I know all people are different but I wanted to seek advice about secondary schools specifically for students with high functioning autism. My dd is almost 14, ASD diagnosed. Struggled through mainstream, spent most of year 8 at home whilst we got her statement sorted. Shes now attending an inclusion unit attached to her original mainstream secondary in an asd class of 10 students, Academically she's capable of working to A level (with the right support in place) however continues to struggle with sensory difficulties, communication and socially. Anxiety is also an issue and all this impacts on her ability to engage and to learn. i;m having serious doubts about whether the Unit can - or even wants to meet her needs- she goes out to mainstream for a couple of subjects and has been placed in the bottom sets, Even her Maths teacher at perents evening was asking me why she's in her set when clearly capable of achieving at least a 'C' grade at GCSE. The Unit haven't even begun to address communication issues even though this is on her statement - told me they'd referred her to SLT in September when in fact that referral wasnt even made until January - by which time i'd arranged and paid for a private assessment. I don't think we have a hope of getting them to implement SLTs recommendations. They have called her a 'hazard' to her face and described her to me in an email as an 'angry young person' - to which I responded she is anxious, overwhelmed and sometimes frustrated. I know that even thing written in to her care plans aren't being followed - basic things like being able to move around the mainstream school when the corridors are empty. Anyway, i'm wondering if she would be better off in a more specialist setting, where all staff are more geared up to working with asd students and have more awareness of their barriers to learning, and more empathetic with how they experience school and life in general. Any suggestions? Ive had a look around the internet but its really difficult to identify any which can provide a therapeutic setting but which also meets academic needs, We live in Wales in the middle of nowhere so I guess we'd be looking at weekly residential.