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I have enjoyed the information shared here for the last few months. My wife and I visited in March and enjoyed Greenville very much. As we decide on whether to relocate, information on schools becomes very important.
We have a 10 year old son with Asperger's Syndrome, or high functioning autism. Like a lot of kids with this diagnosis, his disability is not always apparent, but he needs a program that will make some accomodations. Right now, he goes to a regular ed 3rd grade class with a one-to-one aide or paraprofessional. Last year, he was in a special ed class with no aide. But a regular ed 4th grade with no assistance would not work at this point.
I would really appreciate hearing about schools and/or districts with good (and bad) reputations. Some districts have resources and strong programs, others do not. When you're a parent of a child with special needs, a wrong decision can be devastating. Of course we will do more research, but this forum can be a great starting point. I would say we'd be interested in Greenville the first "ring" of towns that surround it, no more than 20-30 minutes from downtown. If there is a private school that caters to the autistic spectrum, we'd love to hear about that too.
Did you check out Camperdown in Greenville?
I don't know if it caters to autistic children but I know it is a special needs school for dyslexic and ADD children.
My 10 yr old son has high-functioning autism (Asperger's) and has been attending Sara Collins Elementary for the past three years (3rd grade to 5th grade). It's an amazing school and they have done wonders for him. He was in a self-contained classroom for most of 3rd and 4th grades, and was mainstreamed for gym, math, and science. This year, in 5th, he was fully mainstreamed in a regular classroom and only had minimal aid (i.e. accommodation with testing, etc.)
He's done so well and we couldn't be happier with his progress.
He starts middle school in the fall and should do fine. We still have an IEP and a request that he has an aide to help him adjust to the new routine, but overall we don't see any problems. I give all the credit to the wonderful staff at Sara Collins.
You don't have to live in the Sara Collins district to attend that school. We actually live in Simpsonville, not even close to the school. Bus service was provided, door to door, for all three years.
If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them.
Thanks for the info on Sara Collins Elementary. I sent you a "direct message" thru city-data with my email, so hopefully you can give me some more specifics.
It would be great to hear from other parents or teachers about the South Carolina or Greenville schools approach to high-functioning kids on the autistic spectrum. They can be a difficult placement, as they can go for several hours in a class like a typical student, then encounter a social or academic challenge and have a serious misunderstanding or meltdown.
Here in Massachusetts, schools will often assign these kids a one-on-one aide (paraprofessional) to help them navigate the school day. Mass. likes to mainstream kids in regular ed classes whenever possible. I understand the reasoning, but sometimes kids need a small group setting.
Any more insight and school or district suggestions (or warnings!) is greatly appreciated.
My little cuz goes too Sara Collins as well he does not have autism but has muscular dystrophy. And as far as I know they seem too be a good school. I have never heard my aunt say anything bad about the place.
Hello to all out there...also looking into Sara Collins Elementary, a have a daughter that will be entering kindergarten that has moderate hearing loss, any info. about that school? Thanks.
I am speaking on behalf of some parents whom are seeking a specialized program for thier sons with Autism. They are all sisters and would appreciate assistance with seeking a program. All three are adults. Where do these guys go from the school setting? How do they fullfill thier days now that they're out of school? Could someone tell us?
Thanks
Last edited by sean dewitt; 03-22-2009 at 07:02 PM..
Reason: mistake
I must say that Anderson district 1 spec. hunt meadows seems to have a great program! The special needs teacher was named teacher of the year a few years ago. He is super with the kids. I volunter alot and see much of the interaction. I would check it out.
In response to Sean Dewitt's question: You should try the Charles Lea Center. I'm not positive about all their services but I believe they find work for adults with developmental, physical, and emotional disabilities. They might even provide skills training for these individuals. If they are high functioning enough to live on their own with some/limited assistance the Charles Lea Center can direct you to the closest and most appropriate live in facilities. These are pretty neat they're similar to assisted living housing with their own apartment and daily/weekly assistance with bills and such. Their IEP team with their school should have addressed this transitional issue. You might seek advice from the High School counselor or Special education teacher where they attended high school.
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