• Replies 5 replies
  • Subscribers 65 subscribers
  • Views 7388 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

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 :-)

Parents

  • 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.  

Reply

  • 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.  

Children
No Data