Silver Jubilee of Evidence Based Teaching at MUSEC

The Macquarie University Special Education Centre (MUSEC) is a research based special school for children and has enabled autistic children, those with mild or moderate intellectual disability and reading disability to get quality education for the past twenty five years. The school focuses on literacy and numeracy, art, sport, songs, dance and play for children from Kindergarten to six years of age. Some children will transition to mainstream schools in the later years of primary or before while others may have to go to special needs high schools. “We have an amazing team of teachers, who are so dedicated and so skilled, it is a wonderful environment,” says school principal Dr Sally Howell. “We use a consistent evidence-based approach, with the children also knowing very clearly what is expected of them and following through. Effective instruction comes back to the basics – you have to assess very carefully where the child is at; you make the steps small enough to guarantee that they are going to enjoy success; and you give really explicit instructions.”