Seeking Guidance on the Best School District for My Son’s Needs
I’m currently trying to determine which school district—San Ramon Valley Unified, Lafayette, or Moraga—would be the best fit for my six-year-old son, who has moderate to severe autism.
He is nonverbal but has recently started saying some words. He is not yet potty trained and does not use utensils to eat, though we have been actively working on both skills. While I have been homeschooling him and focusing on academics, he has recently lost interest in engaging, and his sensory needs often lead to dysregulation.
Given these challenges, I want to ensure that I find a school district that can provide the right support, including a structured environment, strong special education services, and ideally, a one-on-one aide. I am also struggling to find a suitable non-public school closer to home, which makes this decision even more critical.
I would truly appreciate any insights you can provide regarding which of these three school districts would be best equipped to support his needs. Your guidance would mean a lot to me as I navigate this process.
Thank you in advance for your time and help.
Parent Replies
I see you have not gotten any replies yet. So I wanted to provide one data point. My daughter (who is now in high school) attended elementary school in Moraga. One of her classmates was partially mainstreamed with an IEP. She was nearly non-verbal, I think she had autism. I'm pretty sure she had a 1:1 aide at least part of the time. She was included in activities and treated kindly by the teachers and kids. I think part of the time she went to the separate class for special education.
I believe in middle school she went to the same middle school as everyone else but was in a separate special education class. I'm not sure where she is going for high school, but we still see her once in awhile at the grocery store or a restaurant and she says 'hi' and is happy to see my daughter.
In Moraga K-8 is the Moraga School District (MSD). High school is AUHSD, the Acalanes Union High School District, which includes Campolindo, Miramonte (Orinda), Acalanes (Lafayette) and Las Lomas High School (Walnut Creek).