Many parents look for the benefits of education tailored to autistic children while still being able to keep their child in a mainstream school. Schools such as the Mariposa School in Cary, North Carolina, offer part-time and half-day programs that provide individualized instruction to autistic children. The idea is that the concentrated focus students receive in their autistic school will help them along in mainstream school and other aspects of their lives. Schools employ special education teachers, usually with background and training in applied behavior analysis. Some of these schools, including Mariposa, have full-time programs that meet school attendance requirements should parents decide their child isn't yet ready to mainstream.
The sooner autistic kids build skills, the better their chances for success in their daily lives, as well as in mainstream schools. That's the philosophy off which pre-school programs like Young Learner Preschool in Sherman Oaks, California operate. In the same half-day sessions a child would get in a normal pre-school, autistic kids spend their school days in groupings of no more than four students per teacher. Children also meet with speech language pathologists, occupational therapists and behavior specialists.
Private day schools for students with autism have sprung up around the country. Some focus primarily on elementary age children, while others such as the Victory School in North Miami, Florida offer secondary education designed to take a child to adulthood in an environment that supports his special needs. Victory maintains ratios of no more than four students per teacher, and behavioral specialists, speech language pathologists and occupational therapists are on hand to work with students at each stage of development. Parents can then elect to work with administration and faculty on plans to prepare students for mainstream schools.
Schools often create extra-curricular opportunities for autistic students, such as after-school, social programs that allow autistic students to mix with non-autistic children. The idea is that in small, teacher-supervised playgroups, teachers can support their students in developing their social skills in "real life" situations representative of mainstream school and life outside the safety of an autistic-specialized classroom. Summer camps are also popular among autistic schools. Students continue to get teacher and behaviorist support and supervision tailored to their needs, in an environment that is more fun-centered, rather than classroom structured.