Signs Your Child May Benefit From A Specialized School

When you have a child with a disability, finding the right educational fit can be a challenging journey. Families often encounter barriers, making strong supports and meaningful partnerships essential for student success. It's natural to worry about how to provide your child with a successful and positive educational experience and to wonder what the best decision might be: staying in supported general education or transitioning to a specialized school?

There are signs that indicate special education might be the best path forward, but before we look at when your child might benefit from attending a special needs school, we first need to understand why neurodiverse children may struggle in mainstream classes and what a special education school has to offer.

Why Can Neurodiverse Students Find School Challenging?

Schools are often loud, bright, and crowded places. For students with sensory sensitivities, including some students with autism spectrum disorder, these environments can be overwhelming. Sensory overload can make it hard to focus, increase anxiety and irritability, and reduce the ability to regulate emotions. Even a mild sensitivity to overstimulation can be a major issue when you consider how constant these irritants can be. Students spend nearly 1,200 hours per year at school. Now imagine feeling uncomfortable and distracted every day, with no relief for hours at a time, and experiencing that for 13 years. How could anyone be expected to produce their best work?

Times like these are when the education system, which is often designed around the needs of neurotypical students, can come into conflict with the needs of a neurodiverse child. There is often an expectation that the child must be removed from the situation, which is not always possible, or learn to "deal with it" rather than having the source of stress addressed.

This is not to suggest that there is no support in place for students with disabilities in mainstream schools. Depending on the student's unique situation, the right accommodations can make a world of difference in their educational experience.

Why Special Education?

Let's consider for a moment what the purpose of an accommodation is. It aims to remove barriers to equal access, promote inclusion, and ensure fairness and success. Accommodations are often necessary when an educational environment is not designed to meet the needs of every student.

Imagine a school designed for students with learning disabilities and developmental needs, where classrooms are structured around how students learn and take their sensory, communication, and processing needs into consideration. Support is built in from the ground up. Teachers are educated in developmental disabilities, and therapeutic resources are easily accessible to students. An environment like this is not simply accommodating students' needs. It is working exactly as designed for the population it is intended to serve.

Our high school program for students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities at Calgary Quest exemplifies the idea that special education can provide an environment for thriving, not just surviving. We offer an average 1:3 staff-to-student ratio, access to integrated therapeutic services, behavioural support, and individualized programming tailored to each student's needs. In a school setting that is fully equipped to support them, we see happiness and success in our students every day.

What Should You Be on the Lookout For?

Some signs that your child might benefit from specialized education become apparent when they are not receiving the support they need to succeed in their current school environment.

If your child already has accommodations in the classroom but progress remains limited despite these efforts, there may be a need for greater support than the school can provide. Sometimes accommodations may seem suitable at first glance, but if they only provide enough support for a student to get by, they may not be sufficient to help them reach their full potential. In the right environment, these students can thrive.

Feedback from teachers or aides can be a big clue here. Do they say things like "needs to focus more" or mention disruptive behaviour in class? Do they note that your child is often frustrated or needs to spend a lot of time away from the classroom? Behaviours that appear disruptive, difficulty focusing, or challenges following instructions can sometimes be signs of sensory overload, processing difficulties, or challenges with executive functioning. When students struggle academically because of factors outside their control, their motivation to learn may decrease as they begin to feel that their efforts are not making a difference.

There is no one right or wrong path to take when it comes to educational decisions. But if it feels like something is not working with your child's current situation, it is worth looking into alternative options. Look for special needs schools near you or reach out to a school directly to learn more about available options.

Check out our About Us page to learn more about Calgary Quest School and our admissions process.