How would Autistic children in a class effect my daughter ?

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, I'm concidering a primary school with a specialist unit attached for children with autism. They are in the regular classes as much as possible and they play with the other children at play times.
I just wondered how it would affect teaching for the rest of the class? I know that autistic children need a lot of support and attention, bless them and could be disruptive. I also worry about supervision in the playground, as I know form experience of working with autistic adults that they can become violent and be unpredictable.
I want my daughter to grow up having an understanding and tollerence to all sorts of people, but I do think I'd worry about her as she is very tactile and very sensitive. She is also very easily disrupted.

oh and just to add in the main, the ones who cause the most disruption in ds2s class are the NT ones!

I'm answering this as if it is a serious question, as the information may actually be useful to others in the future.

I work in a junior school with a resource for ASD children; there are 3 children with ASD in each year, so one or two in each class. They are supported in class by a TA, sometimes 1-1, sometimes as part of a group of children who need extra support. They are in the resource at the beginning and end of each day and usually eat lunch there, often with a friend from mainstream.
There is always at least one member of the specialist resource staff on duty at playtime & lunchtime, usually more.

While it is true that pupils from the resource can cause disruption, so can mainstream pupils - in the 10 years I've worked at the school I can remember more serious disruption from certain mainstream pupils than any of the children from the resource.

Both my children were at this school & worked alongside the children from the resource - it has given them a better understanding that not all children are alike, to say it has given them 'tolerance' sounds a little patronising tbh.

If your daughter is 'very tactile and sensitive' she may find that the measures put in place to help the children with ASD cope with mainstream school -for example the care taken to ensure that the classrooms are free from too much sensory input- will help the learning of the whole class.

Well, if it's my daughter's school, then dd will be hugging her back - with a few sloppy kisses thrown in for good measure.

Fabio
I take your point.
In fairness I think my initial rsponse would have been a bit less if the post had been "does anyone have experience of a school with an ASD unit attached. Are there any issues that I should anticipate/investigate before my DD starts there.

I can of course accept that the phrasing is not a deliberate attempt to offend. But then the wording was pretty grim and my reaction was not intended to be hostile. If she did not intend to offend I equally did not seek to be offended.

mll , sorry but an ill judged op.

ds may be on the AS spectrum, if very mildly, but has none of the characteristics you are so concerned about, more like your dd in fact. You seek tolerance for your child's problems in the same way as others do for theirs, whatever issues they may have. dd had a child in her class who has since left and is diagnosed, for whom they cared, included as far as possible and missed when he left. Obviously they misunderstood much of his behaviour when very young but none were negatively affected by his presence in the classroom. This child is now at a local primary with SALT unit attached but the overall environment has settled him and he is very much included and thriving. If normally in unit the children would also probably have an extra ta on hand. Ask the school how they manage the mainstream time. Don't prejudge.

In my experience, all the autistic people I've worked with have been violent. Maybe that's just where I worked?

My children have ASD, they have never been violent towards anyone

Yes some ASD children can be violent, some are sent to schools which deal with this. NT children can also be violent (as dd1 has found out)

I can see your concern but surely the school would'nt let a violent child near your child.

It upsets me that alot of people don't understand Autism and some people asume ASD children are naughty, i wish more people could be educated to know more about autism as the spectrum is huge and each ASD child is different.

sweetgrapes
my DS is a great snogger too

Onlyjoking- fantastic post, really made me think.
Maybe I would've benifitted from going to a school like that. I don't want my daughter to grow up so uninformed.

Oh I do think it might've been better phrased, Pagwatch, but it's a subject with which your'e goign to upset someone somehow on mn, I reckons.

A bit like, What shall I give wee Doris for lunch - sausage roll fresh from Greggs, or McDonalds?

thing is, this issue has only really come to the fore because the op is putting her dd into a school with a specialist unit attached. But in actual fact, you could put your child into any mainstream school and chances are that there would be children with SEN in your child's class, except you wouldn't necessarily know who they were and what was wrong with them as they won't come with labels attached.

Most of the parents of the children in my ds' class don't even know that the three children in question have ASD. And sadly, I have seen this attitude of parents thinking that children with sen shouldn't be in the mainstream setting, in fact one even commented wrt one child that "he should be in a specialist unit somewhere"

fabio

Doris

Remember that all children, whether diagnosed with something or not, are just children. DS1 (severely autistic) is over affectionate if anything and aged 9 is still very cuddly. He's certainly cuddlier than ds2. Even those at the very severe end of the spectrum are just children. Not to be feared, or to be seen as something that needs to be shut away and to keep away from other children.

Like OJ I was concerned when ds1 started school that he would be ignored because he was so passive. That has changed as he has become older (a good thing imo).

The important thing in any school is that the staff understand your child.

I agree, the wording was awfull. That's just me being thick though, I should've read it back before pressing "Post message".
In fact I probubly would've deleated it.
I'm just a bit worried about all aspects of my daughter starting school. I can't talk about these concerns to anyone in RL.

This makes me very sad, my DS1 was very nearly hounded out of his mainstream primary by parents who were worried about his "influence" on his classmates.

POor ds1, curlywurly. I don't think MLL is a hounder though

Pagwatch - have I offended? Sorry if so. Unintentioal.

I used to work in a school that had an SN unit with part of the school, the children were integrated within on the school and different amounts depending on their needs. Most had a support worker (I was one)

The benefits for all of the children were clear. Given the choice I would send all of my children with SN or not to a similar set up of school.

My DSS is mixed, and they learn sign language and Makaton (sp?) so they can communicate with each other.

(NB I find Bless very patronising but people use it around here all of the time and don't intend to be patronising at all)

Well in that case, don't you think it's better that I'm asking you guys about it in confidence so that I won't go in to the school with that attitude?
You have all helped me to realise more about autism and have made me feel at ease. Surely that's a good thing.

sorry meant: my DSS'S school is mixed

I know one or two people who use the term "bless them" frequently, as a normal thing to say about anyone (adult, child etc), but generally I think it can be seen as very condescending (perhaps slightly sub-human).

Regarding the heart of your question, my children went to a school with a similar unit, and it has been really good. There are extra facilities which children in the mainstream classes can use, therapists come to visit the school to see the children in the unit, so the rest of the school has an on call relationship, and I think the teachers in general have a better understanding of special needs in general.

My children have not particularly mixed with the children in the unit, but there have never been any issues, and some of the children move in and out of the mainstream, which again is a good thing. The only aggression that they have experienced was from "ordinary" children (although I suspect that neither of the "bad" kids they have had trouble with have particularly stable home lives). I have a feeling that my ds is at least as disruptive at times as some of the children with diagnosed behavioural problems to be honest, and that most schools will have a couple of kids with at least the potential to be disruptive in every class.

The school has an excellent community, and I think that the unit enhances this. Last year for example all the juniors were in a special dance, including those with special needs, and some of them have quite significant disabilities. It was great to see them all giving such a creative performance.

yes mll, I do think tis better to ask here.
shame at initial reaction but you live and learn and that

nookie- sorry, it's a fraise I use a lot, with my daughter and other children. I didn't think anyone would have a problem with it. It's very commonly used where I live.

fabio

seriously -not offended.

But shall now hide as oppertunity to offend /be offended is g-normous

Fabio, I am sure she isn't, I think some of the parents who "complained" to the head teacher weren't either, they just had no idea what effect this sort of comment could cause. Many times as a parent you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, DS1 is educated within a borough that does not believe in "special needs schools" and most children with an educational special need are in mainstream with support, this can be difficult enough (trying to get the message across to all members of staff they come into contact with be it a class teacher or a dinner lady), without the added pressure that the sigmatism of autism can bring......that said we do live in a very narrow minded area in many respects!

also it's one of those that can seem patronising when read, without the benefit of facial expression, tone and all that.

"bless them" - sub human ?