If your child has autism, there is no reason to be concerned that he or she cannot attend school. In fact, autism and school go hand in hand as long as you can find the right supports for your child.
There are many schools for children with autism that may be perfect for your child. These schools are specifically designed to meet the needs of children with the disorder. For example, there are plenty of sensory activities, hands-on learning tools, and even assistive technology to aid students who are unable to speak.
Schools for children with special needs are not unique to autistic students. Some of these schools also include programs for children who have learning disabilities, cognitive delays, emotional or behavioral disorders, and other neurological or psychological conditions that make it difficult for them to attend a general education school.
But you don’t have to isolate your child in a school that is fashioned only for children with disabilities. A large number of general education schools also have special education programs that function in several different ways.
One of the most well-known ways to integrate children with disabilities is to break them into self-contained classrooms within a regular school. For example, one classroom may be comprised of students who all have a classification of ED, or emotionally disturbed. Another may have children who deal with more severe learning disabilities that make it difficult for them to keep up in a general education setting. Yet another classroom could be filled with students with a mix of physical disabilities.
Another way of working with special needs students is to fully integrate them into a general education setting, often called inclusion. This is when students are placed within a general classroom, and the teacher is expected to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all the students. There may also be aides or paraprofessionals that push into the classroom to help students with special needs, and also support staff that pull them out for additional instruction.
So, don’t be concerned that autism and school don’t go together. There are plenty of opportunities for your child to receive a high quality education. You just have to know what’s out there. Check out this website for more.