Each child is unique in his own way. There is no one general consensus on how to best educate your child with autism. Some kids will do extremely well in a special classroom while others manage quite nicely in a regular classroom, perhaps with special tutoring added in.
Are special schools for kids with autism the way to go?
Whether or not your child should be included in a "regular" classroom is a very difficult question to answer. You should give a lot of thought and guidance before making this decision. Education decisions for kids with autism are generally best made by a team including the parents, teachers, therapists and administrators who know your child's unique strengths and needs.
What should I expect from my autistic child's school?
One of the most important ingredients to a successful school environment for a child with autism is to ensure that the school has a structured learning environment. Also, it is essential to have very clear expectations and, ideally, an environment which is sensitive to the sensory issues that plague many with autism. A sensory "friendly" is one that is free of odd noises, smells, too much commotion, lots of distractions…you know, the kind of things that go along with most schools! But seriously, it is critical that a special environment be designed with the sensory needs of your kid in mind.
What is an ideal class size for a child with autism?
Ideally, the smaller the better and with few distractions. Teachers need to be patient and understand that your child with autism sees things and senses things very differently from their neurotypical counterparts. So a teacher who can view the world through the eyes of her or his autistic students is needed.
What about a traditional school?
This depends a lot on your individual child. If your child has high functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome, then they may excel academically in a traditional school. With a lower functioning child, special accommodations will be needed and it is likely that your child will need special attention and tutoring that is typically not available in a main stream classroom.
Even if your child is able to handle the workload from an academic perspective, they may still struggle in a traditional school environment. Some kids will do well in a main stream classroom…while others will fail unless they are provided with needed accommodations. It really depends on your child. Common accommodations are aids, quiet areas in which to take tests, extra time to complete assignments, ability to type (rather than hand write) assignments, and so on.
For extensive information that can help your child in school, including tips and suggestions for developing an IEP (Individualized Education Program) and choosing the right school, see Craig Kendall's book The Autism Survival Guide.
I enjoy and appreciate the information, anything to help my son and my own understanding of what life is like for Nicholas. It also helps me educate my son's teacher and EA which this process is ongoing and at times very frustrating.
My name is Matt Turner from Australia. I have a 6 y.o. with autism (fairly mild). I found your work insightful and helpful - my wife is a doctor and spent many hours wading through medical texts to no avail. Our son Finley Turner is a very bright, friendly, healthy, unconditionally loved boy who can lose it sometimes. The guide helped us understand what to do and it helps him as much as us. Thanks for the work and I have recommended you to other parents in similar situations.
I found your articles to be extremely helpful...I applaud you for sharing your story and helping others who are going through similar situations. Thank you for sharing your story.
I was pleasantly surprised by the consistency, and thoroughness of the topics. I think this is a valuable tool. I think this was a valuable tool for me because as a parent we all need a kick in the butt and stay on task, constantly fighting, updating and communicating with caregivers, teachers and finding tools for our children. Keep it up!
I definitely found your information helpful. My grandson was just diagnosed this summer. He is very smart and sweet. We will continue to be an advocate for him thanks to your information. I am including a picture of him. 
"Hi my son of 3 and a half years was diagnosed today, I had concerns so prior to his appointment I researched it and joined your newsletter. The information was so helpful and very supportive it was almost like having a counselor as I opened each email I felt like some one really understood my situation so thanks you so much for that, it's a very hard thing to accept and you do feel alone but with the letters I was given inspiration and hope that not everything was going to be doom and gloom it was and still is a lifeline.
"I have found the newsletters very valuable. I have forwarded them to teachers who work with Matthias when they apply."
I have been reading your Newsletter for a while now. Find attached a picture of my family. Joel is the little boy in glasses. Thanks for putting a smile on me. My knowledge and support is increasing. I feel more positive towards helping my son than ever.
I am Ben's grandmother and see him every single day. He is a joy. What your info does is help us to understand the melt downs that quite frankly we have always put down to the meds that he takes. We have proved your theory of a strict regime for Ben. Each letter adds to our knowledge. Keep it up dear friend. We learn from you every day and will I am sure continue to learn. God Bless you.
27. August 2011 at 5:06 pm
I have an 11 year old that has been diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, and most recently Aspergers. What type of “therapy” would you recommend for organization and time management? Also, it is difficult to motivate him/find his “cookie”, so to speak……any ideas?
20. August 2011 at 9:33 am
My 8 year old son is autistic and attends public school. As far as the work required in the classroom he has no trouble with that. The problem he is having is being picked on and bullied by the other students. I have contacted the school many times through out the school year last year with little or no results. Do you have any suggestions on the possibilities of how homeschooling would be for my son?
20. August 2011 at 4:38 pm
Homeschooling is certainly one possibility. Many parents have eventually given up on working with their schools to overcome the challenge of bullying. But your school has a responsibility to provide your son with an education and to protect him from bullies. To help with the bullying problem, here are a few of my newsletters that may help:
Asperger’s and Bullying
http://www.aspergerssociety.org/articles/bully.htm
Effective Strategies to Stop Bullying
http://www.aspergerssociety.org/articles/65.htm
Will Your Child Die from Bullying? Aspie Teen Shot to Death
http://www.aspergerssociety.org/articles/46.htm
Scared at School: Students Talk about Bullying
http://www.aspergerssociety.org/articles/52v.htm
1. May 2011 at 11:17 pm
My child is 10 yrs old, he is very much forgetful. at times its like he does not make sense of the environment around him. he has difficulty understanding basic things. how can he be assisted?
8. May 2011 at 12:35 pm
First, is your child seeing a therapist or is he getting any special skills training? A therapist can help a child develop skills to help with organization and time management which can be a part of the “forgetfulness” issue.
What we have to realize is that our children on the autism spectrum think very differently than we do. They tend to focus on one thing to the exclusion of others. You may find your child focusing on a special topic of interest…maybe trains or sports or a coin collection…and showing little interest in other topics. Because many children with autism are so predisposed to focus on a topic that they are passionate about, they may appear to be absentminded or forgetful. In reality, many children with autism have phenomenal memories…as long as it is about a subject in which they are interested.
Ultimately, a person with autism has strengths and deficits…things that they are good at and things which they struggle with. A good therapist can assist a child overcome some of these deficits by first, identifying what they are and second, setting up a specific plan of action to train your loved on to overcome these challenges.
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26. April 2011 at 6:48 am
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24. April 2011 at 7:12 pm
Hi, I just read your post about Helping children with autism in school | AmericanAutismSociety.org, thank you.