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mainstream v special

george

My son matthew is 6 years old and is in mainstream school. he has a Statement and gets lots of support from a very nice teaching assistant who is with him most of the time. He seems reasonably happy, however he does not really play with his peers and is falling further and further behind his classmates academically. I recently visited a Special Needs school and was very impressed. I am now beginning to reconsider my earlier decision to keep him in a mainstream school. Although he gets lots of support is he been taught in the correct way, self esteem etc etc does anyone have any views?

Parents

  • I really sympathise. 

    We are in mainstream in Scotland and my 9 year old son has HFA and like you it is very messy and we are on the brink of big decisions - home schooling (not ideal for any of us, I would have to leave my job and no break), part-time mainstream/part-time home, specialist school with lots of travel, fixed term at specialist school and some time home schooling or mainstream or a smaller mainstream with specialist school input. 

    We are trying to think of all the alternatives as currently, like you there is a lot of punishment, practically no praise or recognition and certainly bullying from our son's perception with a complete lack of support.  Another child may have coped with the name calling and it would have gone away but our boy holds onto all the names and they all build up into a massive knot of anxiety and rock bottom self esteem.

    He would do anything to avoid school and break time and says everyone hates him.

    The only school I have heard of that I think is mainstream is the one in Caithness which has a good reputation for supporting ASD.

    Can your Paedatrician, Educational Psychologist  or Speech and Language Therapist help?

    Good luck

     

     

Reply

  • I really sympathise. 

    We are in mainstream in Scotland and my 9 year old son has HFA and like you it is very messy and we are on the brink of big decisions - home schooling (not ideal for any of us, I would have to leave my job and no break), part-time mainstream/part-time home, specialist school with lots of travel, fixed term at specialist school and some time home schooling or mainstream or a smaller mainstream with specialist school input. 

    We are trying to think of all the alternatives as currently, like you there is a lot of punishment, practically no praise or recognition and certainly bullying from our son's perception with a complete lack of support.  Another child may have coped with the name calling and it would have gone away but our boy holds onto all the names and they all build up into a massive knot of anxiety and rock bottom self esteem.

    He would do anything to avoid school and break time and says everyone hates him.

    The only school I have heard of that I think is mainstream is the one in Caithness which has a good reputation for supporting ASD.

    Can your Paedatrician, Educational Psychologist  or Speech and Language Therapist help?

    Good luck

     

     

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