Hello all,
We currently live in MI and are considering moving to Texas or Florida. Wondering if anyone can guide me on areas to move to with EXCELLANT school districts for Autistic children (we have two). Any help or guidance would be appreciated.
Thanks
Charmaine
I live in Texas where the bill just passed that kids 3-5 are able to get any services needed and paid for by insurance now..including ABA, speech, OT ect...
This is huge as we had to pay for everything out of pocket. It wont be in effect till Sept. and I am not sure the schools will offer ABA because of this ruling as of yet they dont...I do live by North Texas State University that has an ABA program and BCBA program so I found therapists fairly easy compared to living out in the country somewhere. What part of Texas are you considering? I have been here all my life...Florida sounds wonderful but I love the people here..all my family is here too:) If you move close to Lewisville..I can hook you up to the best therapists, speech paths, and playgroups...resources.. Charmaine- I live in Orlando- no great news here. I wish things would change with the school system. We have to fight to make sure ds even gets what is on his IEP!! It is ridiculous. I love so many things about the area we live in, but it is tough. Good luck with making your decision. It is always hard to decide on a move.I live in FL and no great schools here as far as I've seen. Hired an advocate - didn't do much good...at least yet.
In a perfect world, we could all live where we want to live and still receive the quality services our kids need. I'm in Florida, and have a hard time. Among FL residents, the same advice hold true for school districts, the richer the better. It just doesn't seem that they are pumping enough money into the SPED programs. I would try to hook up with any local special ed/parenting groups where you are considering and get the real scoop. I would love to know if a good quality Pre-K autism program exists in FL public schools. It wouldn't matter now because I'm moving back to my home state of NY!!! (And I'm really turned off by the recent medwaiver budget cuts here).
You know, the law is the law no matter where you live and if you can advocate well for your child or hire a lawyer, you can still live where you want to!
I live in Central Florida and also have two on the spectrum. There are some really good private schools/centers out there that are worth the money in my opinion. Even a few public schools too if you live in the right district. What ages are your children? If you want more information, please let me know.
We lived in Tallahassee, FL and are the ones who gave my daughter services at age 3-4 yrs. They did a really good job. She got a full day of pre-K free, OT, speech, self help skills ALL FREE. We moved to CO and it is horrible here in CO. They took away hrs of service and now the next year they want to her it back to her? CO is one of the worst in the US. I currently live in South Florida in Broward County and I can say that the Dan Marino Center in Weston, FL, has been a life saver for me. They offer fantastic services for autistic kids, including a wonderful camp during the summers. My son, who is high functioning, was in an integrated public school pre-k last year and the teachers, aides, and SPED coordinator were wonderful and really made an effort to work with him. this year he will be going to a supported kindergarten program at our home public elementary school, which actually has an autism specialist and some services on site (it's called Mirror Lake Elementary in Plantation, FL, if you're interested in it...the SPED coordinator there is Li Ping Li). The downfall here is that schools are SOOOOO focused on the FCAT that the SPED services are lacking, particularly once these kids get to the middle and high school level. i am actually looking to leave Florida because the educational system is lacking and it's just gotten too expensive...good luck!