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

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because the other parents at the private schools don't want their precious resources to be spent on ASD kids. And these parents think that they are raising bright kids, but are just raising ableist jerks.

You aren't a jerk if you are paying expensive tuition and don't want school resources spent on ASD kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because their IQ is too high. My kid is in an SN school because academics. If you have a kid on the spectrum with an average IQ or better the SN school is not the right place. Go to a private known to cater to autism (they exist).

Autistic students have the same range of IQs as any other population. My autistic child also needs a SN because of needing academic support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because the other parents at the private schools don't want their precious resources to be spent on ASD kids. And these parents think that they are raising bright kids, but are just raising ableist jerks.

You aren't a jerk if you are paying expensive tuition and don't want school resources spent on ASD kids.

What makes you think that autistic students need any more resources than students with other disabilities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because the other parents at the private schools don't want their precious resources to be spent on ASD kids. And these parents think that they are raising bright kids, but are just raising ableist jerks.

I’m sorry but you are an a-hole. I pay for private and they sure as hell better not be spending a disproportionate amount of resources on a select group of kids. We are making massive sacrifices to pay that tuition for my SN child.

Kinda sounds like you’re in the same side here?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

SN are built on the model that kids need to be with kids who are similar to them. It's natural that they are going to want to sort kids, because that's how they work.

[Anonymous]

I’ve worked in a private school that did not discriminate against ASD kids. We had some challenges. One of them was staffing. Despite having learning specialists in each classroom, paraeducators with the younger kids, and a school counselor, we did not have behaviorists. When we encountered school refusal, work refusal, disruptive stims, eloping, or emotional outbursts, we didn’t have good programs to help support children in those situations. We could only refer to outside service providers, and families did not always want to take those referrals. We also had a lot of students with competing needs. Some of our ASD kids were louder—due to trouble modulating voices, having noise-making stims, etc. At the same time, some of our ASD students were very sensitive to noise, even to the point of wearing hearing protection. Even with small classroom sizes, we were never successful in accommodating every student’s needs around ambient noise.

Often we would have ASD students who would work independently and not need behavioral support. The trouble is that it is so hard for admissions teams to know which child will fall into which group, especially as behavior changes over time and with development. We also had a lot of fraught conversations with already enrolled families whose children could not be accommodated well with the school’s existing resources. When families are counseled out, it creates a lot of ill will that schools wish to avoid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because the other parents at the private schools don't want their precious resources to be spent on ASD kids. And these parents think that they are raising bright kids, but are just raising ableist jerks.

You aren't a jerk if you are paying expensive tuition and don't want school resources spent on ASD kids.

What makes you think that autistic students need any more resources than students with other disabilities?

Because they do.

[Anonymous]

Gotta love how SN parents are also ableist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve worked in a private school that did not discriminate against ASD kids. We had some challenges. One of them was staffing. Despite having learning specialists in each classroom, paraeducators with the younger kids, and a school counselor, we did not have behaviorists. When we encountered school refusal, work refusal, disruptive stims, eloping, or emotional outbursts, we didn’t have good programs to help support children in those situations. We could only refer to outside service providers, and families did not always want to take those referrals. We also had a lot of students with competing needs. Some of our ASD kids were louder—due to trouble modulating voices, having noise-making stims, etc. At the same time, some of our ASD students were very sensitive to noise, even to the point of wearing hearing protection. Even with small classroom sizes, we were never successful in accommodating every student’s needs around ambient noise.

Often we would have ASD students who would work independently and not need behavioral support. The trouble is that it is so hard for admissions teams to know which child will fall into which group, especially as behavior changes over time and with development. We also had a lot of fraught conversations with already enrolled families whose children could not be accommodated well with the school’s existing resources. When families are counseled out, it creates a lot of ill will that schools wish to avoid.

Lots of kids with ADHD have the same issues you mention -- can be loud, disruptive, etc. Yet schools never have blanket rules against accepting students with ADHD and seem to be able to figure out which students they can serve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve worked in a private school that did not discriminate against ASD kids. We had some challenges. One of them was staffing. Despite having learning specialists in each classroom, paraeducators with the younger kids, and a school counselor, we did not have behaviorists. When we encountered school refusal, work refusal, disruptive stims, eloping, or emotional outbursts, we didn’t have good programs to help support children in those situations. We could only refer to outside service providers, and families did not always want to take those referrals. We also had a lot of students with competing needs. Some of our ASD kids were louder—due to trouble modulating voices, having noise-making stims, etc. At the same time, some of our ASD students were very sensitive to noise, even to the point of wearing hearing protection. Even with small classroom sizes, we were never successful in accommodating every student’s needs around ambient noise.

Often we would have ASD students who would work independently and not need behavioral support. The trouble is that it is so hard for admissions teams to know which child will fall into which group, especially as behavior changes over time and with development. We also had a lot of fraught conversations with already enrolled families whose children could not be accommodated well with the school’s existing resources. When families are counseled out, it creates a lot of ill will that schools wish to avoid.

Lots of kids with ADHD have the same issues you mention -- can be loud, disruptive, etc. Yet schools never have blanket rules against accepting students with ADHD and seem to be able to figure out which students they can serve.

ASD needs a totally different teaching curriculum. The way they process information is completely different. Especially in the early years. ADHD is not as prevalent as it’s actually diagnosed, it usually just means they need a bit more attention to stay on track. ASD is next level.

[Anonymous]

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.

Yeah, I’ve wondered this too.

[Anonymous]

Given the co-occurrence of so many Lads with ASD, my guess is that parents aren’t being forthcoming with ASD

[Anonymous]

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.

Yeah, I’ve wondered this too.

As a teen who had that profile I hated gen ed social scenes. I hated the superficiality of it all