I worry that my toddler will be hurt in preschool. Any advice?

Question

So my son has autism, he's new to preschool just started last week. I see his teachers already annoyed by the fact that he can be a handful.. I did try to warn them and let them know his behavior and little quirks. I worry that they might hit him or neglect him. Bc I know how my son is, he can be moody some days, climb on tables, ask for snacks every 5 secs, wants to be pushed in the swing all the time, all these little things. I can handle him but I do get frustrated sometimes, so I can't imagine the teachers who have to deal with multiple kids at once. Does anyone work at a preschool and have experience with this? Any advice appreciated

genericname85 · Accepted Answer

he will be hurt eventually but he will live. the sooner he learns how to deal with other people the better. specially with autism. just remember: your primary job as a parent is not to shield your kid from any sort of harm possible. your primary job as parent is to prepare your child for life without you as best as you can. and in order to do that, experiencing a bit of suffering and pain is inevitable. this is how they learn. i would try to make sure that the people at the place you're bringing him are competent/qualified to deal with autistic children. cause that's probably not something everyone learns in that profession.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

A lot of bad behavior is blamed on autism when it’s really just lack of parenting/bad parenting. I dealt with a little girl myself who is exactly as yours is described. The mom just laughs at every bad thing the child does, says it’s just a baby and not worry about it. Her child is terrible, and the mom is always partying on the weekends leaving her kids with someone, and of course she’s a single mom. Not saying that’s your child. If I worked with little kids who were bad, I’d be more upset with the parents. There have been issues with teachers abusing children, but I’m sure it’s rare.

TransAm85 · Accepted Answer

In the 80's and 90's I grew up w/a little bro w/ADHD and Autism. He was put in special needs classes and when he got a little older, about 10, he went in a recreational program. My mom used to snap and spank him bc she couldn't take it sometimes, but no teacher is allowed to do that! They underestimate those kids tho just bc they have a "disability". They are actually really smart. Just.. different.

jennifer_bloom · Accepted Answer

A child sometimes needs to be ignored to get past his emotional dependency on others - As a child I never cried because I knew nobody would comfort me if I cried and I was excellent in everything until my mom started abusing me when I was 9 years old.

Dnice1 · Answer

Don't worry we teachers are trained to handle kids like this. As a teacher I see it happening a lot and deal with tough kids nearly everyday. It is tough to deal with children sometimes but having fellow teachers that know how to work with these kids will really help. It'll take time and patience but I'm sure your child will be just fine.

RolandCuthbert · Answer

I can't imagine what your life is like. And I don't advise seeking console here at GaG.

As a society, we are failing. And folks are justifying intolerance and cruelty. If I were you I would be very careful about which pre-school I selected for my child. But I don't know if you have a choice in this situation. And if you do not, I don't know what to say.

But you need some advice and you need some very qualified people to sit down with and discuss this seriously.

laraWM · Answer

Not sure he will be hurt but I think very few people are trained to such situations. Maybe you could find a more specific school, where they know better how to take care of him

Apple1996 · Answer

He will probably be okay. They deal with kids like that every year especially if it's a seasoned teacher. If it's public school they might move him into a different class so he can get more help.

Googlemyahoo · Answer

These kids shouldn’t be in regular schools. They’re a distraction and disruptive to everyone else. It’s unfortunate at least where I am they put special needs kids in with regular classes. Require educational assistants all the time. Unless they’re high functioning autistic they’re fine. My sons class had two howlers.

Anonymous · Answer

I mean I know you don't want to hear, but most likely he's going to treated poorly by teachers and students. I was diagnosed with slight autism and the teachers didn't like me because I required too much care and wasn't as independent. I need diapers at 4 to 6 years old and I was talked too much and kids would get upset at me. But i learnt how to socialize really well due to the harsh treatment and became more independent because of it. It did suck, but I learnt how to communicate because of it. There are a lot of autistic people that never learn basic social skills and are really obnoxious when you talk to them.

I feel like montessori schools are better for autistic boys. Telling an autistic boy to sit still and pay attention is not the best method for teaching. I learn by doing things. It's why I am successful in my career I need to do what I am learning and not just hear someone tell me.

josephinelcajon · Answer

Go with your gut! But I personally would remove him!

JohnK123 · Answer

Go to a school for special needs… it’s not bad but the teachers know how to professionally handle kids with autism learning disabilities etc

hahahmm · Answer

What does your husband say? What does the father say? What does any man with balls who doesn't drink soy milk, say?

Anonymous · Answer

there are no special needs, special attention day cares or people specializing in this? ?

userxvi · Answer

you can't baby him forever, he needs to face the world and learn about it

saffoler · Answer

Homeschool? Public schools are designed for neurotypical children.

Iron_Man · Answer

Give it a chance and see what happens

I worry that my toddler will be hurt in preschool. Any advice?

Superb Opinion

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said