Hello and welcome.
I just want to weigh in on the mainstream vs. special education question, speaking from personal experience.
Marg's advice is excellent. Kids on the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) spectrum DO need social interaction, but it does need to be positive. It also needs to be comprehensible, which is often not the case when you're an Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) person surrounded by neurotypicals. Things that are intuitive to most just don't make sense, and must be explained.
An example from my own life...
I am on the Asperger's end of the autism spectrum. From age 2 until age 11 I was sent to a small alternative school. It was a wonderful environment, and I thrived in it, surrounded by other kids and teachers who understood what made me tick. Looking back, I realize now that at least 1/2 my class was also Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
(From Gr. 7 until the end of high school, I went to a bigger, more mainstream school, where I spent a LOT of time in detention because of errors in judgement rather than deliberate bad behaviour.)
As an adult, I can pass for "normal". I seem to be viewed as a little eccentric, but nothing more than that. I attribute this in a large part to the early school environment where I had lots of support with socialization, behaviour etc.
Trinity
