Special education in NH (Concord, Londonderry: school districts, to move, special needs)

[maryCh]

Looking for information on special education in NH. We have a 12 yr old with autism; he's currently "labeled" a 7th grader here in NC but gets very little assistance other than a separate classroom.

We like what we see in New England, but school is very important for us!

[tgammans]

Hello my name is Tracy, I noticed a message was posted about schools in new hampshire helping children with Autism and I am a parent of a child with ASD and was interested to find out more. Any help would be very much appreciated. Also where is NC?? Thank you.

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by maryCh

Looking for information on special education in NH. We have a 12 yr old with autism; he's currently "labeled" a 7th grader here in NC but gets very little assistance other than a separate classroom.

We like what we see in New England, but school is very important for us!

NC i believe is North Carolina??

Well i don't know much about Autism in the schools but my daughter will be attending high school in Berlin, NH next year and i've contacted the ESE director months ago and they are getting things together for her to attend next year. She will be the only blind child in the school system so of course special needs are being addressed at a very impressive rate. I attended this school myself so i'm at least a little familiar with how things were. I'd just first focus on where you want to move then contact the ESE director of the school district yourself and see what the options are.

[AngelaK]

Whatever school district you move into will need to follow your child's IEP, and then they will have a meeting to look at what services they can provide in or out of the district that would be appropriate for your child. Many school districts in NH have their own autism programs, while others follow the inclusion model with services in the classroom with or without some pull out services, etc. The type and quality of services really depends on the school district. Southern NH tends to have more resources available, for a number of reasons. I would suggest that you look to school districts that have good reputations, such as Bow, Hanover, Hopkinton, Concord, Exeter, Londonderry to name a few. You should then contact the Special Education Director of these districts to get some information. The NH DOE website has a list of all the special ed directors and their contact information. I am a 15+ year professional in the field of special education, please private mail me if you have any further questions. Good luck.

[Valerie C]

AngelaK, I sent you a private message and will be emailing you as well.