actually, let me add this...My previous post seems more just comiserating than advice, and advice is what you asked for. So let me rephrase.
In my son's situation, he refused going the special ed route. He's also a pretty good multiple choice test taker. He had already sat through Algebra and though he hadn't passed, he had absorbed enough to do the work. We weren't sure if he was going to go to college or not, but colleges will accept a GED in lieu of a high school diploma, so I let him stay home and wait until he could take the GED. With the aforementioned problems with teachers every year, allowing him to sit home was a HUGE stress reliever for him and me. I think it was the right decision for us.
Hope this point of view helps a little

my son is 11 years old i hired an Advocate for him to transfer from non public school to public school this year.My son have not excelled academically because of the non public school system now he is in Alternative special education reading in the kindergarten level and 1st grade math have no choice to finish with a IEP diploma but i will have him try Adult school center for high school diploma or have him study for his GED at home he is high level Autism andi know he has the potential to hold a job one day but without a diploma he can not get one but there are so many thing to do out there if you have your own business i was thinking LOL he likes dogs ,dog sitter house sitter he likes to remember everyones schedule so on anyways is there anyone have any suggestions on having a job without the diploma?He is a people person will talk to everyone greet every one every morning in the middle school his sub teache was saying he is a great greeter.Also does anyone know if adulys with high level can live own their own in low income apartments. I know i am a crazy mom who thinks toooo much ahead of years. my name isNatali

@A MyAutismTeam Member I researched it, but many of the answers were conflicting. Come to find out, the reason for this is because although the majority of school districts in our state have adopted the Certificate of Completion, not all have. Fortunately, my son's school district is one of the few who have not, even though they do plan to in the future. With that said, I was glad to find out that my son is still set to receive a diploma at the age of 21.

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A MyAutis...

When I was getting close to graduation, they wanted to give me a Certificate of Completion versus a high school diploma and my grandmother FOUGHT it. I passed all state requirements including all competencies and classes required with the exception of physical education. We went to the school board and was able to use my physical therapy in place of physical education. I was on so many medications as a teenager for anxiety, "depression", OCD and much more - we had no idea that I had autism and doctors just kept adding more and more random diagnosis' to the list versus the possibility it was something else entirely. Pretty much, because of the medication I was unable to be in the sun (and lived in Nevada) and I couldn't physically exert myself.

So, the school wouldn't even allow me to participate in phys ed. While most of my classes were mainstream, I did have some classes that were not. Basically Reading, Math and English were all done in a small classroom with 3-4 other high functioning students with "behavioral problems", 2 of us, myself and a boy who WAS diagnosed with autism and behaved very much like myself, were extremely smart and often times were bored in this classroom. So bored in fact that the teacher allowed me to "teach" another student for my English class. I prepared all of her assignments, tests and even graded them. That was my English class!

Anyhow, if your child has passed all of the required classes, exams and so forth, take it to the school board. Even if she takes the minimum classes (for example, here Algebra and then 1.5 elective math credits are required for math - take the easiest math classes possible and it still counts). I just could never imagine being denied a diploma even though I worked so hard to finish school.

Hi Kristi, I personally feel that for me and my son, who is 15 and a freshman in a public h.s., is not good enough. I understand that my son at this level may never pass the mcas tests to get a diploma, in 4 years, but It is the school districts responsibility to teach my son. I told the school in his IEP meeting to take him off the Alt testing and have him take the regular MCAS tests, with all the accommodations and tools they can, and by law, in our state (MA) they have to if I tell them too. He actually has some really great teachers, I'm lucky there. This is what is going to happen: When he is a Senior, he will walk across the stage with his class, he will receive a certificate of achievement (not a diploma) THEN, the school system will continue to teach him until his early 20's (i'm not sure of the age, somewhere between the ages of 21-23/24..i believe on a part time basis) They will work with him in 1 area at a time to help him pass a specific test (say math), until he can pass it, and do the same with the other tests he needs to take to get that diploma. (he can take the test as many times) Hopefully this way, without all the other classes that he is required to take now, he will be better able to focus on 1 at a time. His school also has some sort of community job placement for special needs kids to explore in the 11th and 12th grades, to help him with things like life and social skills. When and if he can pass these tests to get a Diploma, one of my prayers for him will be answered. If not, at least we tried the best we could.. Long term after that, i have thought about trade school education in an area he is interested in, to at least learn the basics, entry level, that he could get a job in an area that he will thrive in later in life... My son does not like all the special needs talk either, he gets embarrassed when he thinks he is different. He is at a tough age and is starting to understand that he is different.
I am a single mom with 4 kids and I work full time and have basically been trying to do this all myself. I am just starting to get all the assistance that i can for him, things i didnt even know that where out there. It really is all about getting that one person, in our case my son just got a new psychiatrist for his meds, and she is a huge advocate for us... I get frustrated knowing there is so much help out there and i have no idea where to begin. She is helping us do 1 thing at a time... My son is not in all regular classes either and Your daughter has a right to try and get that diploma, regardless of the classes she is in.. Ask some questions, talk to the school again, call your insurance company and try and find an advocate.. Sorry for the rambling, I hope this helps. I wish you luck, Kim