Quote:
Originally Posted by oneparentinwake
There are no specialized classes or schools for high functioning autistic children at the elementary level in Wake County. Wake County's "continuum" of special education services is severely lacking for HFA students, and particularly if they are able to be on a diploma track but their disability prevents them from being successful in a regular ed classroom.
The only options they will provide at the elementary level is pull-out time to a resource room (which is not what he needs if he is "super smart" as these rooms are over capacity with children who need additional support to stay on track academically). They will offer supports in the regular ed classroom, which generally are suggestions for setting up the classroom, or giving him minimal accommodations such as a postive behavior support plan. You might be able to ask for some limited 1:1 aid time but depending on the school and resources available it's not likely you will get much or that it will be continued beyond the first few months. If he cannot adapt to the regular ed classroom, they may attempt to place him in a self-contained class intended for children with low IQs or with more severe needs, such as an AU1 class or an ID mild/moderate class. Or they may try to place him in a AU1/ED combination class, which also has children with severe emotional disorders and extreme behaviorial issues -- certainly not the kind of peer models needed for a child who struggles to understand social behavior.
I feel sorry for anyone with a HFA child moving to Wake County. Look elsewhere, such as private schools or another county until they fix this problem. It likely won't be fixed until someone takes them to court over this matter.
|
Our children attended school in a district that mainstreamed everyone with resource pull-outs. It rarely worked well for kids with HFA. They fluttered around the edge of things, gradually pulling more and more into their own world.
IMO, mainstreaming works well for language immersion and for students who can interact well but need additional academic support. The idea that students will "pick up" social skills from being thrown in a regular classroom does not appare to work as well for students diagnosed with autism.
Until recently, Wake County used middle-class students as academic resources by bussing students about this way and that, thus avoid having low-performing schools in low-income neighborhoods. The school assignment strategy is in flux at the moment, but appears to be swinging back to this model.
In my experience, the more low-income students in a classroom, the more name-calling, threatening, fighting, etc. goes on. Not always, of course. And not always the students from low-income homes are the instigators. But students growing up in a rougher neighborhood environment bring that to school. This is a nightmare for students who struggle with reading and responding to social cues. They often end up being bullied and taken advantage of.
Moving to Cary would not assure your child will be in a classroom of basically well-behaved students with several students having IEPs.
Not sure if things are any different in Chapel Hill school district, but they have a reputation for more stability and I would encourage you to check it out as it is not that difficult a commute to Raleigh.
I would also urge you to check out private schools focused on meeting the needs of children with autism.
mariposa is in Cary. Just found it on a Google search, but might be worth checking out.
At A Place to Grow
aplacetogrowtherapy.com - Welcome OTs work with children including those with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. I bet they would have some suggestions for dealing with schools as well.
Good luck to you and your son.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
