Monday, July 10, 2006

Clinic Notes: Where is the Best Placement for a High Functioning Child with Autism?

One question I always get in my clinic from parents of high functioning children with autism is what program is best. Of course, the school system usually wants to put them in special ed classes or a separate autism program in the larger school systems. But then you run into a modeling problem. Children with or without developmental delays are going to imitate their peers. So if you have a class of children with autism who is the high functioning child going to imitate?
I have a mother of a high functioning child coming to my clinic now. She and her husband are traveling all over the country looking for the best autism program. I'd mainstream this child, while at the same time providing the ABA services the child needs. I've done this many time and it works well.