OUSD inclusive schools?
Hello parents, our son who has mild signs of ASD wil be entering Kindergarten next year. I am wondering what elementary school worked well for your child with ASD or if you have some advice. I appreciate this!
Dec 6, 2021
Hello parents, our son who has mild signs of ASD wil be entering Kindergarten next year. I am wondering what elementary school worked well for your child with ASD or if you have some advice. I appreciate this!
Parent Replies
Hi, My son was diagnosed with ASD at 3 years old. We put him in a private preschool; although we had a great experience with going through the educational assessment process with OUSD, we ultimately decided not to go public for other reasons. Joaquin Miller has a program for ASD students; there are others, too. I recommend getting your child evaluated so that if he is Autistic, he would qualify for accommodations and an IEP. If I can be helpful in any way, feel free to reach out.
OUSD is changing the way it does inclusion in elementary schools this year, so ASD students will be supported at all campuses equally.
My daughter was not diagnosed until she was older, but she did not get the support that she needed at private schools socially or educationally. Private schools are under no obligation to keep your child enrolled or meet their needs and school transitions are hard on ASD kids. The expectations are higher in independent schools and that can create a hard dynamic for kids that can't handle the pressure. Small class size has the disadvantage of a smaller pool of peers, which can be difficult if there are social issues at play (which they almost always are with ASD kids).
Also know that the impact of ASD on your child will likely increase as the academic and social expectations change. My daughter's challenges, anxiety, and problem behaviors increased a lot between 5 and 8 years old. I'm shocked in retrospect (and it probably has much to do with medication and other interventions) but my daughter is doing better in public school than she ever has. I wish we had used all of the money and energy that we spent on private schools for more supports and early intervention for her...specifically OT, social skills groups, and academic tutoring. (We are lucky that psychiatry is covered by insurance, we have benefitted greatly from that, as well).
My daughter is at Peralta, but my suggestion is to get an IEP and enroll at a public school that feels like a good fit socially, academically, and geographically. It is hard to get into schools that aren't your neighborhood school, but if you feel strongly about it, get on the waitlist and often spots open up after the first few weeks of school. Think ahead to where you expect your child to go to middle school, it is a long way off, but it is ideal to have your child move with a social group. Changing friend groups can be very hard at that age for ASD kids.