My son was just diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder - General ...

My son is two years old, and a child psychiatrist just made us "official" today. She did say that since he's so young, she can't tell us where on the spectrum he's going to end up, but the signs are clear and she's confident in the diagnosis. We've been involved with Early Childhood Intervention since he was 20 months old, when his pediatrician noticed some missed milestones and referred us to them. ECI has been very helpful, providing us with an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, and we'll be starting with an ABA therapist in a couple weeks. I can't say enough good things about them, they've provided us with the tools and support we needed and my son has done well with them.

My concern is that he'll be turning three soon, and we'll no longer be able to stay there. Our case manager tells us that the school district will be taking over, but I am strongly resistant to the idea of turning my child over to strangers in a strange environment and expecting them to give him the same level of care and attention he receives at home from his own family. I homeschool my daughter, and I'd really rather take the bulk of the responsibility for my son's education as well. That being said, I know that there are some things I'm going to need a specialist to help with.

One of the ideas ECI floated to us was a Pre-K special education program offered by our school district, where the school would have them in a classroom environment for only a couple hours a day. Does anyone have any experience with that sort of program? Was it beneficial for you or your family member?

Please, no comments about homeschooling and lack of socialization. It's a common misconception that I'd be glad to discuss with you some other time.
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Son with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Daughter with Sensory Processing problems.
I have a laundry list of Learning Disabilities (diagnosed)
but Autism was not one of them.

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