When you have a child on the autism spectrum, considering school placement can be daunting and a challenging task especially when you as a parent start looking for an autistic school that will address your child’s specific needs as well as ensure that your child will excel in his or her development.

Here are a few factors when considering autistic schools that will be discussed further in this article:
1. School readiness
2. Mainstream school vs autistic school
3. Challenging behavior in the classroom
4. Support in the classroom: Is this school equipped to teach your child?
5. Setting your child up for success

1. School readiness
Firstly, you need to consider if your child has the prerequisite skills to be successful in a school environment, some important points to consider are the following:

Communication: does your child have a means of communication that will be understood by the teachers and the peers? This can be vocal language or the use of a picture exchange system (PECS) or augmentative alternative communication (AAC).

Fine motor skills: is your child able to hold a crayon or pencil with the appropriate grip, does he or she have appropriate finger and hand strength to be able to sustain a coloring, pre-handwriting, handwriting or cutting activity?

Academic skills: does your child have the age appropriate academic skills for the grade level they are joining for your child to be successful in the classroom?
Social skills: does your child have imitation skills and the ability to follow and reciprocate basic social cues?

Challenging behavior: does your child engage in challenging behavior that acts as a barrier to learning such as restricted, repetitive behavior patterns, also known as stereotypy, crying or tantrums or aggression towards him or herself or others?

2. Mainstream school vs autistic school
When considering school placement, the first decision a parent is faced with is whether you will approach an inclusive mainstream school or a remedial school such an autistic school. The challenge parents are faced with in our schooling system is finding inclusive mainstream schools with an appropriate support structure that consists of trained professionals in place to help your child be successful versus a remedial school or autistic school. As autism is a spectrum disorder each child has his or her own skill deficits and skill excesses that needs to be addressed. Therefore, a classroom can consist of children with lower needs as well as children with higher needs. Your child might not thrive in the classroom in an autistic school as something that might be overwhelming for one child might be under stimulating for another child.

3. Challenging behavior
A child with autism often exhibits challenging behavior due to the skill deficits as a means of communication. When a child is placed in a school where educators aren’t equipped to deal with challenging behavior your child will not learn the appropriate replacement behaviors. More often than not challenging behaviors occur due to skill deficits and are often identified as a child being naughty or defiant in a classroom. Without these challenging behaviors being addressed by the appropriate trained professionals this can act as a barrier to learning for a child not to thrive in a classroom. Further this can also have an effect on the child’s self esteem due to being labelled as naughty or difficult as well as not being successful in the classroom set up.

4. Support in the classroom
The appropriate support in the classroom can be given by ensuring that trained professionals work with the child in the classroom that understand the diagnosis, the skill deficits and excesses. An indivualized education plan (IEP) should be in place for the child to ensure that the skill deficits are addressed, monitored and adapted which includes curriculum modifications that can be made if needed. A trained facilitator can be provided in a classroom to facilitate your child’s learning in the classroom.

5. Setting up your child to be successful
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and The Star Academy can provide the required support by setting your child up for success.
One of the most effective and research-based interventions for autism is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and this can be defined as: “The application of the principles of behaviour to issues that are socially important in order to produce practical change”- that is based on Operant Conditioning Theory. The core principle of ABA is that desirable consequences increase behaviour whereas undesirable consequences will decrease behaviour. ABA therapy for Autism is an intervention that strives to decrease excesses in the child’s behaviours and diminish the skill deficits that are being caused by these behavioural excesses therefore building up a skill repertoire for the child. The two main aspects of the programme at The Star Academy based on ABA are: Skill Repertoire Building and Behaviour Management.

By following an ABA programme at The Star Academy a child specific programme is developed that addresses their skill deficits and behavior excesses by looking at the following curriculum areas:

Language skills: this curriculum includes lessons designed to develop a child’s ability to effectively communicate and understand vocal and nonvocal communication of others

Social skills: this curriculum includes lessons designed to develop the child’s social interaction, social language skills, self-esteem, group related skills etc.

Motor skills: this curriculum includes lessons designed to develop the visual, oral, gross and fine motor skills a child needs to effectively communicate, participate in play and daily living activities and succeed academically

Play skills: this curriculum includes lessons designed to develop a variety of age appropriate play skills including peer play, independent play, constructive play, pretend play, computer play etc.

Academic skills: this curriculum includes lessons designed to develop a wide range of language arts and math skills with the aim of promoting a child’s ability to independently participate in and complete academic assignments at school
Adaptive skills: this curriculum includes lessons designed to develop a child’s ability to independently engage in daily living activities, such as dressing skills, toileting, mealtime behavior and safety awareness.

Executive functioning skills: this curriculum includes lessons designed to address skill areas involved in goal-directed behavior, such as memory, attention, planning, self-awareness and problem solving

Cognition: this curriculum includes lessons designed to develop a child’s ability to understand the mental states of himself or herself and others, such as one’s thoughts, desires, beliefs, emotions and so forth.

Conclusion – Autistic School options
Your child can have a successful school experience if you follow the needed steps to set your child up for success by firstly ensuring your child receives early intervention through ABA therapy to work on catching up the skill deficits and decreasing the behavioral excesses. Once your child has the prerequisite skills, trained facilitators can be sent to either a mainstream or remedial or Autistic School, depending on your child. This should include a procedure put in place to ensure the facilitator will be faded out at school systematically when your child is ready and successful. Sometimes a child might be more successful when taught vocational and adaptive skills compared to being in a school system. With the help of trained professionals and recommendations made by trained Board Certified Autism Technician supervisors an action plan can be put in place to help your child achieve greatness.

– Monique Erasmus