Houston TX special private elementary schools plse

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My husband and and I and our 8 year old Aspie son live in Perth, Western Australia, where my husband works for a US company. My husband has been (almost) offered a job with his company’s Houston office and so we would find ourselves in the position of ex-pats in Texas at the beginning of 2010. The job is exciting, but my husband has told the company that we will only come if we can find a very good school for our son (fortunately the salary package includes a payment towards the schooling so we can afford a private school). I have done some Googling and it seems as though you guys in Houston are blessed with the best health centre in the world and lots of Aspie- and autism-specific schools. I am really hoping that someone can tell me first-hand about some of these schools so that we know which to look at for our son. I will have to come over with him and do a reccy.

He is 8 ½, high-functioning, and has always been mainstreamed but needs an aide to keep him on task. His special interest is reading, no interest in people, but is affectionate. He has problems regulating his own emotions and behaviour a little but no major meltdowns (if he is managed). He needs to learn how to socialise and to behave. I’m looking for a special (ie, non-mainstream) school at this point, in the hope that I can find somewhere with low staff-student ratios and where he will be with kids equally high-functioning. I believe he has a good future, but the emotional and behavioural problems that we have with him are ones that we seem to have reached a plateau with and that the mainstream school environment is not equipped to fix. We are trying to teach him social conversation, etc. in home therapy.

I hope this gives enough information so that you will be able to help me with advice about suitable schools. My husband will be working in Bellaire if he takes the job.

Many thanks in anticipation,
Miss G
Western Australia

I don't know if I'm qualified to answer since I'm not in Houston, but about 80 miles east. Still, same region and similar schools.

I was put into private school when I was 9, I had been in the public school system until then. I feel this was a mistake. Many of the children in my private school were very snobby, and I was never accepted. And the ones who didn't mind me couldn't be talking to me or they'd be looked down on too.

My school work deteriorated as well. Everybody's different, but the more personal attention I get the worse I do, it feels like pressure. Kind of "Oh no, they're noticing me" I guess.
But my parents felt that was the best place for me, so there I stayed.

WhenI was 16 and close to the legal dropout age, I told them that's what I was going to do. I wanted back in public school, and finally I could do it. They fought me, but in the end let me switch. I was much happier over there, no longer shunned and outcast. I did graduate.

Some people find private school wonderful. I didn't.
I would suggest you wait, and actually go around to all the potential schools with him, checking them out. And then let him have some say in where he thinks he would be happiest. I wish someone had asked my opinion at that age.