private schools in orange california

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i have a 6 year old high functioning autistic son who is not getting the kind of help he needs in the public school system. we have been thinking about enrolling him in a private school that deals with autistic kids so we can get him on track and transitioned into a regular classroom. does anyone know of a good school in orange county california that can do that?
thanks

I go to Shoreline Christian School in Fountain Valley. I believe that the website is scsfv.org. The tuition is relatively low compared to other private schools in the area. The environment is very nurturing and there are small class sizes. Good luck finding a good school. God bless.

Oh, also, my dyslexic neighbor seems to be doing well at a school called Plavan. It's for special needs kids mostly I think. Also, my brother went to UCI child developmental center in Irvine for special education. Hope this helps.

Also, in your neck of the woods (which used to be my neck of the woods too), there's an organization in Santa Clara (Yes, I know how far from you that is), with an office in San Diego (also not very close, but with phones....well...... They're called EMQ (Eastfield Ming Quong). They have all sorts of resources and all kinds of information. There is also an organization in San Jose called Parents Helping Parents (PHP), and they're pretty good at coming up with innovative ideas.

A phone call or e-mail won't hurt. I know PHP isn't full time, because it really is parents helping parents, but EMQ is huge, with offices in Santa Clara (actually I think it's Cupertino and San Jose), Sacramento, and San Diego. They gave us a great deal of help with my kid. Also, does your child have a diagnosis (which the school can ask for....and pay for), and if so does the child have an IEP. I say that, because if the child has an IEP, (Individual Education Plan) and it calls for services the public schools can't provide, the cost of the private school might not have to come out of your pocket. The school system has to pay for it. Our kid was in a VERY expensive program in Palo Alto, and we didn't pay a penny.

Personally, private schools are a mixed bag. I know very well what a child with AS goes through, in public school, but they're going to have to face the same thing in society, and having to fight through the problems in public school (especially if you have mandated help) is probably a better idea. I don't know. I wish we'd hung tough on the public schools, but we didn't. I'm not saying that the private schools were a disaster. They weren't. But sometimes our kid misses cues (as an 18 year-old) that I don't think he would have missed if he'd gone through public school.

Good luck.
Beentheredonethat

If you are in South County and religious, I can vouch for the folks at Capistrano Valley Christian Schools.

If you can go farther south, there's a phenomenal private school called Fusion Learning Center that would be perfect for a child with Asperger's. My husband and I have discussed moving to San Clemente or Oceanside to be close to it.

One problem with private schools is that they pay less than half of what public schools pay, so the teachers in them are either really dedicated to the alternative method of teaching or they can't cope in the public school system (i.e. they're really bad). Be sure that the school you choose is filled with the former.