For parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), navigating the world of education is much more than sending your child to the local public school and calling it a day. Because every autistic child is unique and requires individualized methods of learning and care, the decision of where to send your child is often a difficult series of trials and errors.
I speak from (second-hand) experience; my parents have sent my autistic brother to numerous schools throughout his early life. He has gone to specialized schools for autistic children as well as public schools with a smaller special needs-oriented program. As his needs and characteristics changed, his schooling needed to follow. The options for schools are plentiful (more or less so depending on where you live), so it is important to do your best in determining what environment will best suit the current needs of your child.
Public school, for many autistic children, is often home to their first educational experience. This is due to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which forces school districts to provide the “Least Restrictive Environment” for a child’s schooling. This means that autistic children are required to at least test out a mainstream (typical) school environment, with little extra support, before being moved to more specialized conditions. For students with more severe characteristics of autism, such as being non-verbal or being physically violent, the mainstreaming step may be skipped for obvious reasons.
For students who surely will not thrive in a typical school environment, the fight for their education can be a brutal one. If your child is not doing well in a public school environment, whether they are in a mainstream or self-contained (special needs only) classroom, the school district may be required to pay private school tuition for your child. Because public school districts are often already struggling to make their budgets sufficient, paying upwards of $20,000 a year towards one student’s tuition is not ideal. Therefore, parents often bear the responsibility of fiercely advocating for their child’s needs against a panel of school administrators.
As difficult as this journey may be, it is worth it in the end. Your child deserves to spend upwards of 35 hours a week in a school that works for them. Whether it be a mainstream classroom, a self-contained classroom, or a specialized school, it is important to try anything and everything to figure out what best suits your child. And know that throughout the process, you are never alone; there are organizations dedicated to ensuring the best for your child and thousands of parents fighting for their children just like you.
