Hi there! I'm a special education teacher in PA and also my 4 year old son has ASD. It really varies from state to state so speaking with his teacher/case manager is definitely the first step. My son has been given the option to delay going into kindergarten one year and stay in EI for one more year if we wanted. We will most likely do this since we feel socially he is not ready to transition even though academically he is. You may have several options such as enrolling in an AS (Autistic Support Class) or inclusion classroom. Good luck!

Educational placement is an IEP team decision and you are part of the team. You said he will be turning 4, so I'm assuming your trying to get some knowledge on this for the future. You should visit wrightslaw.com and type in placement in the search box. There is so much information on that site.
Good Luck.

My son was delayed by a year going into K. We had several options for Kindergarten, and you should visit those options to see what you think will work for your child as well as what the IEP team thinks. His K options were integrating into a normal Kindergarten class with a 1:1 assistant, being in a special ed class, or being in another type of inclusion class. Our team recommended a special ed class, we visited it and I was truly amazed. They were doing things I would never imagine, and the teacher told me don't worry, he'll get it. So we are excited for him to report to Kindergarten in a couple weeks.

you have every right to put in your say about where you think your child will fit. We attended a meeting of other parents who told their experiences of transitioning to K, and some did have to do that, fight for where they thought was right for their child, or try them in different classes. Every parent reminded us that - You are your child's advocate, speak out for them. :)

I live in PA and my daughter is in special education autism classroom. She has an IEP which I meet with the special ed people yearly to see new treatment plans for her. They tried to put her in regular classroom, but it would not work for her now... maybe later on.. good luck! @A MyAutismTeam Member is correct, it does vary from state..

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