i'd appreciate it a lot if someone can give me any information about special schools for autistic kids! i'm in zug now but going to move to vaud, lausanne area, so my son - cute little aspie - will go to school there in 2010 - time to look for a good school!
please help! - thanks in advance!
kumana
Sorry I can't help you on the schools side of things as I live in Bern, but I can tell you that my son is also an aspie, but he attends the normal state school here in Bern. He was assessed by professors from Bern and Zurich and the recommendation was that he should be in the normal school system for as long as possible for social experiences and so far it has worked out well. Everyone we have encountered so far have been very supportive and willing to try and keep him in the main stream education system. The school director calls a team meeting every so often to assess progress, sort out problems and so on. The team consists of teachers, parents, social worker and so on. And even sometimes people who have him for out of school activities such as religious instruction, sports club, orienteering and model train club.
He is well accepted with the class, the other kids know he is different and that some times he does "silly things" as they say, but that is OK too! The interesting thing is that they see it as their responsibility to look out for him as well because he is in their class. He has made three really good friends that he hangs out with on a regular basis, which of course is a big thing for an aspie! He has now done 4 years in school and even went a way with the class for a weeks holidays.
If you have not already done so, I would suggest that you approach the local education authority and get your son into the system. Because it is really their responsibility to come up with a plan of how best to support him. This is very important because the kanton is responsible for paying for things like fees to attend special schools, treatments that are not covered by standard medical insurance, access to special classes for gifted children at a later stage and so on.
Good luck with that,
Jim
it's so good to hear that your son is able to attend a normal school - and you are right, the greatest thing is that he made friends there! i'm afraid my problem is a bit different because we are foreigners originally from st.petersburg, russia - so my son speaks russian and english only. of course we started learning french but it's a long way to go! and he's 9 now, means finished 3 classes of primary school, first year was in pribate school, then for 2 years it was just individual education because he had difficulty being a part of team, you know...
ok, i'll try all possible ways - maybe swiss schools are more advanced and adapted for needs of special kids than russian ones! well, I'm quite sure they are!
thanks again - and say hi to your son from mine!
kumana
I found this thread when I googled "zug autism".
I am thinking about living in Zug (am living in Tokyo now) and one of my four children is autistic.
Would appreciate any advise about zug in general as related to autistics (very difficult environment etc), and any info on schools would be very welcome.
Thank you very much!
Tokyojohn
As the OP to this Thread is in the Zug region, I suggest that if you don't get a reaction from her on this Thread you send her a PM asking for any advice she can give.
Do you speak French? Here's where to start, but it's in French: OES (Special Ed Office for Vaud), 14 Rue Cite-Devant, 1014 Lausanne 021 316 5401
http://www.vd.ch/fr/autorites/depart...formation/oes/ .
If you don't speak French let me know and I'll phone for you to see if they have someone who speaks English (I'm pretty sure they do). The web site reads like any government one, not terribly helpful, but these people will point you in the right direction. Our experience was pretty positive when our daughter was young and we needed to find the right place.
My son is just starting his second year at FEDEA and absolutely loves it. He has made incredible progress in all areas. The director, Madame Bolton is always gracious and is by far one of the most competent and enthusiastic educators I have ever met.
This school provides unequaled learning opportunities for children and young adults on the autism spectrum, and also enrolls a small number of students with other learning disabilities. Individual curriculums are created which cater to the special needs of each child and there are specialists on staff to ensure nothing is left out.
Instruction is individual. My son has his own teacher who guides him through each aspect of his program. Autonomy is also a focus, so he has tasks each day which he completes by himself. Nothing is left out - literacy, maths, science, sport, music, art is all part of the program as it is in any other school.
Instead of being 'lost' in the system or left to fend for themselves on the sidelines, the children at FEDEA learn and flourish.
Two posts total, both of them word-for-word touting the same school? It is a familiar pattern to say the least.
Me, I think it's great that so many school admins and teachers are also satisfied parents. Others might have nasty suspicious minds but I think it's fantastic. Shows real commitment to the school's philosophy, know what I mean?
My girlfriend works as an autism specialist in East London, both with her own case load (7-16 year olds) and training and advising teachers in the non-specialist schools. We assumed that to get a good job here you'd definitely need German, but perhaps we're wrong?
Hi Jim,
I am from New York and am thinking of relocating to Basel. I have two boys (6 and 4) who are currently attending a special needs school here in the U.S. They are very high functioning kids though I am not sure if they, especially the older one, will be able to follow the more formal structures in public schools. Do you have information whether the Basel Canton has local schools that also cater to kids with special needs? In your canton, have you seen special needs kids well integrated with the local school population.
Any help would be appreciated.
Since leaving FEDEA I've trained as an ABA therapist in the UK and have seen what good practice looks like in terms of education for children with autism. FEDEA, at best, was mediocre and harmful, at worst, for children with almost no skills (communication, self-regulation, etc.). Obviously, I don't know who your son is, and he may well have thrived with FEDEA's mix of methods. But for the majority of the children I met there, I found that time was wasted in trying to teach them useless facts, rather than work on language and communication or other skills which they lacked.
I invite you to read the testimonials from quite a few ex-trainees (because, let's face it, most of the people working there are trainees hired for the year, not qualified teachers or specialists....this in itself wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that no actual training is given):
https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/newbies...-autistic-kids
If so many people share the same experience of working there, can it really be a good place for children to learn? Having my current experience, I cringe when I look back. If I can help parents make an informed decision about whether to send their kids there or not, I'll feel at peace.