for next year? >> reporter: eric's not in trouble. he has autism and by law. he must leave school when he turns 21 in a few months. but his dad, richard sadowsky, says eric's not done learning and he and mary are in a panic about what eric will do next. >> to abruptly end his time here is not a good idea for him. >> reporter: eric has been a student at the rebecca school for the past five years. it's a private school dedicated to providing specialized support like speech and occupational therapy to children with developmental disabilities. >> it's a place where he's understood and he's cared about. he loves the teachers. he's very, very attached to them. the rebecca school is like a family to him. >> reporter: it's expensive too, $100,000 a year. after some costly legal wrangling, eric's parents got the public school district to pick up the tab. that's because federal law says states are obligated to educate children through high school. for those with special needs, that usually means up to age 21. >> ready, set go! >> without purposeful things to do, he will fall back into the autism world, into his own inner world. he's so much happier out of it. but that's where his brain takes him. it's hard.