I am looking to relocate from PA to either Dallas,Tx, Southeast Michigan or Massachusettes and want to find the best public school system for my child who has mild autism. I have been to hell and back for five years fighting for my child's right and education with administrators and teachers who just don't "get it" when it comes to autism spectrum. We have possible opportunites for employment in all three states and want to make the right decision for the best interest of our child. Anyone have suggestions?
I can give you an opinion on two of the places since I used to live in the Dallas area and currently live in southwest michigan. I would highly recommend the Dallas area. We regret almost daily moving from Plano, TX (a suburb just north of Dallas). Our quality of life was so much better in TX - housing is reasonable and the academic standing of the schools in Plano is top-notch! Now, I must say that my youngest who has an asd was diagnosed after leaving Plano. So we never went through the school system seeking special services. For my older son who is a typical student the experience was the best. Since moving to MI we've had to advance him a grade just to keep him minimally challenged. The enviroment of the school is pleasant and children are expected to be respectful and caring towards one another. Although I did not have a child in special ed, I did contact the special ed director for Plano after we left inquiring how they would handle my son with Autism if we came back. She spent almost an hour on the phone with me answering all my questions even though I was not a parent in the district. (Communication is something I find really lacking in MI schools.) I would highly recommend Plano ISD but not Dallas ISD. The only other school districts in the area that I would even possible look at might be Richardson or Frisco or maybe McKinney depending on where the job is located. Plano is truly one of the top school districts in the country and they have the $$ to support special services.
Now MI schools have been a big disappointment for us. I am not impressed with thier academic levels nor with their special ed services. I do live on the west side of the state, and I have heard that there are better schools around Ann Arbor where the University of Michigan is located. U of M also has an Autism Center which provides a great resource to parents in the area. We just live too far away to take advantage of some of their programs. My experience with special ed in this state has been that too much control is given to the local school districts which are controlled by the superintendent and a "lame duck" board. So it is quite the fight to get things accomplished - my opinion, its small town antics. I know from my experience that the best school districts is somewhat subjective depending on one's personal definition of "best." But I like to think I'm a reasonable person and I'm also an educator. Best of luck to you in your move!
I can give you some feedback on our town in Massachusetts.I live in Mckinney, Tx -- Suburb of Dallas. I spoke with my son's teacher and she said that Carrollton was top notch in public education for Autism spectrum disorders. Plano was her second choice.
Frisco is where my son is in school. They are great for the mildly Autisic child. They are getting better. The major issue in Frisco is funding. Frisco ISD has grown sooooo fast it cannot keep up with resources. We have new schools being built left and right. The elementary down the street registered twenty new students already this week!! I think Frisco will be on the ball in two to three years or so, once the population levels out.
The Dallas suburbs are great for housing!!!
I have worked with several school districts in the DFW area in Texas. Things I know... Lewisville ISD (I have not worked with directly) does not always offer ESY for PDD, but I am told they are a good school district. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD offers a lot of services. Denton ISD has a lot of UNT students that do ABA in home and at school - if you really advocate for your child they will generally work with you. There are some ISDs that have recently cut special ed funding to put more money into football. (This is the nature of Texas.) These ISDs are known for being great school districts, so you have to be careful about how they get their reputations. Texas is a red state, so there is not as much funding for things like special education and autism. I know a family that has a child with SPD in Mass., and they seem to be very up to date with their treatment and information, plus they are a blue state, so they have the money to fund the services that the kiddos need.