This topic is right on point with what we are engaging in this moment (and what caused my wife and I to find this site) thank you all above for the question and responses and MAT for this site! Andrew 5, diagnosed with ASD at 10mos, has been in early intervention and ABA since. We just placed him in a junior kindergarten for neurotypical children as he did awesome at the DCIU and we felt this was the next challenge for Andrew. We have ABA attend with him at the school but he seems depressed lately (generally the happiest kid around), it’s only been 5 weeks at the new school so we’re trying to understand whether this is transition depression or truly due to being the former point Patricia made.....I went to the school the other day to pick him up as I had the day off and saw 8-10 kids heading to the playground at the school and I said hi to them, they were all smiles and cheery, and then I saw Andrew at the entrance and he got excited as Dad came to pick him up and he started making his excited energetic sounds and his rocking, as I took his hand to start walking back to the car I turned to face those same 8-10 kids and they looked as if they had seen a ghost but were also judging, not a fun look, I’m accustomed to uneducated parents, ppl, etc., but for the first time I got a glimpse of what my son may be facing of his neurotypical peers and it wrecked me and it’s had me over analyzing his behavior lately, regardless, we’re still evaluating as every child is different and we’re going to talk with the Director to get a better understanding of how he is acclimating. My wife is the stud here on all of the acronyms and references so if I misused a term pls excuse me....It’s our first time on this site and first time for me sharing in a forum like this so not even sure if I’m offending anyone by using this thread to share our story but were on a mission to find the right environment for Andrew and this one resonated completely, heck it got me to write for this first time ever as I don’t even generally post in any forum. Thanks for reading and wish you all the best!

Have you checked out any non public schools in your area? I'm touring 2 today with the district because none of their schools are appropriate and therefore they are not able to meet the legal requirements of FAPE. Its not easy to get, but if you feel like your child is not going to succeed, as in my case he regressed greatly academically and behavior wise, question everything and request all data, cume file in writing and consider an Attorney. It's about $75K a year, so like I said its not easy to get but if your child needs it to access the curriculum then they have to, but you have to be able to prove they are not meeting their goals and that's why I said put everything in writing and request all tracking of times and goals treatment evsls, etc. In my case it turned the entire bus around. My son will now be in a appropriate place for Autistic children and hopefully learn rather than regress. Good luck.

You sound like a great mom. Keep asking questions... don't let them discourage you...

@A MyAutismTeam Member even though my lil one was diagnosed at 3, he’s now 6. I feel it’s only just started. (if that makes any sense) I am learning as I go. I just picked up the terms stims & neurotypical. I hope I’m using them in the right context, lol.

I did say something re: the teacher that said the mean comment. I didn’t say anything to the teacher that yelled at him because she wasn’t his actual teacher who happens to be very sweet. The crazy thing is I was talking to the principal when the teacher was yelling at my son to get up. He had laid on the floor because I wasn’t allowed to walk him to the front door due to the new safety prodical, so his routine was interrupted. The principal didn’t even turn around as she explained to me that there were no acceptions to the rule. Long story short they eventually gave me the option to walk him to the front door, but I used it as a teaching moment. With some effort & protests Lil guy is walking to the front door on his own. It’s the lil successes.

I am on the PTA but haven’t done any actual participating as of yet.

The teachers & principal know me, but I think they avoid me because I ask a lot of questions and tend to talk A LOT about ASD children and their difficulties/challenges.

As of right now things are ok in the school but I’m always paying attention to what’s going on. I am on alert so to speak. I need to know there is always other options a plan a, b & c. I just worry about what’s going on when I’m not there which is ridiculous I know. lil guy doesn’t tell me what his day was like.
One thing I do appreciate about his ASD is that he is so happy & carefree. He doesn’t notice or even care, I guess when children/people are being sarcastic & mean to him. He’s just so happy to simply be in their company. The problem is I notice.
Thank you for the advice. Noted & appreciated.

Mentioned Users

A MyAutis...

neurotypical children - i like that term. thank you.
regarding teachers yelling at him. You need to nip that in the bud RIGHT NOW! - if he has an abusive teacher you need a DIFFERENT teacher. I hope you have reported these staff behaviors. Teachers can be some of the worst bullies as the other kids tend to follow their lead. Talk to your principal and if she doesn't do anything - talk to her boss. Do NOT feel anyway about telling them what's what. I fully believe teachers can be a HUGE negative impact in these scenarios. Another way you can advocate for your child is by joining your PTA. Be on the board if you can. Teachers are better when they know the parents personally. I think it humanizes the child/family for them.