Do you have AUTISM in the family?

Question

** This is a repeat question, so as to gather more opinions from those who haven’t responded yet.

Hi there,

I need your kind help and genuine advice concerning a situation.

Our 5 year old daughter was diagnosed with autism two years ago. She attends an autistic school full-time. It's her second year there.

Should she switch into a mainstream public school, she would be clearly entitled to additional funding from the government for her educational needs [owing to autism, of course].

We have the following two options for her to choose from. In both cases, she would be getting the same amount of funding, of course.

My QUESTION is: Which option would be best for her do you think? What are your reasons?

Thanking you in advance for your generous support.

[Continued below...]

Answer 1

I have a son with autism.He is low functioning,so he is not mainstreamed.I feel,if a kid can handle the work,fine,but I think many parents are fooling themselves,putting thier child in a situation,he or she can`t handle.I read a report about one reason,many teachers are leaving,is because of the inclusion of special needs kids into the classroom.They are disruptive,and disrupt the learning of the other kids.The child may feel stupid,if they can`t keep up with the other kids,It can wreck their self esteem.On the other hand,they can learn social skills from the other kids.I have a friend that is mainstreaming her two special needs kids,and neither of them can due much acedemically.One is 13,and couldn`t even due kindergarden work.Thats rediculis to me,but I don`t say anything about it,because it`s not my bussiness.Again,if the kid can do the work,they have a right to be there.

Answer 2

You are the only one to decide this.

If you asked me this question last year, I would say YES to public school...this year however, I give it a big FAT NO.  HFA's tend to fall through the cracks - even if you are at the top of your game and know everything there is to know about autism, treatment/therapy.  The older our kids get, the faster they try to push them through the door of the public school system.

Answer 3

I have a 5 yr. old autistic grandson, he started regular kindergarten this year, with some additional support from the special ed teacher. He is really thriving, he needs to model typical behavior, and being mainstreamed is helping him do that. It also depends how severely affected your child is. I believe the less severe should be with typical kids. Children learn a lot more from other children than they do from us.

Answer 4

Identical to my son who is five and has HFA without secondary disorders (mental retardation . . .) I have my son in school with statistically normal children.  The first three or four months were horrible . . . but somehow he has managed to communicate with other children and even make friends.  He will be attending kindergarten next year without special assistance.  Our therapist said that being exposed to "normal" children excellerated the modeling process.  An additional tip, we've also had great success with teaching our child to play with other children.  About three times a week I would take my son to the playground and actually explain to him how to introduce himself, how to physically say "Hello, I'm David, would you like to play?" and the rules of the game or the social requirements for interaction  . . . it took me about six months for him to get it . . . but he got it and things are good now.  Best of luck.

Answer 5

my youngest daughter Sierra was diagnosed autistic @ 18 months. she is now 4yrs. and non-verbal with some sensory issues(textures and tastes) she is very intelligent but just cant seem to grasp the concept of speech. she understands and listens but seems to prefer not speaking herself. she knows how to get her point across w/out speech. we are currently trying american sign language and i think she will do well with it.

we choose to home school her @ this point because if something were to happen,she couldnt tell us.

to answer the ? social interaction is important and necessary. i feel if your child is high functioning and does well in a social environment, perhaps option 1 is best for her. best of luck in whichever decision you go with.

Answer 6

Since you said you have 2 options, it sounds like you have discussed this with the school district and they have agreed to a part time placement.  If not, you need to check this out before doing anything.    The next thing is that $$$$ does not equal quality.  Most districts are hard pressed to find Reg Ed teachers, let alone those qualified and good at Sp Ed.  That goes double for paras and aides.  If she is getting a good education and high quality services where she is, I would think very hard before changing.  For most families it is a tough fight in the PS.

If you are considering the change purely for socialization purposes consider other options.  If you are active in a church, most have social groups and activities, there are also play groups, classes and activities through your local parks and recreation dept, the Y, Brownies, gymnastics, children's theater  and dance.

Whatever your choice, don't forget that your daughter will need help learning how to make and be a friend.

Answer 7

I have done music therapy with students that have autism for the past year, and while it doesn't make me an expert, I can say that generally the more mainstreamed a student becomes the better.  We had a teacher at my program that did some research on play therapy, and children with autism it seemed actually learned how to socialize by being exposed to that type of play early on.  This is completey up to you as a family on how much you let the other children know what is going on with you daughter, but perhaps if she and the teacher and you found a way to explain it to the rest of the class, they would be very accepting.  I can't say for sure that the offsite students at my internship were bullied, but I can remember one little girl that befriended one of the girls with moderate autism during a music class, and I just thought how great and natural it was for her to do so.  Many more children must be like that.  I wish the best for you and your child, and if she is verbal and high functioning, odds are the sooner she is mainstreamed the more she will thrive.