Falls Church City vs South Arlington Elementary schools for autism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids in APS; one NT and one ASD, both in S. Arlington schools. I have not a single bad thing to say about the ASD child's experience. Our IEP team and classroom teachers have been excellent throughout. In particular, when your child is older - depending on the situation - the Autism program at TJMS (Secondary Program for Students with High Functioning Autism) is excellent, the teachers there are exceptional.

This is of course our experience - I know others who do not feel the same way. As a pp mentioned, you have much more flexibility to fix a less optimal situation in SA than you do in Falls Church City.

Good luck!

I realize I'm pulling up an old post but I was searching for autism and APS. How does one get into this program at TJMS? My child is in 4th grade now so looking for a middle school option soon. Elementary has not been great and with all the people we've talked to, no one has mentioned this.

Also, what is the program like? Separate classroom all day? Any details would be appreciated.

You can find a description of the programs on the APS special ed website. It's called the Secondary Program for Students with Autism, and it's actually hard to get into it because the criteria is very specific. It's an IEP team decision. Students are usually in gen ed for most of their classes with self contained classes for social skills/instructional studies. Some families hire an attorney to get into the program. Good luck!

Ask your 5th grade case carrier about it at the start of the year- call a meeting and ask the student support coordinator to attend. The program is at Hamm and TJMS dependent on where you live. It is for students who are on or above grade level and have social- emotional and attention/organization needs primarily.

If your case carrier isn’t familiar with the program, you can also talk with the autism specialist who covers your school.