By the time pre primary rolls around, many parents start to get overwhelmed in deciding on the education path for their child living with autism. Do I send them to a mainstream, special needs or autism specific school? What about homeschooling?

This article discusses the various educational options as well as providing tips for advocating your child within the school system as well as the factors to consider when enrolling your child in school.

The first thing to understand is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to anything related to autism. Finding a school suited specifically to the child’s (and only the child’s needs) is crucial in the schooling process. Each child is unique with their own sets of deficits and strengths- just like every child. However, there are common areas where many children living with autism struggle. Examples of these include sensory challenges, social challenges, executive and cognitive functioning as well as the struggle to regulate emotions.

SENSORY OVERLOAD: Known as sensory processing disorder, many children living with autism struggle to receive and respond to information that comes in through the senses. Schools can be such an overload for many children – fire alarms going off, loud noises, rowdy children, strong smells, itchy carpets. Even something like sitting on the grass could be triggering (itchy, hypersensitivity to certain touches/ feels). This coupled with uncomfortable clothes and bright lights can make school a real challenges for many kids.

SOCIAL CHALLENGES: This is completely dependent on the child’s social skills. Some children living with autism are able to fully integrate in participating in classroom activities, interact with peers and fully communicate their needs. Some children however struggle in this regard. Many children on the spectrum are verbally impaired (on varying levels). This makes it especially difficult for these children to interact and fully participate.

EXECUTIVE & COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING: Executive functioning is concerned with skills such as planning, sequencing and staying organized. Many children on the spectrum find it difficult to stop-think-plan-do. Children living with autism have a wide range of intellectual capabilities. Some have extremely high IQ’s while others have learning disabilities. It is crucial to consider a school that accommodates how the child learns in the best possible way.

EMOTION REGULATION: This is one of my favourite areas to speak about. Emotion regulation= appropriate emotion in the appropriate circumstance. In general, many people struggle to regulate their emotions. However, for children living with autism this does not come naturally at all. Anxiety, stress, anger, excitement can feel very overwhelming. Many children on the spectrum are unable to recognize and process how they are feeling. The result of this is for example running out of the classroom, loud, aggressive outbursts, headbanging or shutting down.

Keeping the above in mind, let’s discuss the various options for schools. In this post I will be speaking about mainstream, mainstream with support, special needs and autism specific schools.

MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS: Setting: A school accommodating all children who need minimal support and follow a set curriculum. The child is expected to obey to the rules and regulations in and out of the classroom, does not need extra attention and follow the teachers directions accordingly. Dependent on the school, mainstream can be difficult for some children on the spectrum due to the the independence, lack of specific support, large classes and over stimulation. One advantage however is that the child is placed in the standard educational curriculum and has the opportunity to interact with neurotypical peers.

MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT: Additional support can stem from a facilitator, additional teacher in the class etc. A child on the spectrum who is strong cognitively could thrive here. Many parents choose this option as their child is still receiving all the benefits of a mainstream school, however they also have additional support by their side if need be. The level of support provided varies. I strongly recommend knowing who the facilitator or support teacher is, their background and qualifications as well as their relationship with your child before considering this option.

SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOLS: Setting: smaller classrooms, individual support, slower work pace. These schools are usually for neurotypical children who have learning disabilities. A child living with autism who only struggles socially won’t thrive in this environment. They will get bored with the work and pace. However, if they for example have good social skills but only struggle academically, this might be a good option to consider.

AUTISM SPECIFIC SCHOOLS: Setting: only children with autism enrolled, separate curriculum, activities specific to each child, small class, high level of support. A lot of attention is placed on social and behaviour skills. The curriculum can also consist of speech lessons. The downside of this is that they only ever able to interact with each other. Lots of time is also spent on building skills so dependent on the school, academics might suffer.

SO HOW TO CHOOSE? One can consider these factors and then arrive at the best fit:

• Do they mind large groups of people
• Cognitive skills
• Sensitivity to sensory overload
• Verbal ability

TIPS: Before approaching various schools, write down the child’s diagnosis, strengths, weaknesses, triggers, what calms them down, what makes them happy and the level of support your think they need.

Finding the right school can be tiring, overwhelming and downright frustrating. Speak to as many teachers and schools as you can before making a decision on finding the right school and environment for your child to flourish.

Have you found the right school? How has this experience been for you? What has been your struggles, if any? Let me know down below!