Why don’t a lot of SN schools take autistic kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do wonder how gifted, higher-functioning ASD kids feel about special needs schools and autism schools. I wonder if some feel that the social dynamics are even worse, and how those kids fare there if the peer group is lower functioning.

You are being so, so ableist here.

You are describing my child at Harbour School. She loves it there. She has a peer group, and then yes, there are kids with higher support needs, too. The social dynamics are not worse at all. They're a million times better. Because all kids have different needs. They love their classmates w/ higher support needs. Whereas at public school the typical kids bullied the autistic kids. My kid was in tears daily. She won't treat kids with higher support needs the way her typical peers treated her.

+1. In my experience in gen ed, kids tend to be condescendingly nice to the higher support needs so they can look good, and then the same kids will turnaround and bully the kids with low support needs

100%. the higher support needs kids do get some compassion while the lower support get mocked and bullied

I’m sorry but did you even read? It says “condescending compassion”. Which is 100% true. It’s gross the way people treat kids with higher support needs. It’s absolutely the same as getting mocked and bullied - only it’s done with a smile.

Yikes, are you a SN parent? Because you clearly don't have the patience for an honest mistake here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do wonder how gifted, higher-functioning ASD kids feel about special needs schools and autism schools. I wonder if some feel that the social dynamics are even worse, and how those kids fare there if the peer group is lower functioning.

You are being so, so ableist here.

You are describing my child at Harbour School. She loves it there. She has a peer group, and then yes, there are kids with higher support needs, too. The social dynamics are not worse at all. They're a million times better. Because all kids have different needs. They love their classmates w/ higher support needs. Whereas at public school the typical kids bullied the autistic kids. My kid was in tears daily. She won't treat kids with higher support needs the way her typical peers treated her.

+1. In my experience in gen ed, kids tend to be condescendingly nice to the higher support needs so they can look good, and then the same kids will turnaround and bully the kids with low support needs

100%. the higher support needs kids do get some compassion while the lower support get mocked and bullied

I’m sorry but did you even read? It says “condescending compassion”. Which is 100% true. It’s gross the way people treat kids with higher support needs. It’s absolutely the same as getting mocked and bullied - only it’s done with a smile.

Yikes, are you a SN parent? Because you clearly don't have the patience for an honest mistake here.

I’m the PP and yep - have a ASD kid with high support needs. And I’m sorry if it was a mistake but it needed corrected. I don’t have patience for it as high support needs kids are being erased from the conversation by ASD1 and “low support needs” and “autism is a superpower” crowd. Things like this and her honest mistake need corrected 100% of the time if we are truly passionate about helping and supporting all children with disabilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do wonder how gifted, higher-functioning ASD kids feel about special needs schools and autism schools. I wonder if some feel that the social dynamics are even worse, and how those kids fare there if the peer group is lower functioning.

You are being so, so ableist here.

You are describing my child at Harbour School. She loves it there. She has a peer group, and then yes, there are kids with higher support needs, too. The social dynamics are not worse at all. They're a million times better. Because all kids have different needs. They love their classmates w/ higher support needs. Whereas at public school the typical kids bullied the autistic kids. My kid was in tears daily. She won't treat kids with higher support needs the way her typical peers treated her.

+1. In my experience in gen ed, kids tend to be condescendingly nice to the higher support needs so they can look good, and then the same kids will turnaround and bully the kids with low support needs

Thanks for correcting. I have a lower support needs DD and a high support needs niece. I think we can all do better for both groups. I am in a family system where everyone expects my child to just deal with things that are clearly distressing for her because they compare her to my niece who is higher needs. They treat my child like a drama queen, but in reality she encounters more bullying because she is more mainstreamed.

Do I think my niece needs more support? Absolutely!That does not change. I don't think my DD has a superpower whatsoever.

100%. the higher support needs kids do get some compassion while the lower support get mocked and bullied

I’m sorry but did you even read? It says “condescending compassion”. Which is 100% true. It’s gross the way people treat kids with higher support needs. It’s absolutely the same as getting mocked and bullied - only it’s done with a smile.

Yikes, are you a SN parent? Because you clearly don't have the patience for an honest mistake here.

I’m the PP and yep - have a ASD kid with high support needs. And I’m sorry if it was a mistake but it needed corrected. I don’t have patience for it as high support needs kids are being erased from the conversation by ASD1 and “low support needs” and “autism is a superpower” crowd. Things like this and her honest mistake need corrected 100% of the time if we are truly passionate about helping and supporting all children with disabilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like the answer is in the title. Most SN schools are not all purpose SN. They specialize, and some specialize in autism and some do not.

It's like asking why the Maryland School of the Deaf doesn't take my child whose disability is low vision but who has normal hearing. It's not their mandate, and therefore not appropriate.

There are many, many kids with multiple disabilities - it's possible to have both ASD and a vision or hearing impairment, or have ASD and slow processing or ID - but when schools are too specialized, it doesn't leave those families with many options.

[Anonymous]

I just saw this thread for the first time. I have a high-school age DC who has ASD 1 and got bullied in his school, which is a langage-based LD school. Yes. Kids at LD schools can bully ASD kids.

My DC has a mild LD and doesn't necessarily have to attend an LD school anymore. Is Fusion Academy the only answer for kids in this profile, who are not sporty, or would a supportive mainstream that has a lot of music or art be okay? I am even willing to relocate to anywhere along the East Coast between VA and ME if I can find the right school for my DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just saw this thread for the first time. I have a high-school age DC who has ASD 1 and got bullied in his school, which is a langage-based LD school. Yes. Kids at LD schools can bully ASD kids.

My DC has a mild LD and doesn't necessarily have to attend an LD school anymore. Is Fusion Academy the only answer for kids in this profile, who are not sporty, or would a supportive mainstream that has a lot of music or art be okay? I am even willing to relocate to anywhere along the East Coast between VA and ME if I can find the right school for my DC.

You should make a separate post so more people see it.

[Anonymous]

In answer to the question above about what Lab focuses on, they focus on learning differences and ADHD but they do also have some social emotional support. It's been fantastic for my kid who is mild ASD 1, mild ADHD and severe dyslexia. I agree with the poster who said that they just don't know if they can handle the kids as they grow up. So they usually just try to dissuade autistic kids from applying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just saw this thread for the first time. I have a high-school age DC who has ASD 1 and got bullied in his school, which is a langage-based LD school. Yes. Kids at LD schools can bully ASD kids.

My DC has a mild LD and doesn't necessarily have to attend an LD school anymore. Is Fusion Academy the only answer for kids in this profile, who are not sporty, or would a supportive mainstream that has a lot of music or art be okay? I am even willing to relocate to anywhere along the East Coast between VA and ME if I can find the right school for my DC.

You should make a separate post so more people see it.

Have you considered alternative school systems is in the DC area - Howard Gardner, Parkmount, etc.?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it the behavioral issue stigma, they need more, I always wondered. Lots are very gifted, and mild mannered and would not be a problem in a mainstream, or SN environment.

The saying goes if you've met one kid with autism, you've met one kid with autism. Since it's a spectrum, there's no way to know what the child will or will not need. It would probably be better to evaluate each child on their own but it's easier just to say a blanket No to all children with an ASD dx.

[Anonymous]

Fusion was not great for my dc who fit this profile. They claimed they could work with him, but once he was there they really could not.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid at Lab who is autistic and dyslexic and they fit in fine. But Lab is really designed to deal with language based disorders, that's where their expertise is. If your child doesn't have dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc., it really isn't even worth considering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just saw this thread for the first time. I have a high-school age DC who has ASD 1 and got bullied in his school, which is a langage-based LD school. Yes. Kids at LD schools can bully ASD kids.

My DC has a mild LD and doesn't necessarily have to attend an LD school anymore. Is Fusion Academy the only answer for kids in this profile, who are not sporty, or would a supportive mainstream that has a lot of music or art be okay? I am even willing to relocate to anywhere along the East Coast between VA and ME if I can find the right school for my DC.

You should make a separate post so more people see it.

High schools like O’Connell, PVI, and Ireton all have support for students like this. I believe SJC does too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just saw this thread for the first time. I have a high-school age DC who has ASD 1 and got bullied in his school, which is a langage-based LD school. Yes. Kids at LD schools can bully ASD kids.

My DC has a mild LD and doesn't necessarily have to attend an LD school anymore. Is Fusion Academy the only answer for kids in this profile, who are not sporty, or would a supportive mainstream that has a lot of music or art be okay? I am even willing to relocate to anywhere along the East Coast between VA and ME if I can find the right school for my DC.

You should make a separate post so more people see it.

High schools like O’Connell, PVI, and Ireton all have support for students like this. I believe SJC does too.

Doesn’t work if your kid is LGBTQ