Tag: Autism school

If your child has been diagnosed with autism, your first response may be to find the right services to set your child up for success. Autism presents learning difficulties that will require extra attention and support to help children in school.

Children with autism can attend a traditional school and receive services during the day. Depending on where the child is on the spectrum, the child may spend half or even a full day in a special needs classroom. Children with autism will also receive services such as speech therapy if needed, but those sessions will take place once or twice a week, if available.

What about sending my child to a special school for autism?

An autism school could be an excellent choice for a child with autism for many reasons.

An autism school provides:

• Smaller classrooms
• A better teacher to student ratio
• Trained staff
• Carefully monitored and tracked progress
• Tailored curriculum
• More frequent therapy sessions

Students may also feel more comfortable because they are surrounded by other students who are like them. They are given the opportunity to be themselves and learn how they need to live to their highest potential.

Smaller Classrooms

By arranging smaller classroom sizes, children can receive more individualized attention during class. When children are given individual attention and instruction, they can then retain information better, develop new skills and live a well-rounded life. 

Teacher to Student Ratio

Smaller classrooms mean a better teacher to student ratio. Schools for autism are excellent at providing students the resources they need because they make sure enough teachers give students the attention needed to understand a task or assignment.  

Trained Staff

Having trained staff on campus can make all the difference when teaching or dealing with behavioral issues. If a teacher or staff member is not qualified, teaching a class can become complicated, and other students may become distracted by another student’s behavioral issues. The student displaying the problems can then become frustrated because their teacher does not understand them. This can become a cycle that needs to be addressed.

Trained staff will know when to intervene and how to bring the child back into focus. They will also learn the best ways to teach them not to become frustrated and succeed in the classroom environment.

Progress is Monitored and Tracked

Every child progresses differently. Both traditional schools and schools for autism provide children with autism IEPs or Individualized Education Plans. An IEP is “a written document outlining how to tailor an educational program to a child with special needs. It is usually created as a cooperative effort between parents, teachers, and educational specialists.” 

Throughout the school year, teachers and educational specialists will monitor their progress and adjust when necessary. The parents also review adjustments. The goal is to have accomplished specific goals within the IEP. 

Tailored Curriculum

Children with autism have unique learning disabilities that may hinder them from understanding an assignment or lesson plan in a traditional classroom. Autism schools will provide them with a tailored curriculum. A tailored curriculum should fall in line with their IEP and provide them with the resources and tools they need to achieve their goals.

Frequent Therapy Sessions

Therapy sessions may be needed to help with speech or behavior difficulties. Depending on where the student is on the spectrum, therapy sessions may be required more frequently. Autism schools know this is important for children with autism and provide more frequent therapy sessions. Lexington Services provides a separate therapy services center for sessions, if needed. 

Traditional schools may have therapy for autistic students, but those sessions may be limited to only once or twice a week on campus, depending on availability.

Overall, it is the child’s and parents’ choice to attend a special school for autism or a traditional school. Carefully consider your child’s experience at the school they attend now, any frustrations they may be encountering, and any services they are not receiving. Also, consider the benefits of attending a special school for autism for not only them but for yourself.

Lexington Services provides more than just therapy services. We provide students with these benefits for children with autism, plus much more. Lexington administers Pre K-12 education and the crucial elements for every student to develop their academic, behavioral, and social skills in the classroom and during after-school programs. We are unique in giving students the same opportunities as traditional schools while also catering to their individual learning styles.

We have multiple school locations for children with autism, providing various life skills that are accomplished through evidence-based practices, structured learning, standards-based curriculum, sensory integration, and behavior modification.

 Check us out and schedule a tour with us today. See if Lexington is the right place for your child to thrive!

Disclaimer: This post attempts to publicize ideas and comments that we find would be useful for our community to know. Our post is by no means intended to prompt you to handle your challenges in any specific way. We desire to bring helpful information to all our audiences and shine a light on popular topics.