Looking to relocate Texas to Fresno/Clovis Ca (fit in, real estate)

[cat6289]

Hi, all. My family and I are looking into possibly relocating to the Fresno/Clovis area. We have a 6yr old who is autistic. So, having him in the best school possible is a must. We would like said school to have resources for kids with learning disabilities (special education in Texas) not 100% sure if it's automatically the same in Ca. I have subscribed to several FB groups but I have not been lucky as far as getting a response from members. Ideally we would like to stay pretty close to this area since my husband has family in the area, not sure if we can afford or consider areas outside of there since travel distance may not be feasible if both my husband and I are working.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[Adriatica]

Look for schools in the Clovis Unified School district (which encompasses all of Clovis and the northeast part of Fresno).
https://www.cusd.com/SpecialEducation.aspx

Best zip codes are 93730, 93720, 93619, and northern parts of 93611.

[marcopolo666]

"Looking to relocate Texas to Fresno/Clovis Ca"

I don't think that all of Texas will fit in Clovis.

[BeauCharles]

I agree that Clovis Unified School District would be the best choice, not just for special needs kids, but for any child. Its just a better district than Fresno Unified. When you're looking for a home tell your real estate agent or property management person that's where you want to be. Here's a page from Clovis Unified's website that mentions support for autistic kids.

https://www.cusd.com/Programs-ElementaryPrograms.aspx

Also, there is a private organization that has after school and other programs for autistic children with two offices in Fresno.

California Autism & Learning Group

Basically, in a metro area the size of Fresno I would think you can find what ever instruction and support you need.

[Crazy4Chickens]

Born and raised in Fresno. Lived there for 38 years. Went to Clovis Unified Schools from kindergarten until graduating high school. This is the school district you want your kids in.
You can live in parts Fresno and still be able to send your kids to Clovis schools. That's what my parents did. That's what we did with our own kids. If you want to live in Clovis too that's fine, but I did want to throw it out there that you can buy or rent a house in certain parts of Fresno and still be able to send your kids to Clovis schools.

[Rooster1722]

Each district and country are different. Does your son already have an IEP? If so, I’d call the district your residence is going to be in, and advocate for an ASD only classroom. Some districts will have classes specifically for ASD kiddos, and other districts will have general special needs, which is a mix.

In CA, if you’re unhappy with your placement, you can advocate as the parent to do an in/out of district transfer to ensure your son’s needs are being met. So if you live in county for example, but the city or unified district fits his needs, you’d just send him there.

The “standard” for ASD classes are 1 teacher, and a 2 to 1 teacher aide to student ratio. That can increase if there are lots of behavioral issues that need support.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you have more questions.

[cat6289]

Originally Posted by Adriatica

Look for schools in the Clovis Unified School district (which encompasses all of Clovis and the northeast part of Fresno).
https://www.cusd.com/SpecialEducation.aspx

Best zip codes are 93730, 93720, 93619, and northern parts of 93611.

Thanks, I will do that!

[cat6289]

Thanks!

[cat6289]

Thanks, I will def look into that. He was in public school but we pulled him out due to ABA therapy.

[Jen.matthews78]

Originally Posted by cat6289

We would like said school to have resources for kids with learning disabilities (special education in Texas) not 100% sure if it's automatically the same in Ca.

It looks like you've gotten most of the answers you were looking for, which is great! I just wanted to throw my two cents in regarding special education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law, so it applies to all 50 states. Of course, the implementation in the different states will vary quite a bit. Mostly, it's just about learning the local jargon although everyone (I think) does use the term IEP. If your son was already enrolled in school, he likely already has one in place, which will transfer with him. This will help save time because you won't have to go through the initial identification rigmarole again. Once you've enrolled him in a school, I believe the school has 30 days to hold a "transition" IEP at which time you can discuss specific services and needs as well as receive some input from his teachers regarding their observations of him up to that point. The IEP can then be updated to reflect any changes in services, instructional minutes, accommodations, or modifications, etc. that the team feels may be necessary. If needed, this may include a 1:1 instructional aide who works solely with your son throughout the day to keep him on track. That may be something we see more often at the secondary end of education, but it's something to keep in mind.

As others have already mentioned, depending upon where your child falls on the Autism spectrum, there are a couple of options as to program placement. Of course you'll have to investigate how this looks in the Clovis USD, but the idea is to place the student in the least restrictive environment possible. Again, depending upon where he is on the spectrum, this may be a mainstream school in which he receives intervention with a SPED teacher for a certain number of minutes per week (this would be a study skills period beginning in middle school) while the rest of his time is spent in a classroom with a general education teacher and other students who may or may not have other types of learning disabilities. If he is placed in a mainstream program, he may still have access to an Occupational Therapist, a Speech Pathologist, Adaptive Technology, etc. It just depends upon his needs.

A slightly more restrictive environment for him would be a Special Day Class (SDC) although I believe that CA changed the official name to something else. But, that's when your son would be in a self-contained classroom for the majority of the instructional day with a small group (I think the class size is limited to 10 students with a teacher and 2 instructional assistants). He would have recess, P.E., art/music, lunch, etc. with the general student population, but the majority of his instruction would be provided by a teacher with a moderate-severe credential. As others have mentioned, this may be a mixed disabilities group or a group specific to Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Moving to a higher degree of restrictive environment would be a non-public school for which the school district would pay. There are a variety out there and, if deemed that this is the best placement for your son, the district would help identify a nearby program and help arrange the transition paperwork and IEP, etc.

Keep in mind that these placements are not necessarily for keeps. In other words, as your son grows and progresses, the IEP team (his teachers, you, and school admin) may determine that his placement needs to change. This could be in either direction meaning more or less restrictive. Every three years, (unless the team determines this is detrimental to him or will not provide helpful information), he will be re-evaluated to see if he continues to qualify for special education services. This is called a triennial IEP and involves a battery of tests done over a period of a few weeks by both school psychologists (focusing on cognitive functions) and special ed teachers (focusing on academic levels). The psychologist will review any and all evaluations given to your son and explain them in detail. Ditto the special ed teacher. It's a lengthier meeting, obviously, than the annual IEP.

You are your son's best advocate, so don't be afraid to ask questions of the staff on a regular basis. Keep in regular contact with your son's teacher(s) and look for ways you can complement at home what they are doing during the instructional day. You do NOT strike me as the type of parent who would, but please continue working with him at home. It doesn't have to be typical school stuff, but they are sure to have suggestions for activities and strategies for supporting the curriculum at home.

Unfortunately, there are many parents who just rely on the school to magically fix things and then wonder why their children are not making the progress they otherwise could be making. Most often what we see at the middle and high school level is that kids and parents think they can just do 100% of their school work in a 1 period per day study skills class. One period per day is nowhere near enough time to handle the homework for 6 other periods (we have a 7 period day). So, the parents tend to blame the school for their children's or their own lack of follow through despite numerous reminders and opportunities, etc.\\

Anyway, that last little rant is not directed towards you, it's just something I see a lot of. I hope this information is helpful to you and that the transition goes well for all of you.