Can Asperger children cope in mainstream school?

Phew...what to say, some of us went through our whole school life with no one knowing we were Aspies at all.

My mother cried when I got my diagnosis at aged 56. "You could have had help" she said. Errrr, I doubt she'd have liked what "help" looked like in the 1970s,. But that said in hindsight, yeah. I wish my teachers would have been aware, but would I have wanted to be in anything other than mainstream education?....Noooo!!!

I would have had limited academic opportunity, a restricted curriculum, would never have gone to university, had the same job opportunities, would never have had friends on my intellectual level.

It's only my perspective, I know nothing of your kid, but instinctually, I'd say if she is of average to high or even very high IQ, fight for support within mainstream, so she is supported without clipping her wings.

By the way, 'creative and imaginative' was how my school reports described me; along with the fact I didn't mix much of course, lol. But ultimately my wellbeing was better met by stretching my mind than carpet to spare me sensory pain.

You might want to talk to your daughter about this. How old is she? Old enough to judge for herself, or still an infant?

Phew...what to say, some of us went through our whole school life with no one knowing we were Aspies at all.

My mother cried when I got my diagnosis at aged 56. "You could have had help" she said. Errrr, I doubt she'd have liked what "help" looked like in the 1970s,. But that said in hindsight, yeah. I wish my teachers would have been aware, but would I have wanted to be in anything other than mainstream education?....Noooo!!!

I would have had limited academic opportunity, a restricted curriculum, would never have gone to university, had the same job opportunities, would never have had friends on my intellectual level.

It's only my perspective, I know nothing of your kid, but instinctually, I'd say if she is of average to high or even very high IQ, fight for support within mainstream, so she is supported without clipping her wings.

By the way, 'creative and imaginative' was how my school reports described me; along with the fact I didn't mix much of course, lol. But ultimately my wellbeing was better met by stretching my mind than carpet to spare me sensory pain.

You might want to talk to your daughter about this. How old is she? Old enough to judge for herself, or still an infant?

Wow, this is really interesting. I have arranged to see a special school...but the second I made the appointment I started to feel a bit sad. I had the feeling that I was clipping her wings as she is super smart and I have no idea what her cohort would be like in that school. We are looking at other schools too, including two private schools because they offer much smaller class sizes which I think would reduce the noise issue. I feel also that the private schools might be more willing to give her quiet breaks...and they have more rooms to offer that quiet space. In the mainstream schools we have seen so far there is nowhere for her to go other than a separate hub...which just looks likes exclusion to me. Its really hard!

I agree with a lot of this. Of course sensory experience is incredibly different now.

So long as she has access to fresh air and natural light and isn't forced into social situations, she might learn her ways to cope. I had teachers who would let me sit in their class during out door periods or spend time in quiet spaces during lunch.

I sometimes just wear these when popping into town, on the bus, etc. https://www.etymotic.com/product/etyplugs-high-fidelity-earplugs/ the blue ones are nice for small ears and I can hear everything with much more clarity.