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Step 1
Determine which public schools are in your area. Usually, children who live within a given radius of a school are required to attend that specific public school. Talk to other parents in the area whose children attend the public school in your district to get a feel for how the school operates.
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Step 2
Obtain a public school report card from your cities Public School Board. These report cards can usually be obtained through going directly to the school board or going online to the public school systems website. Check for any information regarding special needs children, including the number of teachers qualified to educate children with autism.
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Step 3
Visit your child's future school after researching the school report card. Talk to the principal and special education staff to ascertain the method of education used to teach autistic children. Ask questions about whether the students are removed from the general population all the time or for certain blocks of the day. Also inquire whether or not you will be given progress reports on the child.
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Step 4
Observe the special education teachers in their element by sitting in on a class. It will give you a good idea of what kind of environment your child will be engaged in. Make sure that the autistic children are not grouped together with other challenged children whose needs are not similar to the autistic. Many public schools lump all special needs kids together, causing students who are not necessarily learning disabled to be held back academically.
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Step 5
Inquire about whether your school district uses Applied Behavioral Analysis, which is a treatment method used to educate and integrate autistic kids into the standard school environment. Discuss your public school decision with other parents of autistic children in your district and find out whether they are pleased with their child's education.













