Hi Everyone, My son is turning 3, and is diagnosed mild autism, high functioning. His testing at the public school he will be attending in September said he is overall on the average range. However, they are suggesting only 60 mins inclusion time a day, with the other 5 hours being in self contained. I was surprised by this, and want to ask for more...but I am not sure if I am right in doing so. Any feelings on self contained vs inclusion? What worked for your kids? Thanks!!!

I have experienced many different request from parents. Some want more some want less and some don't participate in the school program at all. Some kids have paraprofessionals, OT, PT, sped teacher, and parents are unhappy and want more specialists, and some parents want less services and more inclusion with no para. I have trained all special ed staff in autism and am a certified autism specialist myself. So, because I still see parent concerns I'm seeking ideas from all of you so I can be a… read more

Levi will be in 4th grade this fall and his teach thinks that he is ready to move to gen ed classes..... POST IEP we have decided to NOT move him to regular gen ed yet

Has anyone else encountered their asd child being somewhat angelic in the school and therapeutic setting, but then beyond challenging (self-injurious, negative, hurting siblings etc) daily in the home environment? What have you found to be the problem? Is there a solution or something to help at home? Thanks. 😊

I just set up an IEP meeting for my son who is high functioning. School is going awful for him and I need to get a better plan in place. I think part of the issue is the teachers don't fully understand what Autism is. I am going to print off a paper with questions about Autism for all staff attending to answer so I get a better understanding of what they know about ASD. So simply questions like "What is Autism?" But I'm looking for other questions you think would be beneficial to ask. Also any… read more

I need recommendations for the Naples/Fort Myers Florida area. We are moving there this summer, and I want to find the right school for my 12 year old son. He's currently in a small class of fourteen 5th and 6th graders. Middle school will be a huge change for him. He is high functioning and also has ADHD. DeLasalle looks wonderful, but it's quite expensive. I'm looking into the scholarships, but it seems that we will need to be Florida residents for a year before qualifying. Any and all… read more

My son is five years old and was diagnosed with autism two years ago. He has received an IEP, and is currently in kindergarten. My wife and I are considering having him held back at the end of the school year, as he currently does not understand the association between spoken and written words and letters, nor the visual and physical representation of numbers or objects and written numbers and math. These are abstract concepts that he does not understand. He receives one hour a day with a… read more

My son has been on Daytrana patch since February. He currently is at 20 mg. I feel like it is not working at all. He is more irritable, aggressive and impulsive. He cannot swallow pills due to sensory issues. We previously tried Focalin XR (he kept chewing the beads) and Vyvanse (increased tics). I was wondering about Methylin as it comes in a liquid or chewable or Dextroamphetamine which also comes in a liquid. Anyone have any experience with these???? Thanks!

Hello everybody! Does anyone know of a gymnastic school for children with special needs near Newnan, GA and or any summer activities that caters to children with special needs? Thanks!

Hello. My autistic son turned 7 and I know he’s supposed to start school. The schools in our area do not have enough support/resource for him. He was referred to a private school for autism but he is on the waiting list and 4th in that list. They said realistically it may take 4 years to make it to the top of the list. What do we do in the meantime? If he can’t start school until years later, how will he be at “grade level”? Also, how does grade level and state testing work with children who… read more