From experience which type school is best for a special needs child of 12 yrs old?

Question

From experience can you please give me some honest advice about public, private, charter, home schooling, tutoring or any other schools that have small classrooms or the best special education and care for special education students like my 12 yr old who will be going from 5th grade to junior high next year? I'm so stressed and worried sick about it and need help here. Thank you.

Answer 1

In BC, our public/regular schools are great for special needs kids. My son (age 13) has Autism and was followed from pre-school up to grade 8 now.  In our community, grade 8 - 12 are all in the same high school.

If you have been active with your child's school in past, they will have set up a great 'owners manual' for your child.  You should have at least 2 meetings ahead of time to prepare for the transition to the new school. You will be the key to getting support set up no matter where your child attends.  I had the choice of a half-dozen schools and chose to send my son to the high school in our catchment area as this is where the bulk of his schoolmates were going.  I wanted to have as much familiarity as possible for him.

Again, depending on your child's particular needs, the school should be prepared in advance to have the correct team in place.  

I was also hyperventilating months in advance in anticipation of the high school transition, but he surprised me and is doing well.  He has full time SEA coverage and is buddied up with another guy with the same label.  

My vote would be for the regular school system (that your taxes are already paying for) with your continued input and support.

Answer 2

It really depends on your child and your school district.  One thing with the public vs. private debate is the funding.  Some private schools do not like to put students on an IEP because they do not get the extra funding for children with special needs.  

Talk to your child's current teachers and also go to the schools that you are considering for your child and set up times to talk to the teachers and principals about what to expect if your child were to go there.  Bring your child along to meet the teachers also to get a feel for where your child may fit the best.

Good luck and I hope I helped :-)

Answer 3

Homeschool...

Public schools are corrupt with special education. They do not help the special needs child, compounded with the child getting bullied daily and the school ignores the bullying so they can get more money because of NCLB.

I pulled my 6th grade LD child out of school to do homeschool and she did wonderfully.

Now my 9 yr dd is doing well in homeschool, too.

Answer 4

learning from experience you have to fight for your child if no one else does. as you know most schools get bookoo bucks for every disabled child they have in public schools. my daughter who is special ed gets along great with most peers her age who are considered "normal" because most have been educated about special needs children. one thing you can do as a parent is talk to the teachers, principals and ask to go and speak to the class about your child... things about the unknown are what makes people at their most ignorant, educate them with patience and understanding let them ask questions. ask them how they would feel if someone called them names because they couldnt kick the ball the first time or fail a test- pointing out that your child will learn different and have different needs from them and from coming to understand you will find that children are more accepting than you give them credit for....its the adults who have the trouble being comfortable.  PS although i understand why parents want to homeschool i dont always agree with it. you want to have your child exposed to others the good with the bad... educating the children around your child will be a very good learning experience for everyone involved. it will help with the transition

Answer 5

From recent experience the worst mistake is to send a special needs child to a public school, that can result in bullying, and not learning from  a lack of funding. Many  of the teachers also dont have a passion for teaching

Going from 5th grade to junior high is a big deal especially because there will be older kids. If possible find a near by school that has k-6 that either charter or public and keep you child there. It really isn't demoting your child but will make them feel that they aren't at the bottom at the dog pile at there new school. If you have the time home-schooling [becca] is a great way to teach your child.

best of luck

Answer 6

what's the disability?

Answer 7

I am 24 and go to school. In Michigan special ed kids go to school until 26. I go to regular school until I was 18. I like regular school better. I like my friends and all the things we do. I learn more in regular school - stuff they think I can't learn. In special ed they teach kids to act stupid and people think they are stupid cause they don't know how to act like regular kids. People always think I know more stuff than my friends who go to special ed when they were little. Sometimes they are smarter than me, but they don't act smarter.  They act special ed. People always afraid people tease me. But nobody tease me. They tease kids in special ed but not me. They know me. They like me. I am not stranger. Special ed kids are strangers. It is easy to tease strangers. I no be a stranger. I be a friend. Friends don't tease friends. Special ed is not special. Special ed make you feel bad.

Answer 8

well my cousins r autistic and they r home schooled ... they tried going to a public school but they got teased ... then they went 2 a private school and the facilities weren't very good so they just home schooled ... u sed junior high so i assume ur in america? ... if u liv in australia email me and i can giv u names of some good schools

Answer 9

Things to consider:

What is written on his IEP?

Can the school you are considering meet those needs?

Is the school Inclusive when it comes to meeting the needs of its special population?

Visit the school and spend some time (a week or more), going to all the classes he/she would attend.

What kind of environment do you see?

What are your expectations for him? (college, vocational training, lifeskills, group home??)

Often there is free tutoring for low income famililies at local tutoring places.(through NCLB act)  ASK!!

You are the one making decisions about your childs future, don't worry, just take charge.

Answer 10

My son has a normal IQ but lots of learning disabilities. We have had him in a private Christian school since kindergarten - he was in a LD program through 2nd grade, then was in a regular class in 3rd with tutoring outside of class, then continued in 4th grade and up without tutoring (though had accommodations as needed). The private school was tough academically - far harder than the public school - and I worried continually whether the choice I had made was correct because it was so stressful.  I had to be continually tutoring him outside of school. (As in, I retaught him everything that he'd learned in school that day, at home that night. Poor kid had no life. Homework, homework, homework. I had no life either -but I had a son who was learning to learn and that was far more important.) As a result of his (and my) commitment to his education, today he's a senior in college majoring in computer engineering - and doing fine. (By doing fine, I mean that he is making average, sometimes slightly below average, sometimes slightly above average, grades in one of the top ten engineering programs in our country.) The hard work ethic he learned has got him where he is today. School is still not fun for him. He has to study twice as hard as all of his friends - he doesn't process information easily or quickly and can only take a few courses at a time but he IS MAKING IT at the university. Without the academic expectations put in front of him in his elementary and high school years, and without my day to day tutoring and guidance through homework and in preparation for tests, he would not be believing in himself today. He's a great kid with great friends who is making great choices with his life.

My advice: I don't think it matters so much what choice you make about a school - just be your child's advocate. Whatever you choose for your 12 year old...just stay involved. Guide. Help. Challenge. Love. BE THERE. BE INVOLVED. Fight for your child as needed. Hold her accountable. Hold her teachers accountable. It's a long journey...but it is worth it! Hang on!

Answer 11

That really depends on your child, his/her needs, and the school district.  Some schools are excellent at accomodating special needs kids; others do so with a passing glance, and only because they're required to by law.

I would suggest talking with other parents in the district.  There should be a somewhat local advocacy group that would have information on the schools and may be able to hook you up with other families in similar situations.  I would suggest talking with the administration of the jr. high, as well as some of the teachers if you can, but don't take their word as gospel truth.  There are some schools that really are as great as they say, and there are others that are under pressure to keep as many students as they can, and will promise you the sky.

I guess what I'm saying is, overall, go with your gut.  If you tour and research the public school and you are truly impressed, give it a shot - but keep your options open in case it doesn't work.  If you're not impressed, however, look into private schools (though these are usually designed for advanced students, there may be one in your area that accomodates special needs) and homeschooling.

I homeschool my son; he's "twice exceptional", highly gifted and dyslexic.  He's in fifth grade, this is our 4th year homeschooling (3 years of private school before that).  I've got to say I wouldn't have it any other way, and neither would he; he flourishes in homeschooling.  However, that's him.  He loves being able to study according to his interests and learning style, without the distractions or kids telling him he's a freak because he's not just like them; he also likes the fact that if he's stuck on something, we can stop and address that one issue.  He's not bound by a class lesson plan - we can go at his speed, whatever that might be, and work on what *he* needs.

There are pros and cons to each choice; private school wasn't perfect (though he loved it while he was there), and homeschooling isn't perfect (though you couldn't pay him to stop).  The public schools where I live are far below perfect (they're more concerned with football than students and academics, which is evidenced by the 20% dropout rate annually), so we chose to stay away.  

You've got 6 months or so before you need to make your choice; I would really suggest you do your research and then sit down and weigh out the pros and cons.  And in the end, honestly, if one doesn't work, you can stop it at any time and try something else.  If you try the public or private school and it doesn't work, you can pull your child any time during the year - even if there's an IEP in place - and homeschool. (I'd say get ahold of the local homeschool groups for info on what's all involved, and feel free to ask over at the homeschool forum.  There are some trolls there, but we're pretty helpful as a whole :-) )  And if you decide to homeschool, and it really doesn't work for him, you can enroll him at any time.  If school officials tell you differently, they're likely not aware of current homeschool law.

I hope that helps?  Good luck!