Karrie -
Thanks for the reply. Mike is in the Air Force. He has been in for over 19 years now so we are close to retirement and looking at where to settle down.
Congrats on the new baby!! Looks like you have your hands full. It is a great time when a new baby is on the way.
I am interested in learning about the different states because we are so close to retirement. I think we are leaning towards returning to Colorado somewhere around Colorado Springs but we are keeping our options open. We want to do what is best for the family and this includes looking for a great school system for Brandon.
I am very happy to meet you and look forward to talking with you some more.
Marie
Marie,
I am also a military wife. My husband is Active duty Army and we are stationed at Ft. Jackson for 2 years while he is doing Drill Sgt. Time. What branch of service is your husband in? I have 3 children....13 year old son...11 year old daughter...a 3 year old son with autism..and i am due any day with another boy!! I have lived in many places but the last 3 are the ones where I lived with a special needs child. Tennessee, kentucky and now south carolina. I think so far I like South Carolina best but I think that is because they seem to have specific autism resources like the carolina care team which only deals and diagnosis autism spectrum disorders. Also the school system here has Teacch classrooms for children with autism. They also still have the usual spec-ed preschool classrooms too so most parents have a choice to where you want your child to be...of course it's mainly determined on function levels. All the staff at least in our school district dealing with special education are trained and familiar with autism. The Early intervention programs here have EI's that are trained and deal with autism....so if you even suspect that your child may be in the spectrum you can choose an EI for your child that can help you get the things you need to get the diagnosis...plus they work with your child as far as specific needs dealing with autism. I don't know about any where else but here with Adam's EI...she will stay with him until he is 7 because of the autism diagnosis even though he has been transferred to the school system. He is in school now but she still comes to work with him once a week here at home. We have teffra medicaid here that we have applied for that will help pay for additional therapies other than what he gets in school. Our military insurance covers these therapies too but it will be nice to have that extra insurance to take adam to certain doctors that are not on the tricare list that I want him to see. The teffra here is not based on income at all so that is good. I worry about going back to kentucky/tennessee because I don't really have experience with the schools there as far as autism goes. He was only 2 at the time we were in those states so it was not the public school system that we dealt with. I will have to research more on that before we go back. Well...just wanted to basically say welcome but I just went on and on here..LOL Take care and hope to learn more about you and yours soon.
Karrie
Hi everyone -
I am new to the list. We have two children - Taylor (6) and Brandon (4). Brandon was diagnosed with autism about a year ago. My husband is in the military and since Brandon has been diagnosed we have been transferred.
We are now living in Lompoc, CA and are having difficulties getting Brandon the services he needs. MONEY magazine publishes a "Best Places to Live" article each year and I got to wondering - what are the best places to live with an austistic child.
We have lived in Colorado (without children), Maryland (where Brandon was born), Nevada (where Brandon was diagnosed and started Early Intervention programs) and now California.
Here is our impressions of the programs in Nevada and so far in California -
Nevada - had an outstanding Early Childhood Program (preschool and early intervention services) - enrolling children with an autism diagnosis from ages 3 - 5 with a ratio of 3:1 keeping class sizes below ten. They brought peer mentors into the classroom and kept to a year round schedule with minimum breaks to keep a consistent program. His teacher and her staff were qualified, professional but had a lot of turn over. We were also lucky many classes didn't have a qualified special education teacher. Brandon spent about a year in the class before we were transferred. IEP process was overwhelming but each member worked as a team. We were included and made to feel like part of the team. Although we did not disagree with the program.
California - Lompoc or Santa Barbara County - Brandon is enrolled in a LEAP program (early intervention preschool for children with austism diagnosis) which is underfunded and not meeting his needs. A nine month program with an ESY component - ESY cuts services to the bare bone and does not enforce the IEP. IEP meetings are unproductive and do not accomplish tasks. Team is split and cookie cutter program is forced upon each student. Teaching staff is outstanding with qualified individuals. Other services provided by other governmental agencies are unfunded and difficult - process is not always explained and is difficult to get services in place.
I know these are just my opinions based upon my experiences but I feel it is helpful to share with other parents. I would really love to know what you all think is the best place to live with an austistic child and why.
Looking forward to talking with you.