To only individuals and families of people with AUTISM?

Question

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

When I was 8, I was just like your daughter (or a lot anyways), and I would recommend a mainstream school.



First of all, many people of Autism mimic things. I found that I learned more when I could see that my behaviour wasn't really like the other kids, and since I'm a very logical person, I set out to work on it (With pretty good results!)

I know that I wouldn't have dealt with the school switching thing very well unless it was done really slowly, and it was the SAME two school.

One thing I would probably recommend is to have a class in the resource room in the day. This is good for me now, but I had two years - higher functioning and older than your daughter - without a period to just work on stuff, and I became depressed. (I also had family problems, but that was a big stress to me anyways)

I think it would be a good idea, and you could tell your daughter that if she gets overwhems, that she could go to the room until she can calm down. Don't worry if it seems socially awkward, but I think that your daughter's overall happiness is more important. I know one con that I still look back on sadly - I didn't have any friends my age because I was so 'odd' to people. I do think though that if you have a strong enough daugther (In soul I mean), then there is more positive in going mainstream then cons.

Make sure you pick the best school possible, preferably the smallest you can get with a good spec ed program (I had a school with about 70 kids, and a wonderful aide. Sadly the school closed down last year...)

One thing you could is gradually ween her off the Autistic school. Maybe just one day at the school at first, then maybe try two, and judge by her progress?

I've made a lot of growth because I was mainstreamed, and I was much like your daughter when I was 8 and moved to that school, so that is my opinion on hat you should do. Not that you have to, just my very loud opinion :D

Good luck, and I wish your daughter very well

Answer 2

My son is 12 and he attends a special school

Autism is a vast spectrum and every case is different

If your child is doing well at the school i would be inclined to keep her there as a change may unsettle her

Answer 3

I would have liked to hear how she does on a social basis in the smaller class setting and how she handles being in larger groups of people...socially, sensory and distraction wise.  Without knowing, all I can do is give you some general feelings.

Social issues seem to be the largest area of impact for your daughter.  Putting her into a regular class could indeed exspose her to a larger social group and give her a good group to "model" from.  However, it really is a double edged sword.  Many high functioning kids on the spectrum do want to make friends, but being in large groups in terribly overwhelming, especially if there are any ancillary sensory issues (especially noise and need for personal space).  Also, if your daughter has any problems with being easily distracted, a large class may be too much, at least for now.

If your daughter is happy, making progress and is socially secure in her current setting, you may want to consider starting to integrate her on a part time basis.  Yes, this would mean moving her back and forth between two classes, but if you have teachers who understand autism and inclusion, it will be ok.  This would allow her to work with the larger class, begin to form friendships but still give her the support and down time in a less stressful setting while she adjusts.  You can have her join the new class for things like art, music, PE and work in subjects she is confident in.  This will give her opportunities to interact (more than if she joined in for sheerly academic subjects) and let her work in areas she is already secure in.  After doing that, you can then decide if she is ready to move to the new class on a full time basis, or if leaving the schedule split is what is best.  You may also find she is not ready to move into that setting at all yet, and that is fine as well.

However, if your daughter is showing social anxiety in her smaller group, I would give it another year before trying to move her in with a large class.  Even with a dedicated aide, kids who have a tough time in groups of 10 generally have a really hard time in groups the size of a traditional class.  She may simply need more time to become secure in her abilities and to work on learning her social cues and skills.

Answer 4

Since she is so young, she should probably continue with the special school for a bit more. Make sure they are systematically teaching social skills in both places and that things are being coordinated. In my experience, classroom assistants can be both good or lousy, depending on the person. In no case however, would I want an assistant to be the main teacher for my autistic child. This isn't personal, they just usually don't have training in autism issues.

Answer 5

Every child with autism is different so it is difficult to provide a definate answer.  Why are you considering switching your daughter from the "autistic school"?  Just curious.

I would seek the opinion from the Special Education Resource Teacher at each school.  You are already aware of the programming your daughter is receiving at the "autistic school" so make sure the public/mainstream school lays out their programming.  Be aware, that in the mainstream setting the class sizes will be much larger and the individual attention your daughter will receive may decrease.  Although she will be entitled to an Educational Assistant, it does not guarantee that the EA will be available to your daughter the entire day.  On paper, she may be entitled to 100% support but in reality, she may not receive it.

Children with autism have proven they have the ability to attend mainstream classes and be successful.  Teachers are expected to modify the program to meet the specific needs of the students so it is possible for your daughter to be integrated.

You know your daughter best and what her capabilities are.