Autism-Entering Public School And The Special Education Maze

This blog is the seventh in a series about a Lake Elsinore mom's personal challenges and triumphs  ...

It was time to leave preschool and enter into public school. Once again, I thought my son would go to his neighborhood school with his peers and neighbors. Wrong again! The option I was given was a classroom in another town, with an hour bus ride. I felt my son had already paid his dues, not being able to go to preschool in his community. Thank goodness I had learned a few things since he started preschool. My involvement with the Autism Society, other parent support groups at his preschool and the advocacy trainings I attended over the past two years helped me to know there was something I could do to change this.

The program being offered was run by RCOE (Riverside County Office of Education). It was on a regular school site, but was pretty much self-contained. I knew I would at least have to visit this program or I would be lableled "uncooperative" and I wouldn't be able to have an opinion if I didn't go see it. I did visit the program and found out that there were 16 children in it (eight of them from my district). I knew we could move those eight children "closer to home" and start a program in my district.

Stay tuned for more ...