Nursery

Of course, that's completely understandable. Nobody wants him to be excluded. Inclusion is really important, which is why I generally advocate for mainstream schooling! 

I would only say go to a specialist if you really think he needs early intervention to help him with his speech and any other issues that would be too much of a barrier for him to successfully attempt to integrate with other pupils.

I think the question of whether you can switch is best posed to the nursery schools in question, but from experience working in education there is usually the option to change schools if one is not working out for a particular child (although it can be a relatively long process).

My child has Autism, he is 3 and goes to mainstream school nursery 2 mornings a week. From September he will get 15 hours funding and will have one to one with a teaching assistant. This way he gets extra help but still experiences mainstream school. Funding is available for children in nursery to obtain extra support. The SENCO in school will be able to get access to it.

hope this helps

Thnkew Emma for replying.....well he says few words ......and doesn't use in a meaningful way and he is fine with his motor skills.....but sensory issues are there.....Emma,the problem is that being a parent I dnt want my child to get excluded from his peer group just because he has communication difficulty..... but at the same time I want to do what is best for him not for my satisfaction......Emma do u have any idea can we switch from specialist nursery to mainstream nursery any time when we feel like....because I am thinking to give him six months in specialist nursery and observe his progress and then decide accordingly.....

I would say there are good arguments for both, but for me the deciding factor would be the severity of his communication impairment, followed by his development in areas other than social interaction.

If he is completely unable to communicate verbally or has other developmental impairments (e.g. v. poor motor skills) I would be inclined towards specialist to give him a boost in these areas before you need to decide on a school (to give him the best chance of being successful in mainstream and generally in later life).

Early intervention can really help later functioning and a specialist would have the resources already on hand to provide that.

However, if his development is average or above besides the social factor, being at a mainstream with a larger number and variety of other children may be good for him to start learning those skills he needs to refine (provided there is good communication between you and the nursery and there is a degree of support and understanding from staff). 

It's a difficult one, as school can be very difficult for an autistic child, but I do feel that being thrown in the deep end in that regard (not even being diagnosed until I was older) gave me skills and resilience I really rely on as an adult to function.

My partner is also autistic and was homeschooled- I find he is a lot less resilient in the face of challenging situations, routine changes, etc. and much more reluctant to do things that he thinks he might find difficult (even if it is something related to an activity he enjoys) than I am.

I also believe that from an autism awareness perspective it's good for autistic and neurotypical kids to interact, given the proper support to do so from the adults present. We're going to encounter each other as adults and if the foundation for communication between us isn't there (considering our natural style of communication, body language, etc. is so different) it's much harder to make that interaction a successful one.

At the end of the day you know your son better than any of us. It comes down to what you think he can handle.