The School Can't Experience

Professor Linda Graham (Queensland University of Technology), Director of the QUT Centre for Inclusive Education, joins host, Leisa Reichelt to discuss research showing that universally accessible teaching and assessment improves outcomes for neurodivergent students and benefits all learners. 
Professor Graham shares her own experience of being pushed out of school, her pathway to university, and her commitment to changing education for students like herself and her neurodivergent children. 
She advises families to understand rights under the CRPD, the Disability Discrimination Act, and the Disability Standards for Education, emphasizing schools’ obligation to consult students and parents and address barriers rather than offer generic or harmful adjustments. 
Professor Graham describes practical accessible assessment and teaching strategies (clear task design, removing unnecessary visual clutter, defining key terms, using visual supports for instructions) and notes how academic barriers and bullying harm wellbeing and self-concept, contributing to School Can’t.

00:00 Welcome and Episode Preview
01:05 Meet Professor Linda Graham
02:19 Linda’s School Story
04:30 From Parenting to Purpose
07:30 Know Your Rights at School
14:07 Trust Your Child and Yourself
22:24 Why Schools Still Exclude
24:43 Research on Accessible Learning
29:16 What Accessible Assessment Looks Like
34:54 Accessible Teaching Strategies
41:59 Making Change Without Burnout
46:41 Resources and Closing Thoughts

People & resources mentioned in this episode:
Professor Linda Graham on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-linda-j-graham-82458522/
QUT Centre for Inclusive Education - https://research.qut.edu.au/c4ie/
 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, General comment No. 4 on Article 24 - the right to inclusive education https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/general-comment-no-4-article-24-right-inclusive
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Support the show
School Can’t Australia Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolphobiaschoolrefusalaustralia
Make a donation to School Can’t Australia - https://www.schoolcantaustralia.com.au/get-involved
If you are a parent of carer in Australia and experiencing distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact the Parent Help Line. - https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/how-parentline-can-help-you
You can contact us to volunteer to share your School Can't story or some feedback via email on [email protected]
Disclaimer
The content of this podcast is based on personal lived experiences and is shared for informational and storytelling purposes only. It should not be treated as medical, psychological, or professional advice under any circumstances. If you have concerns about your health or well-being, please seek guidance from a doctor, therapist, or other qualified professional.

Host Leisa Reichelt is joined by  18-year-old Althea and her mum, Claire to talk about about Althea’s School Can’t experience through high school in Melbourne. 
After early positive years at school COVID stuck, meaning much of Years 7–8 were done on Zoom, disrupting connection and engagement with school. By Years 9–10 sensory overwhelm was escalating but getting accommodations involved battles, meanwhile academic pressures and worsening mental health led made it harder and harder for Althea to attend school. 
Following ADHD and autism diagnoses, Althea and Claire explored alternatives and ultimately were able to do homeschooling with a part-time (dual) enrolment so Althea could continue VCE Outdoor Ed and stay connected to friends and meaningful roles like library volunteering. Working with educational therapy and towards the Big Picture learning credential, Althea pursued interest-based learning, fundraising, conferences, and career exploration, and has now started TAFE study in Allied Health Assistance. 
This is a hopeful story that shows how by finding the right path rather than just pushing on with mainstream approaches, our young people can overcome extremely difficult experiences and go on to thrive.

People & resources mentioned in this episode:
Althea’s Macquarie Island Conference Presentation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hpMILLuykU
U&I Educational Therapy - https://www.uandi.com.au/educationaltherapy
Mitagundi Outdoor Education Centre - https://www.mittagundi.org.au/
Wollangarra Outdoor Education Centre  - https://wollangarra.org/
Big Picture Australia - https://www.bigpicture.org.au/
Big Picture International Learning Credential - https://www.bigpicture.org.au/what-international-big-picture-learning-credential
Send a text
Support the show
School Can’t Australia Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolphobiaschoolrefusalaustralia
Make a donation to School Can’t Australia - https://www.schoolcantaustralia.com.au/get-involved
If you are a parent of carer in Australia and experiencing distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact the Parent Help Line. - https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/how-parentline-can-help-you
You can contact us to volunteer to share your School Can't story or some feedback via email on [email protected]
Disclaimer
The content of this podcast is based on personal lived experiences and is shared for informational and storytelling purposes only. It should not be treated as medical, psychological, or professional advice under any circumstances. If you have concerns about your health or well-being, please seek guidance from a doctor, therapist, or other qualified professional.

Rachel, a School Can’t mum and occupational therapist, joins host Leisa Reichelt to talk about her family’s experience supporting her child through severe school distress and School Can’t. 
Rachel describes years of intense support, including leaving work for three years and spending hours daily on school grounds, difficulties with school responses, and the impact on the whole family during COVID, before transitioning to home education to reduce stress and improve wellbeing. 
They discuss the value and timing of autism identification for understanding, self-esteem, and support. Rachel explains what occupational therapy is, how OTs help children engage in meaningful activities (self-care, school participation, sensory processing, executive functioning, and mental health), how to set priorities and goals, the OT role in NDIS functional capacity assessments, and how OTs can identify and reduce school-based stressors through environmental analysis and practical classroom accommodations.
00:00 Welcome and guest intro
01:06 Meet Rachel and family
02:02 School refusal begins
05:03 Surviving the hardest years
06:23 School conflict and advocacy
08:46 Choosing home education
12:51 Late autism identification
15:11 Why diagnosis can help
21:03 What occupational therapy is
23:32 Getting the most from OT
26:49 OT support in schools
30:39 Practical stressor mapping
33:36 Resources and final advice
37:58 Closing and support lines

People & resources mentioned in this episode:
OT Australia (Occupational Therapy Australia) - https://www.otaus.com.au
Send a text
Support the show
School Can’t Australia Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolphobiaschoolrefusalaustralia
Make a donation to School Can’t Australia - https://www.schoolcantaustralia.com.au/get-involved
If you are a parent of carer in Australia and experiencing distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact the Parent Help Line. - https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/how-parentline-can-help-you
You can contact us to volunteer to share your School Can't story or some feedback via email on [email protected]
Disclaimer
The content of this podcast is based on personal lived experiences and is shared for informational and storytelling purposes only. It should not be treated as medical, psychological, or professional advice under any circumstances. If you have concerns about your health or well-being, please seek guidance from a doctor, therapist, or other qualified professional.

Leisa Reichelt speaks with autism researcher and clinical psychologist Dawn Adams (OTARC, La Trobe University) about what the latest School Can’t research is showing. 
Dawn shares international insights on how neuro-normative school policy and assessment can drive school distress, and why lived experience and co-designed research matter. She outlines OTARC findings that child anxiety can predict later school non-attendance years in advance, and that an autism-specific, parent-based anxiety prevention program in the preschool years was linked to far fewer school attendance challenges. 
They also discuss fluctuating capacity, autonomy, and student-identified school stressors from the Student Stress Investigation cards—highlighting that many improvements are low-cost and start with schools better understanding when students ‘seem okay’ but aren’t.
00:00 Welcome to the School Can’t Experience Podcast + Meet Dawn Adams (OTARC)
01:08 Dawn’s Journey: Clinical Psychologist to Autism Research Leader
04:05 Why Lived Experience Must Shape Research (and What Data Gets Missed)
06:11 Participatory Research & Co-Design: Catching Up in Autism Research
08:09 Conference Takeaways: Policy, Assessment Inequity & Systemic Drivers
13:26 Fluctuating Capacity: Autonomy, Trust, and the ‘Spoons’ Language
16:58 OTARC’s School Can’t Research: Longitudinal Findings & Anxiety Prevention
21:51 Practical Anxiety Supports: Intolerance of Uncertainty, Language & Modeling
27:49 Choice, Control & Advocacy: Building Safety and a Trusted Adult at School
32:33 Student Stress Investigation Cards: Top Stressors & What Kids Want Changed
39:04 Key Takeaways for Schools: Low-Cost Changes That Reduce Stress
40:47 How to Get Involved + Wrap-Up, Resources, and Support Lines

People & resources mentioned in this episode:
Dawn Adams on Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-adams-207653264
Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) - https://www.latrobe.edu.au/otarc
Send a text
Support the show
School Can’t Australia Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolphobiaschoolrefusalaustralia
Make a donation to School Can’t Australia - https://www.schoolcantaustralia.com.au/get-involved
If you are a parent of carer in Australia and experiencing distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact the Parent Help Line. - https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/how-parentline-can-help-you
You can contact us to volunteer to share your School Can't story or some feedback via email on [email protected]
Disclaimer
The content of this podcast is based on personal lived experiences and is shared for informational and storytelling purposes only. It should not be treated as medical, psychological, or professional advice under any circumstances. If you have concerns about your health or well-being, please seek guidance from a doctor, therapist, or other qualified professional.

Psychologist Emma-Rose Parsons joins host, Leisa Reichelt to discuss how Individual Learning Plans (ILPs/IEPs) can become practical, neurodiversity-affirming tools rather than “tick-the-box” paperwork. 
Emma-Rose explains ILPs should document reasonable adjustments, support equal access to curriculum and school life, and help schools meet obligations under relevant disability and equal opportunity legislation—ideally through true collaboration with parents and, where possible, students.
They identify common red flags and Emma-Rose shares examples of better goals focused on access and regulation. The episode also covers school objections around “fairness” and staff capacity, noting the need for better whole-community understanding of equity and more teacher upskilling. 
They discuss how allied health can help by providing brief, prioritised recommendations with clear rationale, and how implementation often breaks down in high school without clear responsibility for sharing plans across multiple teachers. 

People & resources mentioned in this episode:
Emma Rose’s website: https://emmarosepsychologist.com.au/
Nuturing Sparkles Video Library” https://learn.nurturingsparkles.com.au/
Neurowild octopus iceskates cartoon re: equal vs equality - https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02T5WZVb94KbcK5BzZannYZTNkRAnG39PWVqEVE9HS19PDY9LCJzErzE6KXzExV6Q5l&id=100087870753308
Neurowild on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurowild_
Lived Experience Educator: https://www.livedexperienceeducator.com/
 Onwards and Upwards Psychology: https://www.onwardsandupwardspsychology.com.au/
Yellow Ladybugs: https://www.yellowladybugs.com.au/
Send a text
Support the show
School Can’t Australia Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolphobiaschoolrefusalaustralia
Make a donation to School Can’t Australia - https://www.schoolcantaustralia.com.au/get-involved
If you are a parent of carer in Australia and experiencing distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact the Parent Help Line. - https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/how-parentline-can-help-you
You can contact us to volunteer to share your School Can't story or some feedback via email on [email protected]
Disclaimer
The content of this podcast is based on personal lived experiences and is shared for informational and storytelling purposes only. It should not be treated as medical, psychological, or professional advice under any circumstances. If you have concerns about your health or well-being, please seek guidance from a doctor, therapist, or other qualified professional.