When we were in a similar situation, the local ARC provided us with an advocate for the IEP meeting who help assure the school district followed the rules for the federal IDEA law. It was also a big psychological help to have someone on our side in the IEP meeting. (The parents can invite anyone relevant to IEP meetings to support your view so you are not so outnumbered.)

Try contacting Rivers Bend Academy, it's a private school for Autistic children. You may also apply for funding thru an organization called FAPT. This school also provides after school Applied Behavioral Analysis services

get an advocate from ARC. They have to provide FAPE

Check out Wrightslaw website or better yet travel and go to his course( next one is in WV... it is a drive but well worth it & there is another soon in Baltimore).It is really worth the time and money to learn your son's rights to FAPE.

If you are considering a private option because the local school will not provide FAPE, you must follow a set path of instructions if you are looking in the future to be reimbursed for it. Research now will save you later thousands of dollars.

Other option is in Virginia there is an ombudsman for the VA department of Education and an autism specialist in Richmond. Gloria is the ombudsman and Samatha Hollins is the specialist. Contact Gloria with your concerns and she can provide suggestions of what other districts in the state provide in your situtation, provide names of appropriate DOE staff and if necessary help you file a state complaint if they are not providing timely services under the law.

If you haven't yet, you need to document with dates all correspondence and keep a log-email is good for that & print and file. There are federal guidelines they must follow. This will get their attention and if you aren't past the case manager to the director of special ed who can provide the authority to change your IEP accodomations and services you will be soon with this approach. They get scared if they think you may go to mediation. Good luck!

There are several in the area, but it did take some time to find the 'right fit' for our son.

One option could be SECEP - which works with local schools on the southside.

What's a doghouse?