Which is better? Autism Imp. classroom in Regular school or Autism classroom in a special school?

Question

Which is better? Autism Imp. classroom in Regular school or Autism classroom in a special school?

Answer 1

It depends on the student and what is best for them. It is possible to enrol the students in both a regular school in a normal classroom with an aide and a special school.

Answer 2

Even severely autistic children should be fully-included in a regular education classroom with pullout as necessary.  The child should have a one-to-one aide trained in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and Verbal Behavior.  The students education needs to be tailored to the child's unique needs.  Whether the child needs Discrete Trials to learn, Floortime, PECS, whatever, the child's placement should be General Ed with pullout as necessary.  Autistic children emulate other children's behaviors.  If your child does not hand flap, for example, and you put him in an autism classroom where another student hand flaps, chances are your child will begin to hand flap too.  Likewise if you put an autistic child in a regular classroom where the other children raise their hand before speaking, chances are your child will learn this behavior too.

I could give you more specific examples and recommendations if I knew more about your child.  Please feel free to contact me at [e-mail]

Answer 3

I went to a special school during the late nineties and it was absolute h**l.  I was restrained every single day, because my attempts to communicate that I needed the restroom were ignored.  It is extremely difficult to investigate instances of abuse in these types of places, and experiencing abuse will make anybody's mental health problems worse.  I was mainstreamed after a long battle that my mom had to fight with the system.  Mainstreaming gets the child into the open, so to speak, where there is better oversight.  The option to leave a regular classroom when things get too overwhelming is essential.  Aides can be good or bad, and it is hardly relevant whether or not they know ABA in particular.  As fashionable as ABA is, an ability to communicate with the student goes above and beyond anything else an aid can have that will ensure a positive outcome.  No matter what the aid is trained in, if they cannot bridge the communication gap, then the student's education will not be sufficient, and any "improvement" in behavior will be at best superficial, if there is any improvement at all.  What every mother needs to understand first and foremost is that no amount of training will enable a complete stranger to understand your child better than you can.  As confusing as it can be to have an autistic child, unlike any professional you have known this person since birth.  You will have to depend on this knowledge when ensuring that your child has a good classroom aide.

Answer 4

I absolutely agree with Tanya... It would depend on which class of Autism the child has... My son who is also a high funtioning Autistic is in a classroom with most regular children. He is only 3 years old, but I have noticed since he is with other regular children he's talking & singing. He wasn't verbal when he started school 2 months ago. Before he was in a special school for children with problem. Even though he loved his school & his teachers were really good, he was picking up every other kid bad behavior.... Of course!!! the regular school should provide IEP for the autistic child, since he/she will need therapies & extra helps in some subjects...

Answer 5

It depends on the student.

Answer 6

My six year old is autistic (mild, high functioning).  I feel, as do most parents of children like mine, that the best situation is for our children is to be around "typical" peers as much of their day as possible. This is called "inclusion".  This is where they learn to pick up on more typical behaviors themselves and learn what is not appropriate, through the examples set by the other children.  Being around a lot of children with autism behaviors, reinforces  and teaches those behaviors....the goal is not to teach them more undesirable behaviors.  However, depending on the level of autism, sometimes the child may not be able to be in a "typical" classroom with an aide because they are too disruptive.  Hope that helps! Tanya:)