Anyone with ADHD/atustic child who goes to special school?

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We were thinking about the possibility of special school for our son as we feel mainstream expectd far too much from him and he is contstantly told he is naughty and silly . Has anyone opted for special school over mainstream and do you feel it was the best thing to do? thanks in advance for any help (we have tried two types of medication also and nothing seems to be working, I dont want to have do drug him up to the eyeballs just to fit in at mainstream)

This is a very individual decision which depends on your son, his needs, and the school options available. My son, now 14 and in 9th grade, is now in a specialized school for the first time in his "educational career." Our difficulties in typical environments were that some teachers didn't understand his need for accommodation, particularly concerning written work, and there was never enough support for his needs re: socialization.

Since it is still early in the school year, we are not able to assess the current school thoroughly as of yet, but overall, we are pleased. There is definitely less stress, socially. Also, in terms of homework, there are fewer demands and therefore less stress. The biggest concern is whether the academics will be appropriately challenging. We are still working on finding the right placement for his math class, but are hopeful that that will work out. In many specialized schools, the problem for academically advanced students is finding appropriately challenging coursework, while also receiving the supports that they need. If there are specialized schools that can support your son's academic needs as well as his other needs, a specialized school can be a great benefit. For many students, despite the current push towards inclusion, they feel much more included in a specialized school, where they are more "just like everyone else." In order to know whether a particular school would be appropriate, however, it would be essential to observe at the school and to speak to other parents.

There is a great school in my community that addresses the needs of kids with Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders. The name of the school is "Trade Winds" and is part of the Kelberman Center for Autism in Upstate New York, nestled in the Mohawk
River Valley between Syracuse and Albany. When the kids become able to be "mainstreamed" into a regular school, often with support and assistance, they are given that opportunity.

The Kelberman Center for Autism also has a preschool program, social activities which addresses the needs of kids with Autism and ASD, an awesome summer camp program and residential housing for kids and adults who need such placements.

You can check out their website...just Google, Kelberman Center for Autism.

my son went to a therapeutic school for 3 years. it was truly a blessing ! he was such a mess when he entered.....he just returned to mainstream education and seems to be doing well

thanks for the replies, his annual reivew has now been bought forward to after christmas, where everyone will get together to discuss if its an option. His headmaster feels that it may be next year (my son is only 6.5) that they will consider special school. We have decided its what we want and what our son needs, so will try our best to be heard. Apparently they all have to do their reports on him and then it goes to a panel for a decision, so im keeping my fingers crossed

hi, its a horrible decision to have to make. Have you tried contacting the NAS? I know of some specialist units that have been set up so that children with ASD can have somewhere to retreat to if things get overwhelming for them - a sort of best of both worlds measure, but I'm not sure how many there are in the UK?

i'd suggest being pro-active about this....don't just sit back and hope they'll decide in your favor- talk to your son's dr about this- is this what the doc reccomends ? was this a reccomendation of an eval your son had ?....what can you do to show that the reg ed system has failed your son ? what reasons can you give to show that a therapeutic school would be better ?