Best school district near Ithaca for autistic kids? (Lansing, Trumansburg: camps, babysitters)

[Dreamdog]

Hi,

We're considering moving to Tompkins County or one of the nearby counties. I have a son with Asperger Syndrome, and would love to hear from anyone who knows about how the schools cope with high-functioning (or otherwise) autistic kids. I've heard that the Ithaca and Trumansburg schools provide more services than the other nearby districts, but that's all I know (and others may disagree, I'm sure) My son is 9 years old. Thanks in advance!

[vicarian]

http://www.cornellbtp.com/icsd.htm

This might help. It's some information about the Ithaca district, which serves Ithaca city and some of the usrrounding suburbs.

[carvers wife]

just reading some old posts, and thought I may have an answer for you. In Ithaca there is the Franzisca-Racker Centers, formerly known as the Special Children's Center. They have a variety of services for every level of functioning and have heard positive things about their programs. I used to work for the Arc of Schuyler County and many of the families I worked with at the time bussed their kids to day programs there.
I'm not trying to undermine the public schools, but my sister0in-law used to teach special ed and she was frustrated with the mainstreaming programs when what these kids needed were practical skills.
I hope that helps.
Good luck.

[klg16]

Ithaca has not yet fully come to grips with autism--most people have had little training about its scope and complexity. I too have a 9 year old with Asperger's. He is mainstreamed at Belle Sherman school with a 1:1 aide (untrained in ASDs) and a variety of pull-out therapies in the school with OT, special ed, small group social skills, speech. Belle Sherman just started an after school enrichment program, and other schools already have them. The Fraziska Rackers Center offers families assistance--my son is starting a social skills group once a week. This is an exciting new development. We still hope for more focus for children on the spectrum in terms of social skills programs, summer camps, executive function issues, tutors who understand ASD, etc. Class sizes in the schools can get tricky--my son does not do well in a class over 15. 19 is barely ok. Next year they are thinking 27 in his 4th grade class. Ask lots of questions of Special Ed. The ICSD has two special ed 12:1:2 classrooms, at Beverly Martin and at North East. Visit and look carefully to be sure they are right for your son. The Montessori schools in Ithaca and Lansing are good for some children. Parent groups form and disband--babysitters can be tough to find! So, there are a lot of resources, but it takes a lot of energy to pull them all together. You also need to be really vigilant on the IEPs and be firm, if pleasant, about what you need. Good luck--if you move here be in touch!