ASD school vs. Public School

Post Reply New Topic

**Edit - When I refer to a "private school", I am referring to a school specializing in ASD's:

http://www.ivymount.org/aspabout.html

I know the cons of private school, but can anybody list some pros and cons of private school? My son is having a difficult time in public school, despite his IEP.

I was advised by his doctors at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, that he should be placed in an inclusion class for Aspergers children because he is in the "wrong learning environment." They said he needs to academically challenged and the teaching style should be geared towards his learning style.

I agree, but the only problem is, his school does not offer this. They only have the standard special-ed class with some pretty severely disabled kids and the regular classroom. My son is currently in the regular class, with accommodations. He is also pulled out for extra Math and Writing help.

I am curious to know what any of your experienced may be, regarding placing your kids in private schools. I did find this one school which is supposed to be one of the best in our area. They offer a program specifically for Aspergers kids. Also, does anybody know the process of having the public school pay for private school? Or is that just a pipe dream? Thanks.

Last edited by kattoo13 on 04 Mar 2008, 9:26 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Before sending anyone to private school, check it out completely. Ask if you can visit a classroom for a day. Then ask if HE can visit for a day. He is far more likely to get a sense of what a real school day will be like (including things like teacher interactions, recess time with other kids, lunch hour, etc.) than you are - everyone will be on their best behavior for you.

I went to a private school (age 5 to 11) and was basically abused by the teachers there until I left. However, that was before AS was well-known and so I had no diagnosis - I was just""willful," "stubborn," "bad."

On the other hand, a friend's son (age 9) currently goes to private school and receives all sorts of special accommodations because of aftereffects of cancer and chemotherapy. They seem to be much more willing than a public school to find ways to make things work for him specifically, and they have more latitude to change things than a public school because they aren't beholden to as many rules - governments, taxpayers, etc.

I don't have personal experience with private school. My husband went to Lutheran school when he was younger (undiagnosed but he had serious learning and emotional problems) and preferred it over the public school. They are smaller, can be tolerant and understanding of different learning styles. They might have amenities that help with sensory integration (carpeted floors, less echo and noise). A school that is meant for autistic kids should have good goals and programs, you would have to check. A private school that is geared for other things (religion or other dogma) is not required to follow the IEP or ADA and I have read horror stories about such places. I would also check for methods they use (restraints, discipline, "quiet rooms") and make sure that you fully understand what they do.

Thanks. I will check it out. I am supposed to be meeting with the school again to discuss his doctors recommendations. Here is the program I was referring to:

http://www.ivymount.org/aspprogram.html

Last edited by kattoo13 on 04 Mar 2008, 10:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

a review of the school, it says the Asperger's program is new and uses ABA.

GREAT ADVICE!



Lucky dog! Yeah, private school teachers ALSO have to consider relative value/perception to public, and can fire teachers easier. at least in the US

Heck, I would've rather attended private school than public school. My main problem with public school was the utter lack of discipline (which I blame on the fact that teachers are afraid to enforce it for fear of being sued/fired), which made it difficult for me to concentrate on learning and such...

pardon the dumb question, but what is ABA?

*nevermind. i figured it out lol

My son is currently enrolled in private (catholic) school. He is doing well academically. We held him back in Kindergarden due
to his lack of immaturity (and also with the advise of the school).
It was a hard decision but it was and still is the best decision for him. He is now in 2nd grade and he was diagnosed Asperger's
last year (in 1st grade). We went to the school and advised them of his diagnosis. They will not do anything "special" for him.
Unfortunately, we live in a city that has some of the worst public schools in the country and I will not put him in public school because of this. As of now, he is getting great grades and is doing well and has 2 friends. As the years go by, it may get harder and we may have no choice but to switch to public school, but there are a couple of other kids who have AS & are currently going into (private) high school. He really doesn't need any special accomodations (yet) and yes he does forget to bring home some of his books sometimes but my NT daughter does that too.
You may wonder why we continue to have him in private school when they said they wouldn't do anything for him - they did give us some advice on how to do classwork and tests so it would be easier for him. They do not tolerate any kind of bullying and the school is very disciplined in the class and at recess. This has really been a plus for him. He doesn't get bullied now, but I know that as the years go by, it will. The teacher he has this year has had As kids in her class in the past and said that he is doing well and is (overall) doing everything he needs to. (except, of course - playing and interacting with the other children)

Pros: Often smaller class sizes, often better-paid teachers, better upkeep on the grounds, more expensive materials in the classrooms.

Cons: If you're not rich you'll get picked on more often (and deal with unspoken social rules that are totally foreign), if you're not rich you'll also probably go into a lot of debt trying to get there, uniforms make it hard to tell people apart, school can throw you out for any reason whatsoever even if it's totally discriminatory and can refuse to follow IEPs, often there's more of an emphasis on having to be above a certain academic level (I did not pass the entrance tests for the one I went to for instance; an exception was made for me), more focus away from certain subjects entirely, less economic diversity among students

I've always thought that private schools that are geared towards my son's diagnosis would be wonderful -- it just seems like an oasis that could be perfect for my child. BUT, one of the things that would be difficult with any school that is so specialized towards kids on the spectrum is this -- the school might be great, but when you get kids on the spectrum together, it's a wonderful thing for them. They finally have friends, other kids who are get their jokes, who also prefer video games over people, who obsess about the latest game console, etc. It sounds great, right? And it would be -- until (as with this school, which according to their website is thinking about adding another grade, so that the school enrolls children up to the eighth grade) high school. Then, suddenly, you throw a kid back into an NT public school system, where he has not adapted to the NT world. Suddenly, the jokes all the kids in his old (AS) school thought were funny, nobody in the new (NT) school understands. The NT kids don't have the same interests, and they aren't as tolerant.

I could see this as a real potential problem. If the (AS) school doesn't have some way to help the transfer go smoothly, it could be a shock to a kid's system when they hit high school.

Kris

I never went 2 private skool so i can't really reply dat question but i went 2 public skool n 2 b honest it was a waste of time cos i wasn't at da rite skool i was da only 1 wid AS at da time n da education was pure rubbish n dat is why i don't hold a decent job or have any qualifactions.

Thanks for all the replies. Luckily my son talks to EVERYBODY. The NT's he associates with for the most part have been nice to him. There have been the occasional bullies, but most kids have to deal with that. My son actually talks back to them so they eventually leave him alone.

My concern is with his education. It scares me that if he's having problems now (ie- the teachers not knowing how to deal with him or thinking he "choses" not to pay attention), what is going to happen once he gets to middle and high school?

I don't want him to feel as though he is a failure, just because his teachers don't understand his learning style or why he does certain things they don't understand. I guess I just assumed that these so-called professionals would be some what educated when it comes to ASD's, but I am finding I have to educate them on a regular basis.

howzat,

If you wrote properly, it would REALLY help!

kattoo13,

A lot of teachers are not very bright. You know the saying..."Those that CAN DO, those that CAN'T TEACH! I generally add...And they CAN'T teach"!

i've noticed...lol

At the private school I went to I was actually treated closer to what I really was than at the public school where they asked if anything was wrong with you and treated you "accordingly" and "made accomodations" (aka, treated you like more of a ret*d than ou were, due to their ignorance).