What would be the advantages and disadvantages of mainstreaming a child with Autism?

He is said to be on the higher functioning end of the Autism Spectrum, but more delayed and confused then typical with Asperger's. He is diagnosed with PDD-NOS, BP, GAD, SPD, and ADHD.



I am trying to compile a list of advantages and disadvantages to help me with the decision whether or not to go along with the school districts plan to gradually mainstream my son from his substantially seperate classroom where he is the only 1st grader with four other boys who are in 4-5th grade. Here is what I have so far:



Advantages:

*Would be with children his own age

*Would have positive role models in the other children to learn from

*Be with teachers who know how to get to his level

*Be away from the principal who filed a 51a on me for not getting him the services that HE believed my son needed when his psychiatrists were telling me he did not meet the criteria for hospitalization. Although it got screened out there are still hard feelings there.

*Be with the counselor for his age group

*Have children his own age to play with/near at recess if he choses to.

*There were some days where he would be in time out more than an hour throughout his day split up between different times. This takes out from his learning times.



Disadvantages:

*He has a very high anxiety level and would be very nervous around 15 other kids in his classroom

*He gets easily overstimulated with noise, people, etc. When he is overstimulated he is more likely to have behavior issues.

*He gets very easily distracted and looses focus.

*His substantially seperate classroom has a time out area and the teachers are trained in therapeutic holds which he needs sometimes. The regular class might not have these things.



I am wondering what others think I should do as far as his placement goes, what other things you can think of that would be advantages or disadvantages of mainstreaming him. He would still have his 1:1 aid with him in either placement. He also gets PT, OT, Speech, Counseling, Sensory Integration, and Social Skills Groups through his IEP.What would be the advantages and disadvantages of mainstreaming a child with Autism?
For me the issues is not to mainstream or not to mainstream the issue is what services and support look like for him. He's got a lot cooking in there with that list of alphabet diagnosis as he gets older what primarily impacts him will likely change.



I would first make sure his sensory needs are met - then deal with his ADHD needs (meds, behavior mod etc) that will be the larger part of what will increase his success with typical peers.



Then a look at the Bi Polar stuff - which typically increases it's impact as children get older. What does your medical professional say would be useful.



In other words - the setting is important but the services are critical - what is the Least Restricitifve setting that he will get the services he needs.



Keep in mind that kids on the spectrum don't just 'pick up' typical kids behaviors by being near them - they need direct instruction.



I however am NOT a fan of teaching in isolation and I fear for the future of students on the spectrum who are in the current new favorite thing of special school for Aspy's. When will they ever learn to interact with typical peers outside an artificial environment?What would be the advantages and disadvantages of mainstreaming a child with Autism?
Go ahead with mainstreaming. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Those disadvantages would be solved one at a time through mainstreaming and continuous therapy. Hate the principal all you want but I think he knows what he's doing.



Your son needs mainstreaming. If the experts say your son is ready, then you should be happy. If your son does show serious problems, ask if he can go part-time mainstreaming and part-time one-on-one.



My son, diagnosed PDD-NOS at 3yo have gone through the same route. Surviving a seemingly endless list of therapies, he now goes to regular high school, delayed only by a year. He is slow in everything so his newest therapy session is a sports clinic in addition to his reading comprehension tutorials.



It seems your son is in good and capable hands. Don't skimp on therapy. If they say he needs it, go on with it. It takes years for you to notice any slight improvement. He will improve. Just bear with it. Good luck.What would be the advantages and disadvantages of mainstreaming a child with Autism?
A few problems with your list of advantages...



Being with children his own age isn't an advantage. It may motivate other advantages, but is not one itself. And whether it would motivate other advantages is still debatable. But it's most definitely not an advantage on it's own.



Also, the majority of children don't make good role models. I know you're likely just looking for social interaction, but he's just going to need to unlearn it and learn an entirely new one as he gets older. If he even actually does learn from them, which he may not.



And I highly doubt the teachers would know how to get to his level. They're trained in how to tell children not to learn anything without their permission, then to spend an hour teaching them a 5 minute concept using very specific methods which result in people not learning half the material. They hardly teach normal students (it's all short term memory, not learning), and I would expect them to be even less prepared to teach a student with different needs.



Also, I kind of thought autistic people had slightly different thought processes... would kind of make the counselor for his age group kind of useless. Again, they're trained to make a very small difference for normal people. None for others.



And while he would have the opportunity to play with/near other children around his age during recess if he wanted to, he'd be forced to if he didn't.



And do you actually think the time outs would be LESS frequent in standard classes?



I can't tell you what you should do, but I really don't think an advantages/disadvantages list is going to help much. Your son is an individual. You can't know how he'll react to something that hasn't happened. Shouldn't use guesswork to make such an important decision.
This part comes from the Guide to the Individualized Education Program, which was developed by the U.S. Department of Education, with the assistance of the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY). http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/i鈥?/a>



"Placement decisions must be made according to IDEA's least restrictive environment requirements-commonly known as LRE. These requirements state that, to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities must be educated with children who do not have disabilities.



The law also clearly states that special classes, separate schools, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment may occur only if the nature or severity of the child's disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily."



I would keep your list and discuss your concerns with the other members of the IEP team, sometimes they will make adjustments to the IEP but kind of like on a trial basis to see if certain thinks work with the child, such as making some short term goals about your concerns and see how he actually does with them, he may do better than anyone expects and however he does you can adjust them accordingly and/or try different approaches to achieve those goals. Like for example your concern over being overstimulated, perhaps his first few days in a mainstream class the OT can be there to help him adjust to the new enviroment or gradually work him into the mainstream class which would help with his anxiety level, take it step by step.



Remember, if at any time you disagree with his placement even though you are a part of the IEP team, there are a variety of procedures you can follow which are all covered in the procedural safeguards that the school by law should of provided you with. If they did not you can find them here:

http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croo鈥?/a>



Remember also, that the IEP team must review his IEP once per year (can be sooner per parents or teachers request) and that also that they are required by law to re-evaluate your son every 3 years (can be sooner per parents or teachers request)to see if he still meets the requirements set forth by IDEA. So if at anytime you are in any type of doubt, just request a meeting.



I also suggest visting this website: Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students With Disabilities: Accommodations: How To Select, Administer, and Evaluate Use of Accommodations for Instruction and Assessment of Students with Disabilities

http://www.osepideasthatwork.org/toolkit鈥?/a>



This is a great resource to ensure your son receives any and all accommodations he may need and to get the most from them.



This website includes: modifications or alterations vs. accommodations; documenting accommodations on a student's IEP or 504 Plan; questions to guide accommodation selection; each type of accommodation (presentation; response; setting; and timing/scheduling accommodations) and what can be used for that type of accommodation; which students can benefit from accommodations; examples of accommodations based on student characteristics; Do's and Don'ts when selecting accommodations; guidelines for administering specific accommodations; questionaire to identify various types of presentation, response, setting, and timing and scheduling accommodations for students with disabilities (purpose is to prompt members of IEP teams and 504 planning committees to consider a wide range of accommodation needs); questionnaire to collect information about needed accommodations from the student's perspective; logistics planning checklist (can be used in the planning and implementation of assessment accommodations for an individual student); %26amp; accommodations journal (journal lets the student be in charge).