leaving an inclusion environment for a more supportive and knowledgeable learning environment.

As parents with children on the spectrum or just parents of children with exceptionalities/differences we have always said that inclusion is best. For years, I pushed and pushed for the best inclusion setting I could get for my son. I believe with a full heart that with the right or correct support all or most children can be supported learners in a classroom. In my heart, this is the best option. However, though my journey we have left inclusion learning. We have also left public school!

The struggle:

No matter how much I talked about autism, nonverbal children and necessary support it was never enough

Safety became a number one priority! I could not sleep at night because I was having dreams of my son running away at school and no one catching him before he ran down the street or worse into the lake in front of the school.

It wasn’t a two way street. I was willing to fund and pay for a private behavior therapist to essentially be his one to one for part of the day because the district would not provide a one on one support. When I proposed the private pay therapist, which can be allowed by a site principal, it was not welcomed as a solution. I was trying to do everything to keep him in an inclusion environment and they did everything possible to block that. Their opinion was that he didn’t belong in an inclusion classroom but in an ESE center.

Our Journey:

• We left public school for kindergarten at a private therapy center with one on one instruction for my non verbal child.
• The school closed.
• We returned to an inclusion classroom at a private school with one on one support.
• It didn’t work.
• COVID
• It started working from home with one on one support with video meetings.
• Return to school with all the support in the inclusion classroom (at private school).
• It didn’t work again; behaviors were actually worse!
• Find an autism school. All students are on the spectrum.
• Find a new behavior therapy company.
• Spend almost one month out of school in transition in the middle of the school year!
• Finish the school year at the autism school; return and complete a full school year at one school!
• See learning, see growth, see a happy child!

I want my son to be accepted for his differences and welcome with all kids. However, leaving inclusion education and surrounding my son with children like him has been a huge success for us. For the first time on our journey, everyone is on the same page working together to help teach my son. This is how it should be but I feel so happy and fortunate that I have the team I do. The communication and responsiveness to successes or struggles is amazing and so helpful when you have a busy life and multiple kids.

There are so many options and my first choice has and will be inclusion with support. When you can’t get the support and team communication needed to be successful, you have to find the setting that works for your child. Having a happy, healthy child that is successful in learning is the goal.

Need help finding the education setting that works for your child?

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