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Benefits of ASD Unit in Mainstream School

Snowflake

Hi all, this is all new to me so bear with me!

I have a four and a half year old son who was diagnosed with ASD at the end of Sept lst yr after a long drawn out assessment.  He currently has a Statement of Special Ed Needs and attends the Reception class at the local mainstream school.  He was of the age to attend P.1 but was held back a year due to his difficulties and the fact that when he started he was not yet diagnosed.

We are now at the stage of considering what is the best option for him next year re school.  He is non verbal and currently has an assistant to help him with every aspect of school (unsure if this will continue nxt yr due to funding).  I feel he has coped as it is essentially a nursery placement but am unsure if he will cope when there will be more demands placed on him in P.1.  He has started work with the Early Intervention Team in November and is making progress albeit slow.

An ASD unit attached to a mainstream school has been suggested as an option for our son.  I was wondering if anyone had any experience of this and if they feel it was beneficial for their child.

Apologies for the long winded post but as I say I am new to all this!  Any advice/feedback welcomed.  Thanks :-)

  • Hi Dee25 - thanks for your comment.  This is all very confusing!  In an ideal world I would like my son to stay in the mainstream school he currently attends as he has settled in well.  He currently has a full time classroom assistant but she is not trained in how to teach a child with autism and I have no guarantee he will always have this help (he is only in reception & is only there until noon at present).  My thinking is if he moves to a mainstream school with an ASD unit attached the teachers will already be aware of how to deal with my sons difficulties and can complement the early intervention he is currrently doing.  If he progresses well he will then be able to move into the mainstream section with little disruption.  The point you make about change is the one that I am most worried about! Although it will be worth it if it is the best placement for him.  I don't want to do him a disservice by having him in the wrong school just to avoid disruption.  I really feel he will struggle as more is expected of him in mainstream school.  The fact that he is non verbal is a real barrier.  He wouldn't even be able to say if he was struggling.

    As they say each child is different and each child with autism is even more unique - I hope your son is able to make good progress in mainstream school if he has high functioning autism.  Mainstream schools might be the right placement for some children with autism with additional support but my gut feeling is my son will need more support than a mainstream school can offer.

  • i have been told my son has high fuctioning autism, they say he can stay in mainstream school a hope is true, a dont understand why educational boards would move an autistic child when change is one the biggest thing they cant deal with!! why not bring in help to the school so that they dont have to move!!

  • hi snowflake - you're certainly not the only one struggling with these issues.  I struggled with them in the late 80s/early 90s.   I'm sure lots of other parents did as ell. Some things just go round + round.  And yes, however unpalatable, money is definitely the bottom line.  Never ever forget that.  I was shocked at the time when people who knew the system told me that, but I was new to all this + naive.   So you're right absolutely to fight for the best provision for your son.  Check out info on the nas home page if you haven't already.  Being prepared is half the battle.  bw + gd look.  He's got a gd mum on his side.

  • Thank you Crystal12 for taking the time to reply.  All this is a bit of a minefield - we rely on the experts to give us advice yet more often than not their main motivation is funding whereas mine is the needs and well being of my child.  I just want to give him the best possible start - wherever that may be!  Its just a pity he will most  likely have to move as he has settled really well into his current class and routine is very key to my son so I don't want to upset him unless it is the best option for him.  I took your advice and rang the school with the ASD unit attached.  I am going to arrange a meeting to discuss various issues & have a look around the school.  The most frustrating thing is the final decision will not be made by us but by the local Education and Library Board.  I will however be putting my views across very strongly!  Thanks again for your advice - these sites help me feel as though I am not the only one struggling with these issues!

  • hi snowflake - I'd consider the asd unit if I were you.  If you haven't go + have a look.  Have a look at other educational provision as well.  Also have a look at posts on this site from parents searching for the best educational provision for their child.  I can't say what's best for yours, but my son always went to autism-specific schools.  This was because our LEA had an autism day school.   Basically he was diagnosed, statemented + then we were told where he wd be educated.   Also there was an autism-specific boarding school near(ish) to us.  He went to both.  He did well at both because of the small classes, high staff to pupil ratio + staff who understood autism.  I firmly believe he wd have had a v difficult, if not impossible time in mainstream.  That's just me + my knowledge of my son + how autism affects him.  There may be brilliant mainstream primary schools which can meet all the needs of autistic pupils....maybe.  Whether that can be sd of secondary schools is another matter, in my opinion.  I shd say that my son is not aspergers + has been described as having classic autism.