It is likely that further assessments of your child’s Intellectual Disability will be undertaken nearing the end of the primary school years. These assessments will help you and your young teen to be informed about pathway options during the secondary school years. Talk with your primary school staff to gain their opinion of the pathway for your child and use this information to help you make a decision.
Visits to secondary schools with your son/daughter are important to gain a better understanding of options available to you. As children mature differences become more apparent and if your child has an associated learning disability such as an Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD then the gap in learning will become greater. Depending upon your primary school choice, options may continue to be:
Mainstream/Regular: these are your local neighbourhood schools that could be either Government, Religious or Independent/Private Schools. Distance will be a further consideration as schools cater for students entering from a number of primary schools.
Specialist: are those schools that cater for students with additional learning needs and these schools could be a disability specific.
Decisions made can be changed at any time depending on your teenager’s management of their schooling and feedback from school staff. When looking for a secondary school parents and the young teen may need to consider many things. Take a look at out our Transition Checklist for Secondary School, Transition Checklist for Special School and SSG Meeting Preparation resources for more help.
When planning the next educational transition to secondary school, there is a lot to think about. Talk with staff at your child’s primary school as they will have insights into what your child need’s will be in regards to future educational pathways.
