Hi, not sure where to start really. I live in Birmingham but actually fall under Solihull council and have a son aged 3 and a half in a mainstream nursery. He was diagnosed with ASD a few months ago, although we suspected this for a while. In the middle of the statementing process now, however, I am in a real pickle in wondering which school to send him to. He has very limited speech. He will come and ask me for things such as "computer on please" or "wheres drink?" etc but can't answer questions or have a conversation. He is bright though and I don't believe he really has a learning disability. He can recognise all the letters of the alphabet phonically and can recognise a handful of words. He can't really draw or write, however if you ask him to spell his name, he can call out the letters in order and draw something that resembles the correct letters! He has sensory issues with certain noises but doesn't have routine issues. I've looked at a few schools and although my local special school (Merstone) looks great, I can't help but worry that my son will start picking up unusual behaviours by mimicking whats around him. Ideally, I think with a fab mainstream school thats supportive and with a good one to one worker, I really believe he will shine. Sorry for rambling but has anyone else been in this position and what did you do? Noone seems to be able to recommend a good local mainstream that is supportive with this as noone else has had the experience of it. HELP!!!
