Anonymous
09/11/2025 23:43
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
Anonymous wrote:OP, I just want to offer support.
We were pushed into general ed K after PEP pilot, and although my kiddo is bright, in addition to ASD he has ADHD and anxiety. I knew that it wasn't going to be a good setting but SpEd teacher kept saying he will rise to the occasion. In general, before they give more supports or different placement they want to see the child not coping - and sometimes it goes until 1st or 2nd grade.
Agree. We had to fail in 3 setting before self contained was even considered.
What bugs me most is the damage it causes to the kids. They are knowingly set up for failure early on. That sets the tone that school is a bad place where they won’t succeed and don’t belong. Not super motivating…
Anonymous
09/11/2025 12:27
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
OP here. Thanks so much for this feedback. Very helpful and informative as I am pretty new to this. Thanks for giving me a lot to think about.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 09:58
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
OP, I just want to offer support.
We were pushed into general ed K after PEP pilot, and although my kiddo is bright, in addition to ASD he has ADHD and anxiety. I knew that it wasn't going to be a good setting but SpEd teacher kept saying he will rise to the occasion. In general, before they give more supports or different placement they want to see the child not coping - and sometimes it goes until 1st or 2nd grade.
We were pushed into general ed K after PEP pilot, and although my kiddo is bright, in addition to ASD he has ADHD and anxiety. I knew that it wasn't going to be a good setting but SpEd teacher kept saying he will rise to the occasion. In general, before they give more supports or different placement they want to see the child not coping - and sometimes it goes until 1st or 2nd grade.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 09:09
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
Anonymous wrote:Regardless, they are unlikely to offer you self-contained so the bigger issue is how can he be appropriately supported now.
But also -- no decision you make now will set him on one specific trajectory or make other paths impossible. It just isn't like that. The whole thing with ASD is that the path has a lot of sharp zigs and zags, and is more unpredictable than you would think. I'd focus on what will get you and your child through this year, month, week. You'll deal with the future when it
comes.
This.
Also remember that learning can only happen in an optimal environment. If the OP’s child is struggling that much his mental energy is probably diverted to coping with stress and distractions rather than focusing on learning. So he might get behind academically regardless. Thus, a less chaotic environment like the self-contained classroom might not be such a bad idea.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 08:08
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
Anonymous wrote:No, they wont. But you're unfortunately far more likely to run into the opposite problem: they'll want to keep him in gen ed with minimal supports even if that's not appropriate.
+2
Self-contained isn’t easy to get, so if you aren’t fighting for it then you don’t need to worry about your child being involuntarily moved.
The flip side is that mainstreaming with large classes isn’t a great place to be if you have sensory issues and are socially awkward. Less of an issue in K but by 3rd or 4th grade you may have a totally different perspective.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 08:03
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
Regardless, they are unlikely to offer you self-contained so the bigger issue is how can he be appropriately supported now.
But also -- no decision you make now will set him on one specific trajectory or make other paths impossible. It just isn't like that. The whole thing with ASD is that the path has a lot of sharp zigs and zags, and is more unpredictable than you would think. I'd focus on what will get you and your child through this year, month, week. You'll deal with the future when it comes.
But also -- no decision you make now will set him on one specific trajectory or make other paths impossible. It just isn't like that. The whole thing with ASD is that the path has a lot of sharp zigs and zags, and is more unpredictable than you would think. I'd focus on what will get you and your child through this year, month, week. You'll deal with the future when it comes.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 08:00
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I have a college student with ASD. The early years in school were so hard! My heart goes out to you all.
I doubt they will move him to a self-contained classroom (the pp has it exactly right, the problem is schools give too few supports, not too many) but if for some reason it became an option, I would urge you to open your mind to considering it. Go visit. Kids can be in self-contained and later move to gen ed (I have a friend whose very bright child is doing well in high school in honors after spending elementary years in a self-contained class). It doesn't mean the kid will always be in self-contained. My experience is that when a classroom isn't working for a child it has a traumatic effect on the child, and honestly it is very hard on the parents too.
Was your child in a self-contained classroom? The usual problem I've heard is that it can be very difficult to get moved out of a self-contained classroom, in part because they typically are far behind the curriculum in the general education classrooms. How did you make that transition back to gen ed?
No, my friend's child (same age) was. We were in different districts. He transitioned back to gen ed when he went to middle school. He has done fine academically since. Both our kids were academically strong - the problem was with everything else. I was 100% opposed to the idea of self contained (though we were not offered it) but in retrospect I think that was short sighted. Her child had a better elementary experience in the end. My child ended up going to a small private school which was an OK place for him but had some drawbacks too.
Do you know how they made up for the difference in curriculum when they transitioned to middle school? Current self-contained programs are almost exclusively below-grade-level, at least in MCPS. Even the ones that are officially at-grade-level don't cover the full curriculum.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 07:57
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I have a college student with ASD. The early years in school were so hard! My heart goes out to you all.
I doubt they will move him to a self-contained classroom (the pp has it exactly right, the problem is schools give too few supports, not too many) but if for some reason it became an option, I would urge you to open your mind to considering it. Go visit. Kids can be in self-contained and later move to gen ed (I have a friend whose very bright child is doing well in high school in honors after spending elementary years in a self-contained class). It doesn't mean the kid will always be in self-contained. My experience is that when a classroom isn't working for a child it has a traumatic effect on the child, and honestly it is very hard on the parents too.
Was your child in a self-contained classroom? The usual problem I've heard is that it can be very difficult to get moved out of a self-contained classroom, in part because they typically are far behind the curriculum in the general education classrooms. How did you make that transition back to gen ed?
No, my friend's child (same age) was. We were in different districts. He transitioned back to gen ed when he went to middle school. He has done fine academically since. Both our kids were academically strong - the problem was with everything else. I was 100% opposed to the idea of self contained (though we were not offered it) but in retrospect I think that was short sighted. Her child had a better elementary experience in the end. My child ended up going to a small private school which was an OK place for him but had some drawbacks too.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 07:47
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
That seems unlikely, OP. It's great that your school was able to put in a 1:1 on short notice, but self-contained placements are hard to get because they are so costly.
You need to ask yourself why your son is having trouble coping unexpectedly. That's what needs attention here.
You need to ask yourself why your son is having trouble coping unexpectedly. That's what needs attention here.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 07:35
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
Anonymous wrote:If Gen Ed isn’t the appropriate placement for him, it is a disservice to him and the rest of the class for him to be there. Instead of preparing for a fight, consider how best to support your child.
Read the OP again. You're jumping to conclusions. The general education setting is almost certainly the appropriate setting. But the OP should be prepared for schools that don't properly bring in supports to the classroom, particularly as he gets older.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 07:32
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
Anonymous wrote:I have a college student with ASD. The early years in school were so hard! My heart goes out to you all.
I doubt they will move him to a self-contained classroom (the pp has it exactly right, the problem is schools give too few supports, not too many) but if for some reason it became an option, I would urge you to open your mind to considering it. Go visit. Kids can be in self-contained and later move to gen ed (I have a friend whose very bright child is doing well in high school in honors after spending elementary years in a self-contained class). It doesn't mean the kid will always be in self-contained. My experience is that when a classroom isn't working for a child it has a traumatic effect on the child, and honestly it is very hard on the parents too.
Was your child in a self-contained classroom? The usual problem I've heard is that it can be very difficult to get moved out of a self-contained classroom, in part because they typically are far behind the curriculum in the general education classrooms. How did you make that transition back to gen ed?
Anonymous
09/11/2025 07:24
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
If Gen Ed isn’t the appropriate placement for him, it is a disservice to him and the rest of the class for him to be there. Instead of preparing for a fight, consider how best to support your child.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 07:10
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
I have a college student with ASD. The early years in school were so hard! My heart goes out to you all.
I doubt they will move him to a self-contained classroom (the pp has it exactly right, the problem is schools give too few supports, not too many) but if for some reason it became an option, I would urge you to open your mind to considering it. Go visit. Kids can be in self-contained and later move to gen ed (I have a friend whose very bright child is doing well in high school in honors after spending elementary years in a self-contained class). It doesn't mean the kid will always be in self-contained. My experience is that when a classroom isn't working for a child it has a traumatic effect on the child, and honestly it is very hard on the parents too.
I doubt they will move him to a self-contained classroom (the pp has it exactly right, the problem is schools give too few supports, not too many) but if for some reason it became an option, I would urge you to open your mind to considering it. Go visit. Kids can be in self-contained and later move to gen ed (I have a friend whose very bright child is doing well in high school in honors after spending elementary years in a self-contained class). It doesn't mean the kid will always be in self-contained. My experience is that when a classroom isn't working for a child it has a traumatic effect on the child, and honestly it is very hard on the parents too.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 05:33
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
No, they wont. But you're unfortunately far more likely to run into the opposite problem: they'll want to keep him in gen ed with minimal supports even if that's not appropriate.
Anonymous
09/11/2025 02:08
Subject: ASD diagnosis and challenges at school
Our DS has an ASD diagnosis. He started kindergarten this year and has had a much more challenging transition than anticipated by us or his SPED team. He has required a lot more support than was planned and pretty much has needed to have an additional adult assigned to his classroom to help as warranted.
Should I be worried about the school trying to move him to a self-contained classroom? Is there any way to anticipate that or to prevent it from occurring?
I may totally be overreacting or off base, but I’d prefer to prepare to fight this if it may be coming.
Should I be worried about the school trying to move him to a self-contained classroom? Is there any way to anticipate that or to prevent it from occurring?
I may totally be overreacting or off base, but I’d prefer to prepare to fight this if it may be coming.