Autism and School: An Overview of the Options

It's hard to think about autism and school. Parents with typical children may have the option of simply registering their kids for school - and putting them on the bus. But parents with children on the autism spectrum don't have that luxury. The good news is that there is a wide range of settings that might be right for your child. Each setting has its pros and cons.

Most likely, your choices will be limited by factors outside your control (or mostly outside your control), such as location, finances, your child's particular issues, and your own lifestyle. Bear in mind, however, that the best choice for your child may not be the easiest choice for your family. In some cases, a temporary change of location or lifestyle may be a good solution to an ongoing educational problem.

In a nutshell, here are the options open to you:

Public School Options

• Typical public school classroom without special support (mainstreaming)
• Typical public school classroom with support (1:1 and/or adaptations)
• Part-time typical classroom, part-time special needs classroom setting
• General special needs class
• Specialized public autism class with some inclusion or mainstreaming
• Specialized public autism class without inclusion or mainstreaming
• Charter school
• Cyber charter school

Private School Options (sometimes paid for by local school district)

• Typical private school with or without special support
• Specialized special needs or autism-only private school
• Homeschool/cyber school

It's very likely that your child will do very well in one of these settings in one year, and then do less well another year. You may need to mix and match to meet all of his needs. As children with autism enter adolescence, new issues may emerge or disappear. New expectations develop among peers and teachers, too. Those changes may push you to make a change in educational setting.

It's important -- and extremely difficult -- to remember that mainstreaming and inclusion are not always the best choice for every child. For parents, of course, it's heartbreaking to see their child set apart from others, taking the "short bus" to school, and labeled as different in every setting they encounter. But the alternative may be much more difficult and painful for your child.

Children with autism generally have a very tough time with large groups, loud, stimulating settings, and poorly managed transitions. What, then, could be more challenging than a typical classroom, especially as your child gets older? The 1:1 aide who was a great when your child was in preschool or the first years of elementary school can become a serious liability in pre-adolescence and teenage years. That's not to say that a child with autism can't or won't excel in a typical setting. But for many children, small private schools and even colleges are a better bet than large public schools. Many children thrive in home school settings, where programs can be individualized to their needs.