To go or not to go?

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My son Joe is 4 and has Autism. He will be 5 in August, which means chronologically, he should be starting school in September.... But I'm not so sure about this.

His cognative levels have been assessed (Aug 31 2010) at the level of 1y 7m with some splinter skills to the 2y 2m level. He does well in parallel play, but has absolutely no interest in interacting with his peers, or his little sister most days. He will initiate with adults with a fleeting glance and a "hi" or "bye" depending on if he wants to be around them or not. He is not toilet trained.

BUT!

He loves letters and numbers, although he seems to have little to no concept that letters make a word, or that numbers mean a quantity. He doesn't like books, and has issues with being around people who are singing, or humming. He loves Shakespeare, and classical music. I could read Iambic Pentameter for hours and he'd just relax, and listen.

So, the question is.... to send him to school, preschool, or continue with the therapies we have combined with the play groups he's in.

Thoughts?

I'm just familiar with the school enrollment procedures in Germany, so what I write may not be appropriate for your case.

As far as I know, a child turning 5 may be sent to school if he or she passes the examination of his/her physical and mental maturity. This test is done some months in advance (actually half a year before the new class starts, I suppose).
But children enrolled at school at the age of 5 are still a exceptional case but a regular one.

What I've read from you doesn't make me think your son should go to school yet.

We're in Canada, and there is no testing to go to school. Children born before Dec 30 of the year they turn 5, go in that september. Joe will be 5 in August 2011, and therefore, chronologically should be starting school, but we have our "optional" year that we can take.
I'm just really torn, and trying to figure everything out because my husband is away so much, and I'll be dealing with everything on my own, its hard. Thanks for your input though. Its nice to know I'm not crazy for thinking he's just not ready.

You don't say where you live.

In the USA, I would not consider your kid fit for the public school system. The problem is that school attendance is mandatory (public, private or home schooling). Putting your child in public school could be ugly if he's in the general population and kids are cruel...never mind teachers ignoring his needs. He could be put in "special ed" which is just a dumping ground for "ret*ds" and all the school does is baby sit for X hours. I know of very, very few good public schools programs for people with AS or any other mental/neurological disability.

Private schools have a much better chance of being able to handle the special needs and learning style of your child. They would be obligated to discuss and disclose what they can and can't do for you before you enroll him...since you are paying them to render a service.

Home schooling will likely be your best bet...especially if it can be shown that your child is not "ready" for traditional schooling.

Good luck finding what works best for your child.

We're in Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada. We can not afford the private schools in our area, as tuition for those schools is almost as much as our annual income! The public schools do have some good programs, however, like anywhere, some schools are better than others. We live in the district for School ABC which is ok with special needs and autistic students, they spend a lot of time in the Learning Center (Resource Room), but go to class for arts, crafts, videos, and special classes like Phys. Ed. and Music. However, the remainder of the time, he would be with his EPA (TA) in the Learning Center.
The next school district is School XYZ. We live 5 minutes from the border of the school districts. The schools are literally separated by a baseball field. School XYZ has a FANTASTIC special needs and autistic student's program. They fit the curriculum to fit each child in the special needs program, ONTOP of what they would have in classroom. With this school, he would spend almost all his time in the classroom with his peers, and only be removed to the learning center if he could not cope with the classroom, due to over stimulation, under stimulation, or what ever the need may be. However, when he goes to the Learning Center with his EPA, he picks one or two friends to go with him, and they do the same work that would have been done in the classroom. School XYZ also offers specialty classes, like piano, and violin from grade 3. They are optional, but Joe loves music, and given that we own a 1/4 size violin, a 1/2 size violin, and an electric piano, they would be great options depending on where he is at that point. The EPAs are also trained to help with potty learning (not training), self help skills, and speech therapy. The school also has a Physical Therapist who visits the students who need it, as well as an Occupational Therapist on staff.

The problem is we can not guarantee availability for school XYZ until June, and registration starts Feb 1 for all schools in our province.

We're also waiting to hear back from a special needs preschool, which focuses on Autism and related disorders. They are an inclusive center which have many specialty trained staff members (nutritionist, OT, PT, ST, and Psychologist). If we can get him in there, we may keep him there for a year, and then send him to school the following year. Hopefully to school XYZ.

Sounds like you have options and a plan.

The problem is that I have options, but none of them are guarenteed, and I don't know which one is right for Joe.... I've never sent an NT child to school before (Joe is my oldest), let alone an ASD child, and I just.... I don't know how to make this decision, and my husband is leaving it up to me as he's gone 8+ months a year with work, and I'll be the one dealing with everything....

I just don't know what to do