Does any-one here live in Mass. If so we have quite a few Austim Schools in the area. Does any-one living in this area have any information on the schools, like NECC, RCS -Progress for all Children- Crossroads , Melmark, ect.
Any info would be greating appreciated.
bumping up for any Mass residents.........That's a great article even though I don't live there. I was reading through the comments and it was like a mini-forum. It is a great example of how you can get a lot of info. on school districts just by reading local papers. No matter where you live, it's so important to learn your rights. When I prepared for my son's first IEP meeting, I felt like a parallegal! Then I dressed up because someone told me to look professional (probably Tzoya!) and everyone else was in t shirts! I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was and I'm still learning. Maybe the most important thing to look for in a particular area is advocacy and parent training groups!
I live in Mass....thus far my daughter's needs are being met in public school......BUT.....I fear that won't last much longer.....I have put in an application at Melmark ( the wait is over 3 years ). I have no other information on the other schools....though I know there is also the May instute on Cape Cod which has been around forever.
I am awaiting a tour at Melmark and was advised by the director there to put my daughter's application in to EVERY school around because the wait is soooo long. I was also told you need your public school's "permission" to apply and tour.
I got a letter from my district saying that I could tour and "look at my options" but that out placement was NOT absolute at this time.
Melmark is ( thankfully ) almost next door to me....there was an article in last week's Boston Globe about people moving their families to be closer to schools appropriate for their child.....
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/05/with_ri se_in_autism_programs_strained/
Are you in Mass ? Are you looking at new schools ?
I live in Mass, but am using the public school system ( I am lucky, it is very good in my district), but I will bump this up, I know there are others who post on the boards in Mass.The school your child goes to has to meet his needs. Most kids can get their needs met in public schools. If there is a particular reason you are asking about private autism schools, you should post that here so that we can consider why and try to figure out what sort of school could match your child's needs. One of the BEST autism schools in the country is in Mass. -- The May Institute. But whether or not it's appropriate for YOUR child depend on your child. http://www.mayinstitute.org/