Pros and Cons of Autism-Only Schooling

Autistic children are often included in general education classrooms—AKA "mainstreamed"—but not all thrive in this setting. Parents and guardians of autistic kids may decide to look for a school that exclusively serves kids on the autism spectrum.

In these settings, teaching approaches and activities are tailored to meet your child's specific needs, and classrooms are likely to include autism-friendly physical adaptations, such as dimmer lighting and lowered sound. While there's a great deal to be said for autistic-only schools, these settings do have pluses and minuses.

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Why Fully Inclusive Settings Can Be Challenging

Autistic people share a unique set of challenges, most of which relate to social communication and hypo-/hyperreactivity to sensory stimuli to light, sound, and touch. Some autistic people primarily do not use spoken language, and may have difficulties with gross and fine motor skills.

The difficulties can range in intensity, but they can all make it very hard for a child to function well in school settings designed for neurotypical children. For example:

  • Being in a room with a bright, buzzing fluorescent light can cause pain and make it hard to focus.
  • Reading other people's tone and body language and trying to respond appropriately can be exhausting and anxiety-inducing.
  • Trying to accurately interpret and process rapid verbal instructions can be overwhelming.
  • Accurately predicting the planned movements of another person and being in the right place at the right time to, for example, catch or kick a ball, may be impossible.

These realities mean that common activities such as attending a school assembly, taking part in team sports, or following verbal-only directions from a coach or teacher can be really difficult for many autistic people. As a result, your child may fall behind in class or be excluded from daily activities. If your child engages in stimming by rocking or using echolalia in environments where people don't have accurate or inclusive knowledge about autism, it can result in your child being alienated or labelled a "problem student."

With acceptance and support, many autistic children can be successful in traditional schools. But the reality is that it can take a great deal of time, energy, and hard work for many autistic people to function well among neurotypical people. Some autistic children are forced to mask, or act non-autistic/allistic, which always leads to burnout long term.

Despite this, there can be drawbacks to placing a child in an autistic-only setting, and you'll want to weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.

Pros to Autism-Only Settings

Autism-only settings can be tremendously beneficial for autistic children, particularly (but not exclusively) for those with more support needs. Here are just a few of the the advantages:

  • With appropriate adaptations in place, autistic children can focus more on learning and less on trying to approximate the social behaviors of neurotypical peers.
  • Without sensory distractions, autistic children can let go of some of their anxiety and truly relax.
  • Autism-only settings are able to spend their money filling the needs of autistic students, which means better technology and more appropriate furnishings.
  • In autistic-only schools, kids can focus on activities that are more in keeping with their interests and abilities. For example, they can participate in independent sports rather than team sports if the latter causes them distress.
  • While autistic people don't always connect with one another on a personal level, being at an autistic-only school can allow them to find others who understand how they think, move, and experience the world. They may feel understood by their peers instead of on the outside.
  • For parents, knowing that their child is in an autism-specific setting can relieve anxiety caused by concern over their child's level of performance in a neurotypical school or work situation.

Cons to Autism-Only Settings

With so many upsides, you might wonder why any autistic person would be better off in a mainstream setting. Here are some of the reasons:

  • In a neurotypical setting, children can learn skills they will use to cope in a largely neurotypical world, while in a specialized setting they may never learn to problem-solve or advocate for their own needs.
  • In a generalized school setting, autistic children have wider opportunities to explore new ideas and topics and build their skills. In a specialized school, there may be fewer opportunities, and all may be built around the anticipated interests and needs of a stereotypical autistic student.
  • In an autism-only setting, children may not experience competition or be motivated to be ambitious.
  • Autistic people in neurotypical settings can gain experience adapting to or finding solutions for sensory-overwhelming situations such as noisy rooms or bright lights. They can learn to use tools (such as noise-canceling headphones and sunglasses) that make it easier to function.
  • For families, having an autistic child in a typical setting means it is more likely that other parents and members of their immediate community can get to know, understand, and appreciate their child.

Autism-Only Schools for Kids With Low Support Needs

Many autistic people, some of which may have had now-outdated diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome, are able to perform well in neurotypical settings with little to no support. They may be able to function well in inclusive situations. Problems may arise, however, when the situation changes or the expectations increase and they are not provided with the appropriate resources.

For example, a very young autistic child may do well in a preschool or kindergarten in which visual teaching tools and movement are encouraged, different communication and learning styles are accommodated, and classes are small.

By first grade, however, that same child may be in a classroom with 25 children and one teacher, expected to follow spoken directions, and provided with few visual cues. If their needs for accommodations were not anticipated or addressed in time, their performance may plummet, their behavior may change, and even with remediation, it can be hard for them to function in a neurotypical setting where processing spoken language and understanding social cues are key to success.

One of the more difficult realities for autistics who can blend in or mask is that understanding "invisible" disabilities isn't built into our societal or educational structure. A capable student suddenly having a "meltdown" due to frustration, sensory overload, or anxiety can be met with disciplinary action instead of the care and understanding they need.

The Bottom Line

There's no one "right" setting for all autistic children, as each child has different strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, not all mainstreamed classrooms are identical, nor are all autistic-only schools.

When looking at school options, ask other parents about their experiences, and try to have your child sit in on a class if possible to see if it seems like the right fit.

Finally, keep in mind that if you do decide to send your child to an autism-only school, you can provide balance by offering them experiences in the general community.

2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Lord C, McGee JP, eds. Educating children with autism. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2013.

  2. Interactive Autism Network. Challenging behaviors.

Additional Reading
Lisa Jo Rudy

By Lisa Jo Rudy
Lisa Jo Rudy, MDiv, is a writer, advocate, author, and consultant specializing in the field of autism.