New to this board,Help Needed Desperatly | Autism PDD
I don't know anything about Tennessee, but just wanted to say welcome to the board!
Welcome!!! You will be SO GLAD that you found this "little community"! Everyone is great and so helpful. I'm not from TN, but I am in Kentucky, only about 1 hour or so away from Clarksville! My husband and I actually come down to do some Christmas shopping at the mall there.
Good luck and come back any time!!! Just wanted to say welcome, I'm so glad you found this forum! I'm happy to
Thank you all for the welcoming replys makes you feel right at home
Good Luck! ttfn Not in Tennessee myself, but wanted to say welcome! My dad and his family live in Tennessee! I love visiting there, it's beautiful! In the Nashville area they say the best school system is Franklin, Williamson County, but I don't know about special needs there. My nephew is in Nashville and so far we haven't received much help, but his mom is SSMD (struggling single mom in denial.) Welcome to the forum. Here's a good introduction to addressing running off from school, written by a special education attorney who has experience with several children with elopement issues. The only thing he doesn't mention is putting elopement in the IEP. http://specialedlaw.blogs.com/home/2005/11/on_october_14_2.h tml He recommends: 1) A written plan on how to deal with elopement, with assigned roles for the staff, prevention (for example visuals for the child) and "fire drills" for dealing with a crisis that comes up despite prevention. 2) Risk analysis -- what aspects of the schedule and surroundings increase the risk of elopement? ie transitions between rooms, located near a busy street, etc. 3) Equipment -- teachers and other staff must be able to communicate with each other quickly in a crisis. Walkie-talkies are essential. 4) Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plan -- this is the most important step. Why does the child elope and what can you do to teach him to stay put and get his needs met in a safer, more appropriate way? You'll find lots of other good tips about running off (elopement) under the following topics on our forum: http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16989&am p;am p;KW=Lifesaver http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=17018&am p;am p;KW=missing Good luck with everything! Just wanted to interduce myself
As you know schools are always an issue when relocating and I was hoping to find someone in the area that could tell me something about the school districts in Tennessee.Maybe recommend some or point out the ones that might not be for families with special needs,or even name some schools that you had good experiences with.We were thinking of moving into MontgomeryCounty(Clarksville) or PutnamCounty (Cookeville,Algood) Area but are open for other suggestions if better. My younger son is in Elementary right now and diagnosed with PDD/NOS my other son with ADHD in Middleschool and I also have a Highschooler.My younger one is the one I'am worried about as he wanders from school premisses when not propper watched and is in need of constant supervision and needs someone to help him with his dayly tasks. The wandering off is something new he developed and our school was hit by it by surprise so was I and since post is closing staff has been reduced to a minimum , I cover the times in specials when he doesn't have an aid,to ensure something like that doesn't happen again.Of course now I'am worried to be able to find the right school,a school with an open door policy,were parent involvement is welcome,suggestions are taken serious and communication between parent and teacher is strong. Research in the past showed me these things are not welcomed all the time,so if someone has any suggestions about schools,county's by experiance or has a friend that does or general info I would be very greatfull. Sorry if my post may no tbe in the propper place but I'am new to this and haven't figured out how it all works yet
see some folks were able to give you good info on TN. We are in TX, so not
much help. We have a few friends that are in various branches of the
military. I applaud you (one brave mama!!) for doing all you do while
your dh is in Iraq.
WELCOME AGAIN!! 
Welcome. I 'm also not in Tennesse but I have moved around a bit. The
best success I have found for an open school are 'community schools' or
'open schools' which I know they have in many states. They are public
magnetschools. My son is at one currently and parents being involved is
not just welcome but expected.I live in Nashville and my grandson lives in Cookville. Both are beautiful places to live. I don't know what to tell you about the schools. I have a friend who is a kindergarten teacher in Sparta and will ask her about the schools in the area. Clarksville and Ashland City area may be good as you would be surrounded by more families with some of the same concerns(military) as you. Seems to be a lot of support for those with family members out of the country and I'm sure there are more support groups and shared help and experience. Just my thoughts, You may want to rent for a short while and investigate the options. I wish you the best and the energy you need for this move.
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