Looking for a mom group that can shed light on a few schools for me... (Pittsburgh: home)

[algia]

Hi there,

I am wondering if anyone knows a group of moms, (maybe some that had an autistic child transition to mainstream Kindergarten from an ELP class that had an IEP?) I have the school list, I just need some input as to HOW WELL they do transitioning kids who changed schools in that age group.

Also need to know which of these schools have the best teachers.

Please PM me if you know of any.

Thank you,

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

My fiancee worked for Family Behavioral Resources as a TSS for about two years and can probably give you a good bit of info, or at least an idea of who you might be able to ask.

I'll direct her this way when she gets home from work tonight.

[artemis001]

I'd really like this information as well. I'm relocating to the bay area this summer. My son is 10 diagnosis of Aspergers/ADHD and has been in a private school. I'd like to try public again but just not sure if it will work for him so I also need to know about private schools. Please include or PM me with information you receive.

[Faerunner]

I haven't had any specific experience with kindergarten-age kids in the Pittsburgh public schools, unfortunately. They were either older kids or they lived and went to school in Indiana county so I can only give general advice.

Resources:
1. Your local FBR (Family Behavioral Resources) office (or the one nearest, if not local) will have a lot of experience dealing with schools in the area because that's what they do. They'll have the advantage of giving you an outside perspective on the schools in question and may have had contact with specific teachers before. Their website has locations listed and contact info for each one.

2. ARIN's IU 3 (AIU3), the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, is the support system for the schools in the area and works closely with special education teachers throughout the system. They may also have info on teachers and classrooms and may be able to tell you which public schools are best for your child. I know Mon Valley is a great school for autism support although I unfortunately do not have the name of the Kindergarten teacher there.

Whichever school you choose, set up at least 2 appointments to view the classroom if possible: 1 guided visit at a pre-set time and another "random" visit. Ask the teacher and principal for permission to "pop in for a few minutes" and arrange a general time-frame (say, either Monday or Tuesday afternoon) but no set date. These visits, if ok'd, can show you any serious differences in the way the school/classroom presents itself vs how it -really- operates on any given day.

And be prepared to support the teacher! Many teachers get very little support or training on mainstreaming children with autism and will benefit from your help in opening lines of communication to specialists (either within the district or outside), providing background that they might need (your child may not like certain noises that weren't a problem in his old classroom but come up in the new one), and generally making the mainstreaming path as smooth as possible for your son.

There are also a handful of -great- autism-centric private schools in the area but they are 1) Expensive and 2) Over-booked. If you are interested in them, by all means ask someone at the IU or the MH/MR office for contact information, but don't expect to get in this year.

[algia]

Thank you very much, this is great info.

I found some great schools in the areas below, but I am wondering if any in those particular areas would be good at transitioning him? we will help as much as possible, and he may be still getting speech aside from school for better communication skills.

Mt Lebanon
Upper St Clair
Bethel Parl
South Hills

Private is out of the question for us ($$$). He is doing very well academically, the only issues we are still working on is class behavior, paying attention "all the time" and follow class schedule, he gets bored if he has to wait for others to catch up...that's been the case in his ELP class...we're hoping that once in K, he will get enough academic stimulation that following class schedule won't be an issue anymore.

Also, could you guys name a few places to live that would be in walking distance to schools in the above mentioned areas? My daughter is going to be 1st grade and needs academic stimulation as well, she is really smart, ...so, I need to be able to accommodate both, but walking distance to the school is a MUST for us...(and grocery store if we can pull it off). Coming from FL, we would like the least amount of driving as far as the two mentioned are concerned.

Thank you very much,