Kathryn my aspie child did preschool through to gr1 at a school that heavily emphasized free play and explicitly taught social skills (think summer hill type school). It was extremely therapeutic, but diasterous academically and she's still aspie... And we also need to keep in mind that lots of those 70s or earlier kids simply went undiagnosed, which has pros and cons. It's not at all uncommon for a parent to be diagnosed in the wake of a child's diagnosis, or even if they don't get formally diagnosed to have a major private "OH!" moment...