Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Canopus

The best and worst school demographics for kids with AS

Recommended Posts

Has there been any research into the best and worst demographics of a school population for kids with AS to share a school with? Do kids with AS generally feel happier and more confident in a school where the majority of the kids are white British or in a school with a high proportion of kids of a particular foreign origin, and therefore, form better peer relationships whilst problems resulting from AS are reduced or better tolerated?

 

I recently received a scrap of information from the HE community that the best schools for kids with down's syndrome are those with a high proportion of middle class Indian kids and the worst largely comprised of a mixture of lower class white British and Jamaican kids.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My two boys with ASD are mixed race and both go to schools which are mostly white british. My 7 year old goes to a RC school which is a bit more mixed compared to my 10 year olds village school. I had to fight to get my 10 year old into the school as the LA wanted him to go to the ASD unit at a school that is mostly kids of Pakistani heritage, I refused as he already had identity issues. He relates more to white british kids and this is where he has settled really well.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had white British kids in mind for the purpose of this question and also assumed that any kids of foreign origin would prefer to be in a school with large number of their own type but I'm unsure how mixed race kids fit in.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow that is extremely racist on so many levels don't even know where to start! I see now why I hardly ever post here. Used to be regular on this forum from 2009 until about a year ago seems to have gone to the dogs.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I really don't think ethnicity comes into it.

 

In a mainstream environment what a child needs is a tolerant and understanding peer group - that is likely to be more linked to the social background / "Class" of the peers rather than ethnicity. With middle class / professional environments probably being more tolerant and accepting than others.

 

I think AS children will also usually benefit from being in a diverse environment in the sense of having a wide variety of different interests and backgrounds. That means there is less pressure to conform to any one stereotype.

 

I do think that it could be difficult for an AS child to be in an environment that was dominated by those from a different ethnic background.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had white British kids in mind for the purpose of this question and also assumed that any kids of foreign origin would prefer to be in a school with large number of their own type but I'm unsure how mixed race kids fit in.

Canopus, I really hope you are being sarcastic.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Why is it so difficult to bring race into a discussion without at least one person calling me a racist?

 

I have long held the view that most people prefer to associate with their own types rather than those from a dissimilar background or those where conflicts of interest resulting from cultural practices are likely to arise. Basically it's birds of a feather flock together. You might not like my view or agree with it but it helps to explain the ghettoisation of schools in some cities where one school is dominated by kids of one ethnic group or religion and another school a mile down the road is dominated by kids of a different ethnic group or religion. Ghettoisation is not without its critics but more often than not it results from parent's wishes that their own kids are in an environment with plenty of kids from their own background.

 

The disparity in wealth and income in Britain is undeniable but the traditional working / middle / upper class system is actually more of an indigenous British mindset rather than how things work in reality in today's modern and complex society. Many people of a foreign origin prefer to relate to people of their own background, culture, and religion rather than people of their own social class from a different background. It also explains to a certain extent why there is greater social mobility in certain ethnic groups than there is amongst the indigenous British population, because people from poorer backgrounds have more opportunities to connect with people from better off and professional backgrounds.

 

I'm a bit dubious about whether kids with AS benefit from being in an ethnically and cultural diverse environment. More than once I have heard parents of kids with AS from an indigenous British background say things along the lines that it's hard enough for their kid to learn the social skills and etiquette for mainstream British society without having to learn those for hundreds of other cultures as well. NT people are better at adjusting their behavior to the social norms of a particular group at moments notice than people with AS are. On the other hand, it is quite possible that many kids with AS from an indigenous British background fit in better in a school with a high proportion of kids from a particular foreign background because they see things through different eyes and think with a different mindset. It isn't a subject that has been well researched.

 

I don't know much about mixed race people or how they fit into the overall big picture. My science teacher told me that mixed race people often suffer from an identity crisis, and are prone to depression and unhappiness with themselves, but that was over 20 years ago and things could have changed in the meantime.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The thing is you worded your comment in a racist manner whether you are racist or not I do not know you so wouldn't make that judgement. If you see my post I said "that is racist" not "you are racist" big difference.

 

I totally get your post which is why I commented how or why you think my mixed race kids "don't fit into it" baffles me. I can't see why you have to have a post that is exclusively for the white british population to reply to. If the topic is about ASD kids (or their parents) preferring to stay with a school where they best fit in....well you get ASD kids from all backgrounds so would it not be better to say is this the same for all ASD kids, wanting to stay with kids from same background or different.

 

Mixed race kids do not suffer an identity crises unless you raise them that way. I have four mixed race boys and they don't all identify the same way. My eldest son tends to identify more with friends with a similar background, I am white but grew up in Africa and his dad is African(though from a different part)He tends to be with kids who come from the country I grew up in, not his dad's that could be because he doesn't get on with his dad. However my 10 year old as I mentioned has always believed he is white and no matter how hard you try he won't accept anything else. I do not see anything wrong with it as that is what he identifies with and ultimately what makes him happy. My 7 year old acknowledges both ethnic groups and has friends from all over the world...but that's because he goes to a catholic school which is very mixed. So despite growing up in the same environment they all have different opinions.

 

I strongly believe the reason why some foreign groups stay together is because they often feel unwelcome in society,more so now than 10 or so years ago. London is so diverse because it is the capital and nearest to the airports so its the first place people go believing there are jobs there. Many people already have family or friends in the UK when they come here and when you come with nothing or just enough money to sustain you for a month of course you would stay with people you know to help support you. As you say religion plays a big part in it because some religions have "rules" about how far you should live to the place of worship so again it puts people in a situation where they end up living in one area. In many ways its not really by choice but by circumstance.

 

Back to your actual post, as I said in my previous post my 10 year old had to go to a largely White school because that's who he identifies with. So I get that some children, AS or not, will be unhappy in an environment where they do not belong. I think(probably what you are saying) is ASD makes a child "different" so add to that their ethnicity it is another "difference" to overcome which can be all too much for a child.

 

If a study was done I doubt it would be accurate. In my case I know I am not being racist sending my son to a white English school as he is mixed race but how can we be sure that some ASD kids have heard their parents saying negative comments about their school or ethnic groups and that's why they "feel" that way?

 

By the way...my kids are all very happy and do not suffer depression, ironically on this and other forum's I see plenty of white English kids unhappy and depressed to the point they self harm. So yes I am quite sure a lot has changed in 20 years or could it be, just maybe, your science teacher was wrong!!

Edited by justine1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...