High school in Canada maybe better for Aspies than the US?

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We are looking at a possible move from the US to Canada. Our son is going into his sophomore year, and does ok in high school, although he is socially not that included. He's fully included academically. People are nice at high school, but he doesn't socialize at all outside of school.

I'm just kind of wondering how things might be different for him in Canada, if we actually go there.

I've been told that there are a lot of programs for Aspies in Canada. What I'm wondering about is the penchant people in the US have for painting Canadians as stereotypically "nice." I have to admit, everybody that I've met from Canada who lives near us here in the US is truly NICE, sharp, smart, and very unassuming. All things that might point toward an easier time socially for my son in high school. I can always hope, right?

We are looking at the Calgary area. Any input from Canadian aspies would be greatly appreciated!!

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I've never lived in Canada, but I have switched schools many times before. Being the new kid has not helped me out socially since Elementary school.

SammichEater - that's always what I'm afraid of. Changing schools isn't necessarily a good thing, and I know that it's particularly hard for boys -- but ESPECIALLY hard for anybody on the spectrum.

I would just like to think that maybe, MAYBE, we might just luck out and our son could have a positive experience.

Our older son did have a positive experience with two moves -- from the East Coast to the West Coast, with both moves -- and those positive experiences made a world of difference for him. But with him, if he was on the spectrum (which I think he was, undiagnosed) he was very high up and didn't have as many social skill problems.

I didn't have my diagnosis when I was in high school (I am Canadian!), so I wasn't offered any services. Still, high school for me was very tough. When I got threatened by one of the scary cliques at school, I was told I would have to leave because the principal did not have the time to handle it right now. I ended up dropping out of high school. This was just one experience out of many, however, and others have a great high school experience here. It is never fun being the new kid, of course, and having AS can make that even more difficult. Still, where he has a diagnosis, he would have access to things never offered to me, and that will be a big bonus.

Overall, regardless of the above, I am quite biased, and do think Canada is quite great!

I am an American aspie who is currently a masters student at a Canadian university (in Ottawa). I do not have personal experience with the Canadian primary and secondary school system, but I feel I can at least provide a glimpse at what life can be like in Canada.

It is a common refrain in the U.S. that Canadians are "nice." In large part that is correct, though like nearly everywhere, "bad apples" do exist. Canadians are Canadians, Ive observed are more patient than Americans, but my Canada experience has been limited to BC, Ontario and Quebec. Alberta, has roots in the cattle and ranching industry, so you probaby would be experiencing some cowboy culture should you move there. I enjoy every minute of my experience in Canada and am mulling staying in the country after my formal education is complete.

There are programs for aspies in Canada, though quality and type of program is dependant on province and region. I would visit the regional websites of groups like Autsm Society Canada and other allied organizations to see what programs and services are available in the area you are looking into. Id also recommend makng a couple of phone calls as needed. The Council for Exceptional Children provides a breif overview how special education legisltation is dealt with in Canada.

Feel free to PM me if you have other questions.

Prosper!

~CGKings317

The important thing about what I can tell you is that I live in the same province where your young 'un will be attending school. That's important because school education in Canada is organized by province; Saskatchewan and British Columbia (for example) would each have a significantly different way of organizing their schools than Alberta does.

The sophomore year in an American high school roughly corresponds to Grade 10 (first year of senior high) in Alberta.
(That applies to anyone emigrating to Alberta from the USA.)

One important question would concern your spiritual background, because Calgary would almost certainly offer you your choice of a separate (i.e. Catholic) school district or a public (non-denominational) school district. (I've never lived in Calgary myself, but the city I do live in--a city of similar size and population to Calgary--definitely does provide the two varieties of school district I just mentioned.)

I didn't have that course when I was attending senior high, but high schools in Alberta now offer a course in Career And Life Management (CALM for short).
That course may prove helpful to your son, especially if he finds a good teacher or guidance counsellor to help him out.

Are there any special needs that your son may require? There are a limited number of high schools that can provide special educational services for children like your son, and they may be fairly distant from your house.

It probably works much the same way in your home state, but a typical major-city high school usually tends to take students mostly from the cluster of neighbourhoods that surround it.

I recommend the websites of the Calgary Board of Education at http://www.cbe.ab.ca/http://www.cbe.ab.ca/ and the Calgary Catholic School District at http://www.cssd.ab.ca/http://www.cssd.ab.ca/ for more information.

My best friend lives in Alberta. She's 21 with the most severe AS (think moderate autism, but diagnosed with AS?) I've ever seen in a person. She was bullied, harrassed, and otherwise treated horribly by students and teachers in high school until she dropped out. As an adult, she receives no services, not even an adequate doctor. Her doctor knows next to nothing about ASDs. No staff, no help, no respite, nothing. She can't even move into a group home because you have to have government funding to do that, and she can't get it because her IQ is over 70.

Wherever you go, don't go to Alberta.

Douglas, thank you SO MUCH for the information that you provided in your post. This will be extremely helpful in making the decision whether or not to move to Calgary, and will give me direction in who to call and ask further questions about the high schools in the area.

My son currently doesn't have any special needs other than front of the classroom seating and extra time on tests. Other than that, he's pretty much like any other kid at school.

I am slightly concerned about the cowboy/more American society that is in the Alberta area (especially after reading SuperTrouper's post). I'm thinking that if we were moving to Toronto or possibly even Vancouver, it might be a better situation for a kid who's a little different than the norm. But the cowboy aspect of Calgary has me concerned.

Should I be concerned?

I doubt it. Calgary is a hub for Canadians in search of making a better life for themselves. While you likely will find cowboy culture there somewhere, I doubt it will be permeating throughout all life there. I am from Nova Scotia, and there are TONS of Nova Scotians settled in Calgary, and we certainly aren't ranchers out here. It is a modern city, and I know a lot of people who live there and love it (from their NT perspective anyway--I cannot speak at all about ASDs in high school there).

I think the pretty concept of multiculturalism is pretty ingrained into Canadian society, and I suspect the cultural run-off effects of this lead to a more accepting society, including for AS. Just a theory, obviously more applicable in some places more than others.

Regards,
Eldanesh