From what i have heard new york and new jersey have good services.. If weather is a factor, California has very good services
We are looking to get out of NC... but are scared about where to go next. Hubby works in NY (stays at his folks house), but we could never afford to live there on our own. Wish I had nicer things to say about NC!
Mary
Our daughter has PDD/NOS and several other disorders. She is 15 yrs old and we currently live in SW Florida. There are no services here, both in school and out. They have a waiting list for the medicaid waiver that is now 9 yrs. long and the State of Florida has cut funding to people with disabilities. I guess that they feel retirees and vacationers are more important than the people who actually live here full time. We were considering relocation to North Carolina (we heard that they may have more services), but I just got an email today from the Autism Society of North Carolina telling us that there is no funding for services or group homes. The only program that seems to be offered is TEACCH, but that is only for school age children. We are concerned about what happens after school ends? What sort of life will our child have? Are there any assisted work programs for people with developmental delays? Are there any group homes? If so, where are they located and are they safe? We really want our daughter to be able to be as independent as possible and just don't know where to turn. We would really hate to move back up North because of the bad winters, but if we knew of a place that could help, we would consider it. Any suggestions would be wonderful - we are desperate.New York has superb superb services, I can't even stress that anymore. I advocate for many families on Long Island, NY and work with families moving in and their stories are just unfathomable to me. my daughter is Autistic and has received extensive services sicne she was 13 months old, everything from ot, pt, speech, prompt therapy, 40 hours of ABA in home and a full day Private special ed school, NOTHING out of pocket. She is also school age now and still receiving most of those same services which I hear is unheard of. Our school district is amazing( small so most have not heard of it) but amazing none the less. And Dix Hills and Three village are the top in the state. Good Luck www.Advocacy4Autism.com
You don't want to move to Kansas. Services here are non-existent to pitiful. I have to second the Kansas vote. My dd was denied services because the school district did not "believe" in autism as a diagnosis. You will not get services unless you sue (at least in my county).Hi, there...I am in the same predicament, also considering leaving Florida for North Carolina. However, it does seem that services there are limited. Several of you have suggested New Jersey or New York...would you mind writing a little further about *why* you're so pleased with those states? My son is 5 years old and has high-functioning autism. Thanks so much!i am in your predicament. lived in philly. son aged out of school. services awful and long waiting lists. decided to move to west chester pa which has better services. started eons ago to set it up so things would be in place when we moved. philly still has not transferred his paperwork over. on top of it all when you move somewhere you go to the bottom of the list. will have a longer wait for better services here. catch 22. your best bed would be to try and emigrate to canada, but you have to be careful, because autism is not covered in all of the provinces...i hate to say this, but the USA sucks, why can't we take care of our own people? we are not #1, we don't even have health care... Some of the waivers have age restrictions with services. I am looking at Wisconsin myself ..Which no one can believe I am considering this...MomBlue, thank you for the site information. I really liked it.I think there is alot of variabilty within the states.
I live in IL and I know that overall IL is not rated high for services, but services are very good where I live, which is an affluent suburb 25 miles from Chicago with beautiful homes and schools and low crime.
A strategy might be to figure out which states you'd actually like to live in, and are likely to get a good job in, and whatever other factors you want to consider, and then poll the folks on that board who live in those states for a list of particular school districts that are outstanding. You can then start looking at home prices within those district boundaries.
Perhaps I can offer some insight as to the services in NYC because I have lived there all of my life until relocating to NC in 2004.
I must say that NYC has a history of having a healthy amount of respect for its disabled community, and its disabled population is a close knit group that includes both parents and families AND professionals all advocating together; unlike some states, professionals feel it is their responsibility to advocate on their behalf. All agencies that provide services for the disabled not only do so from ages 0 to 99, but also serve the entire family in recognition that the nature and extent of the family member's disability does not occur in a vacuum, but instead impacts upon the family unit Every agency pretty much offers the same type of services - developmental pediatrician, dentist and psychiatrist; OT, PT, speech and counseling; respite, reimbursement, recreational care, and behavioral therapies and supports, as well as support groups and other supplemental therapies, and its all in-house, no more trying to get respite from Peter and afterschool care from Paul. The Board of Ed can be a bit of a dragon, but if they know that you are well versed in special education law and are willing to override their stupid decisions with a smile via their headquarters in Brooklyn, they will get the point and go sit in a corner and leave you alone. The best thing about service provision in NYC is that, despite a few agencies that limit their supports to certain boroughs or zip codes, most agencies will offer services to everyone as long as you are a resident of the state, and all it takes for eligibility is a recent psychological evaluation...case closed. No more jumping through hoops, bribes, tears or any other method to convince bureacracies that your child is eligible and in need of services. All in all, NYC leaves people with disabilities and their families with their dignity and treats them as consumers instead of clients (which reminds me, what am I still doing in NC?).
Should you need more specific information, please let me know.
Keep in mind that with whatever decision you make there is always the chance that services in that new state will become worse, or the budget will be cut, etc. Also, make sure that you've looked at all the locations within your state also. It would be a shame to move out of state only to find out that everything has changed in the next few years.
That having been said...I agree with CA, also MD, PA, NJ, NY, and according to that other post VA! But the waiting list for waivers here in VA is also years long, although not 9 years!
Don't consider Colorado!!!I strongly suggest NY. You don't have to live in an expensive metro area to access help:
I am the mother of Mateo, a very active 4 year old, who was recently diagnosed with Autism PPDNOS. He also has mild cerebral palsy and a mild hearing loss in the left ear which you would never know as active as he is. We live in the US Virgin Islands where the services are EXTREMELY limited for any disability. Initially, he was receiving speech, physical and developmental therapy through the Birth to 3 Program and was transferred to the Department of Education's Special Services Program for PreSchoolers where it was deemed tht he only needed speech therapy. But, his behavior caused me some concern, thus the evaluation and recent diagnosis of ASD just this past Friday. Needless to say, I am in a state of depression, confusion, dismay, and flux at what to do. I had started doing research on programs stateside when a tentative diagnosis was made 3 weeks ago by a pedi neurologist following concerns by the behavioral and developmental pedi. I too was looking into relocating to North Carolina for the TEACCH Program as I was impressed with it. I have also been looking into a program in the Miami-Dade area, and one in Atlanta with the Emory University's School of Medicine. I am at a major loss of where to find a good program and services. I found some website that stated that the best programs were in: CA, MO, OH, WI and NJ. Unfortunately, I really don't like the cold or snow, but I will do what I have to do for my son. I just don't know what to do or where to go. The Department of Education here is only now looking into supor programs for local kids with ASD. They evaluated the SCERTS, LEAP and TEACCH Programs this summer and chose the SCERTS Program. What I've read about it tells me that it is the weakest of the three programs. I am supposed to talk to the Commissier of Education this week to voice my concerns on thier choice of programs. Can I get some feedback, please?