When Is the Best Time to Enroll a Child with Aspergers in a Specialized School?
By Staff Writer
You're afraid your child has given up. She has started making excuses to skip school, and her struggles to make friends and fit in with her peers are resulting in lower grades and distaste for learning. If only you could start the spring semester with a clean slate.
At Southeast Journeys, a specialized school for teens with Asperger's, you can.
Although many parents are reluctant to enroll their child in a new school, particularly in the middle of the school year, the best time to get help for a child is at the first sign of social or academic difficulties.
In the absence of specialized services, these struggles don't generally get resolved on their own. The experts at Southeast Journeys have found that spring semester often brings the same frustrations as the fall semester. In many cases, a change of school environment is necessary to establish healthier patterns and achieve greater social and academic success.
"Children with Asperger's who are already discouraged after the fall semester – refusing to go to school and struggling so much socially that they aren't advancing academically – are not likely to make a turn in the spring," says Linda Tatsapaugh, MS, the Executive Director of Talisman Programs, which includes Southeast Journeys. "If the child is following the same routine with the same classmates, it is likely that the only thing that will change is the year on the calendar."
A Smooth Transition
Parents often worry about breaking up the school year with a semester or more at a new school. They say, "My child isn't good with change. Isn't a new school just another transition?"
Transitions can be a challenge for teens with Asperger's Syndrome, but specialized programs like Southeast Journeys are accustomed to managing transitions and helping students thrive in a new environment. After the initial adjustment period, the staff at Southeast Journeys has found that most teens breathe a sigh of relief when given a chance to start over. They are surrounded by children who are like them and who share the same needs, such as small classroom sizes, extra one-on-one guidance and manageable homework assignments, and feel comfortable just being themselves.
A New School for the New Year
The holidays are a difficult time for parents to enroll their child in a special needs boarding school, but there are a number of benefits to making a change at this time of year.
For teens on the brink of academic failure, attending a specialized school for Asperger's mid-year gives them the time and space they need to redeem themselves for the next school year. In small classes with plenty of individualized attention, students aren't at risk of falling through the cracks or failing to get their needs met.
"When students with Asperger's receive appropriate support and guidance, they feel less anxious and are able to re-engage in the learning process," explains Tatsapaugh. "As a result, they gain confidence in their academic abilities and make significant progress in their social lives."
Southeast Journeys is flexible, admitting students for only one semester to get them back on track for the following school year, or multiple semesters, with each semester building on the skills developed during prior semesters.
According to Tatsapaugh, "It's better to take one or more semesters away at a school tailored to teens with Asperger's than to allow a situation to spiral downward through the remainder of the school year."
The coming year can be the time when your child is finally able to make dramatic improvements in her performance at school and engage in an active social life. Enrolling your child in a boarding school for teens with Asperger's is never easy, but making the decision now gives you the opportunity to try something new before your child gives up on herself altogether.
