Is it horrible to make ds walk

He isn't walking on his own. OP is going with him.

As long as the route isn't crime ridden or full of dark creepy corners I think this is absolutely fine. Lots of us did similar walks to school at that age!

It absolutely can. It very much depends on the person. People with autism respond differently to stressful environments. Not everyone with autism would respond the same way. And at this point we have no idea whether the OP has ASD anyway.

Out playing sport is completely different from walking on your own with your school bag. I wouldn’t want my 11yo doing this. 15 minutes maybe.

"you've taken the bus at least once so that indicates you should be able to do so again." that's not really how it works with autism.

Exactly. It just seemed as though you were ready to apply that person's experience to yourself, in order to avoid taking the bus. As I understand it, you don't have a diagnosis of anything yet. I hope that you are able to access help soon. In the meantime, you've taken the bus at least once so that indicates you should be able to do so again. Maybe not every day but it seems to be a viable option.

I really don't understand what the issue is about an 11 year old walking 1.8 miles to school. I walked a similar distance for my entire secondary school time.

Please be aware that this person’s experience is not universally true of people with autism.

And of course, you don’t yet know whether you have autism, ADHD, anxiety, or something else entirely. I would definitely encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and take the bus at least a couple of times a week.

Secondary age and no physical limitations? It's fine. It's what DS will be doing next year.

What helped me is mostly avoiding the overstimulating environments and wearing noise cancelling headphones

I think it’s ok mine had a half hour ish walk to school but they went on their own. It’s quite a lot for you to do that return trip twice a day I wouldn’t have the time with work but presumably you must be able to fit it in.

I dont think its wrong to allow a child a two mile walk to school, I had a just under the three mile walk back in the 70's ( hence no free bus pass ) and then aged 13, I did a three mile paper round before hand

Sure I got wet, but back in those days - no one thought of saying you need to change blah blah , life wasnt as cosy

What I would say was "horrible" ( your words ) is making your problem his.

Put him on the bus, you dont need to get on it

Yeah I get it that school buses - ie buses full of kids going to the same school - are loud , busy and can be bullying, but he has to grow up himself and face these challenges himself

Wrapping him in cotton wool because of your fears and anxieties , is really going to make his life difficult, Im so sure you dont want that

The issue isn't the length of the walk. It's the level to which OPs condition is affecting the child's life.

In other threads OP has referenced difficulties with school. If a child finds school difficult a 40 minute walk in the rain can very quickly become a reason for not attending.

Could he travel by bus on his own? Alternatively, given your condition, you may well be eligible for an escort to take him to school.

Why would he be alone ?

Do you really think no-one else attends this school ?

On the first day the Yr7s started secondary (day before other years) my dd had walked about 75 yards from our house on her 40minute walk when another 11 yr old came up behind her and asked if she could walk with her as she didn't know anyone else (had just moved into our road in the Summer and had attended a different Primary School). They must have spent many, many hours putting the world to rights on their walks to and from school. They are still friends today and dd went to her friend's wedding this Summer.

DS and friends would often go to the park for a kick about after school, so his final walk home (we were probably one of the furthest away from school), so the walk to the house was only half the distance from there, and he still had someone to walk with until the last 5 mins or so.

I know because for years, I constantly went to places that were overstimulating in order for it to be less overstimulating and it didn't work. I thought it was caused by social anxiety and at the time had no idea what overstimulation is, I don't think I even heard that word until a few years ago.

But it wasn't caused by anxiety, it's caused by my brain receiving more sensory or emotional input than it can comfortably process and filter.

Unlike neurotypical brains that automatically block out background noise or dim lighting, an autistic brain often processes every sight, sound, and texture at full intensity. This overload can feel intensely stressful or physically painful.

It feels equally intense the first time that you experience it, as it does the 100th time. It's because an autistic brain is just wired this way.

I would say it’s absolutely fine

Or you could just click 'See All' on the opening post (or any of her posts) and read the updated information, so you'd know the answers....

100% this

40 mins walk each way is absolutely fine at that age.

My secondary was 40 mins, 2 miles.

I walked 40 mins to secondary school because that's how far away it was. Many children did from my area. Sometimes mum could give a lift depending on work but not always. Frequently she'd say start walking home and I'll get you on the way but invariably was held up and passed us at the end of our road! Buses infrequent and unreliable.
Might be different as you say it's a SEN school but I certainly had a lot to carry. Food tech ingredients, art folder, PE kit, hockey stick... not all together but it often required some careful planning to ensure that eg I took PE kit in a day early so I didn't have to carry same day as ingredients.
It was a long walk but hugely helped by meeting friends on the way. You'll be with him though, so he's got company. Nowadays I suppose teens could listen to whatever to pass the time.

'suffer'!!!

A 40 minute walk? What on earth planet are you on?

You're right, children are sponges and most of them are now lardy because they have parents that think that a 40 minute walk is 'suffering'. They will internalise a message that movement/exercise/getting somewhere on your own steam is somehow beyond them, hard work, suffering, not the norm.