If you have an autistic child, they may not do well in the traditional classroom or public school. If you have a child with autism and they are ready to start school, below are two tips on finding the right one for them. This can help your child be a success in school, and you can feel good as a parent knowing your child is happy.
Make a Visit
Make a list of some schools in your area that you are interested in, and make an appointment with each school to make a visit.
The teachers should be trained in special education and have the experience working with autistic children. The teachers should understand the planning and strategies needed to manage and modify the learning environment for autistic children. They should also be able to help your child develop their social and communication skills.
Talk with each individual teacher at the schools, and ask them how they teach the children with special needs and what their credentials are, such as if they have a specialized special education degree.
Ask the school if you can visit and observe the classroom for a day. Make sure you observe during lesson time, as well as when the children take breaks and during lunch.
Watch the children as the teacher is giving the lessons, and take note of how the teacher deals with different situations, such as if a child is refusing to learn or a child is having problems communicating. This can show a lot in how experienced the teacher is with working with children with this type of disability. Watch how the teacher settles disagreements between the children. You can visit the schools that you are interested in more than one time.
Speak with Parents
If it is possible, speak with other parents that have autistic children that attend the school. This can give you some honest feedback and give you a much clearer picture of if the school is right for your child. Speak with several parents so you can get several points of view.
The school will obviously not give you the name and number of the parents, but if you are at the school when the children arrive and/or when they leave, you should see many of the parents taking and picking up their children. If possible, have your child with you while you are there so the parents will feel better about talking about the school.
It may take you some time to find the perfect school for your autistic child. For this reason, start your search well before they will be starting school.
Share28 November 2016
Hello, my name is Melony. Welcome. I am here to talk to you about child development. As a young adult, I studied child development in my elective courses. I wanted to learn about the factors that help kids grow into functional adults. I studied all of the different ways this process can go wrong. Although I cannot use this info for my career, I am glad I studied this topic in great detail while in school. I will use this site to help others learn all they can about healthy child development. Please feel free to visit my site anytime to learn more.
