Hello,
I am looking to relocate to PA and had heard some say that York County offers decent services for children with autism. My issue is this - my thirteen year old son is what they consider to be classically autistic. And, although he is verbal (can indicate wants and needs through short subject-verb sentences), he does exhibit some very challenging behaviors (aggression, property destruction, self-injurious behavior). When I looked into York County, no one could give me any definitive information and from my research it appears as if its made up of about 10 or so boroughs (small towns) that fall under the auspices of IU 12. What I fear the most of small towns are the limited opportunities they often present. So, my mind began to wander to the Pittsburgh area (hope I spelled that correctly), which seems more urbanized, but I dont know anything about it.
My questions are as follows: Is York County or Pittsburgh a viable area for my son given his needs? If so, what borough/city/town, IU or school system should I specifically consider as a possible relocation site? What are the services outside of the school system like? Is there any other place in PA I should seriously consider given the services and supports they offer?
Any and all information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Pat
Please see my post in the thread: Moving to Pittsburg areahttps://www.bucksiu.org/links/?set=SpecialEd
http://www.pittsburghautism.org/resources_links.shtml
http://autismbulletin.blogspot.com/2007/06/pennsylvania-gove rnor-urges-passage-of.html
http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/Disable/AutismServices/
http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=pennsylvania+autism+res ources&FORM=MSNH
here are some to get you started