emphasis needs to be placed on the young children coming through. That is not to say that adolescents should not receive some assistance. They should. A lot has been done in relation to providing accommodation; but it is unfortunate that the youth refuges in particular, which provide crisis accommodation, are not equipped with trained staff to give specialised support. A lot of money is spent on accommodation and staffing. This is not a criticism of the staff at any of the refuges; it is a criticism of the system. They are not properly trained to deal with young people with behavioural disturbance.
The majority of behavioural problems that occur in the classroom and playground are caused by underlying and undiagnosed learning problems. Early intervention is crucial for these children; therefore, the main thrust of available sources in future should be phased into early childhood, preschool and primary school. Special education exists for those with learning difficulties; but children at the other end of the scale, and I am referring to the gifted and talented, need special consideration as well. Identification of gifted and talented children is not always easy. They often act up, get bored, give up and develop behavioural problems. Many teachers can identify gifted and talented children as long as they do not play up.
Currently, there are quite a few schools in the ACT attempting to cater for the needs of the gifted and talented. However, I fear that there are many gifted and talented children who are not being identified. The stigma towards the child who has above average potential in certain areas is a tragedy to our nation. It is essential that any program that is implemented to cater for gifted and talented children should not be considered elitist. These children often become bored with conventional lessons and look for other outlets to release their energies. By creating challenges for these young people, they may well remain attentive and productive.
The concept being considered by the New South Wales Education Department, enabling the early completion of the Higher School Certificate by gifted and talented young people requiring university admission, certainly has merit. We should look at offering similar opportunities here in the ACT. In fact, consideration should be give to early entry into preschool, primary school and high school for those young people who need that extra challenge.
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