Special Ed in NH (Nashua, Londonderry: for sale, house, school districts)

[Todd M.]

We're toying with the idea of moving to NH to be closer to friends and family. We're both originally from MA, but will never live there again. Our oldest son has Autism, and I was wondering what special ed programs are like there? Are services readily available, or is it a constant struggle to get even the most basic things like Speech Therapy? Are there certain areas of the state that are better known for special ed programs than others? Also, do they go by town or by county up there?

Thanks for any insight.

Todd

[daniellefort]

I'm with you. I have a blind child in public school here in FL and i'm wanting to move back to NH to be with my family but also have to consider special education. I think OT, PT and Speech therapy is quite common to find in all the school systems since that can be easily contracted from hospital services and and other outside agencies and so on but in my case, finding someone who trains in blind mobility for my daughter and someone who can read braille is a concern as that's not something so common as therapists. Do what I did. I sent the school district of the town i want to move to the most current ESE paperwork indicating what exactly your child currently needs and it will give them a better idea if they can provide those services or not right away. I was told once they recieve the paperwork, if they don't have the necessary aids to assist her that they will put out a job opening for someone who would qualify for her needs. but don't wait too long. It's better to give them plenty of time for them to find someone rather than wait until you actually make the move and then have them start looking. If all goes well with her schooling, we plan to move in the spring but right now that's all that's holding us back.

[WannaComeHome]

Have you checked out Crotched Mt? They have a special ed school there, been there for a long time.

[AngelaK]

Hello,

Special education services and all finances of a school district are provided at the local level here in NH. School districts have the control. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. Special education is not a fully funded mandate in NH. (unlike states who fully fund their education at the state level, like Maine and Michigan). That is why the property tax issue and the adequate education issue is so big here in NH. Generally speaking though, if the IEP team at the school agrees that your son needs certain services (ie. occupational therapy or speech therapy, etc) the school district is obligated to provide it. They will either have their own people on staff or will have to contract out to private providers in the local area. Most schools in NH have their own speech pathologists and occupational therapists. Again, generally speaking, the school districts in the southern and central tiers of NH have more resources available to them--in both funding and people. There are more services available to people in the southern part of the state, because towns are closer to each other and transportation does not become an issue. The north country has difficulty at times providing necessary services due to lack of funding, long distances to outside services, etc. If you would like to discuss this more, please email me. Good luck.

[dinalkulp]

Originally Posted by Todd M.

We're toying with the idea of moving to NH to be closer to friends and family. We're both originally from MA, but will never live there again. Our oldest son has Autism, and I was wondering what special ed programs are like there? Are services readily available, or is it a constant struggle to get even the most basic things like Speech Therapy? Are there certain areas of the state that are better known for special ed programs than others? Also, do they go by town or by county up there?

Thanks for any insight.

Todd

I have two children in the Londonderry schools with an IEP. Both have ADD. The special ed department has done an excellent job with both kids, one who is almost 12 and the other almost 17. They are very thorough in their evaluations and have provided all the help they need. Incidently we have a home for sale in Londonderry so please see the listing over in classifieds.

[janny]

Originally Posted by dinalkulp

I have two children in the Londonderry schools with an IEP. Both have ADD. The special ed department has done an excellent job with both kids, one who is almost 12 and the other almost 17. They are very thorough in their evaluations and have provided all the help they need. Incidently we have a home for sale in Londonderry so please see the listing over in classifieds.

I saw the pictures of your house and it is beautiful. We are from NJ originally, live in NC now (I don't like it, my husband is ok w/it), but I would love to move to NH. My husband's company is headquartered in Bedford, MA and apparently a lot of people in that office commute from Nashua. Seems like Londonderry would be more our cup of tea (more rural, which we like). It's too bad we're not ready to move right now because your house is exactly what we'd be looking for. I'm hoping my husband will be able to switch offices within the next 3 years.

It's good to hear that you have a high opinion of the special ed program in the schools. Our son is going to be 3 the end of November. He currently has an IFSP through the county infant-toddler program (he has developmental delays due to being a preemie) and will be transitioning to the school system and getting an IEP in November. It's been a bit of a struggle here getting him the services he needs and with the schools really having a hard time managing the growth it seems some kids are falling through the cracks and/or their services are getting severely cut. Do you foresee any issues with growth in the Londonderry/Nashua area schools within the next few years?

[CityGirl52]

my niece is in college in NH right now taking a Special Education program as I write this. We're all keeping our fingers crossed that she pursues it even further with a Masters then a Doctorate degree later on. It's definitely a program that is needed more and more and the schools in NH are very aware of it being needed and are absolutely doing something about this issue.

For some reason there's SO SO many cases of autism, ADD etc now more then ever ever before. Special Education is a field that a lot of students going to college right now should consider taking. If they want to teach and feel rewarded afterwards? This is the field to get in to. I think there's even some programs being offered for tuition reimbursement, if the student goes further with a masters in this particular field, that shows you how desperately they want and need these college people to pursue this field even more then ever before. In fact, it was just online about it a few months ago.