relocation with special needs child (Pittsburgh, Hampton Township: insurance, house, to buy)

[marie1330]

Hello, My family may be relocating to Pittsburgh area within the next 6 months and I'm looking for opinions on school districts: especially regarding special education. I have a 4 year old son who was born with Down syndrome and is attending preschool currently here in Colorado. From what I have found doing searches on the web, the North Allegheny SD appears to have a "inclusional mindset", though it's a very BIG district. Any thoughts/ opinions on this subject? Obvisously we want to buy a house in a school district that we can work with and provide the best possible educational experience for our son. I keep getting drawn to the north west area of Allegheny county when considering our move and would love thoughts/opinions on that area.

thanks so much

[Hopes]

Are you wanting inclusion? How functional is your son? What environment are you hoping to find?

Almost all school districts in Allegheny County have inclusion. More severe children are segregated throughout most of the day though. This isn't like California where children with severe disabilities are put in the regular ed classrooms. Here, children with more severe disabilities are in the special ed classrooms for most of the day, only attending classes in the regular ed classrooms (gym? art?) when it's possible for them to do so. In my district, I know that the elementary level has a special ed classroom where the students attend lunch in the lunchroom with the teacher who sits with them. I'm just giving you some examples of how there are various types of special education placements within school districts.

North Allegheny does have the best suburban district for aspergers/autistic children. I know a teacher who specifically bought another house in the North Allegheny School District for her autistic son's education. And she doesn't even work for that school district.

There are special education schools, like The Children's Institute in Squirrel Hill, if you're wanting a school that focuses specifically on special education.

I recommend contacting the local chapter for Down Syndrome and asking them for guidance regarding the various special education programs in the great Pittsburgh area.

[claremarie]

Sometimes there is a huge disconnect between what a district SAYS that it does for special needs kids, and what actually happens in the classroom. NA is a great, though very large school district, and it's a very nice part of the county. Your best resource will be parents who live in NA and have kids with Down Syndrome. You should be able to find them by contacting the individual schools that interest you (or the high school) and asking for information about the parent support groups for special ed kids. (If there is no such group, that should tell you something).

[marie1330]

Thanks for the replies,
I am looking at my son being included in a typical classroom. He is Developmentally delayed in all areas, which goes along with Down Syndrome, but a very functional 4 year old little boy. We are just starting out into the whole school system and I just want to know our options, especially moving to a different state. I'm just learning Colorado's "ways" of doing things but now we have to think about all it all works in Pittsburgh. I have looked into the area support groups and we are getting a little feedback.

[mevancho]

You probably should check out Hampton Twp. The school district is not that large and never will be so that allows for more personalized attention. They are ranked 4th in the state and 3rd in the region. I'm attaching a link for the special needs section of the Hampton School District for your review. I don't have an idea of your price range for homes but I also work for Maronda homes in Hampton twp. I have some very nice homes that range in size from 2900 sq ft to over 3500 sq ft. The prices are 248K up to 300K and are all new construction. I live in the area so please be assured that I'm not just trying to sell you a home. Hampton is known to be an excellent school district and is very good with special needs children. Feel free to email me with any other questions.

Hampton Township School District - A Tradition of Excellence


Best Regards

[Retiredcoach]

The Pine-Richland is widely regarded as one of the most progressive school districts for the special needs child. They have a full inclusion model, where your child spends the majority of his/her day with age peers. This is not only during the elementary years, but through high school. This is the fastest growing school district in Allegheny County. Yes, the taxes may be higher than surrounding counties, but the majority of that money goes to the schools. Pine-Richland test scores are among the highest in the region.

[ThreeKidsPA]

We have a ten year old son with Ds. When he was two we relocated to Pittsburgh. I can't speak to school districts north/west of the city. We only looked in the South Hills.

If you are planning a visit to Pittsburgh prior to your move, you may consider coming around October 20. That is when the Down syndrome Buddy Walk is. It would be a great opportunity to meet/speak with other families and resource providers. If you have never participated in a Buddy Walk - it is a wonderful experience. More information on that can be found at the Pittsburgh Down syndrome group's website.

Down Syndrome Group of Western PA


I've also added another link that may be of interest to you. The Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese has an excellent program for including kids into Catholic Education. It is the only program of it's type throughout the country - and they have been doing it for over FIFTY years! Our son started out in this program K-2...and I cannot say enough positive about it.

St. Anthony School Programs: Creating Opportunities for Students with Special Needs

Allegheny County is one of the better places to live in the US...having a child with special needs. It is a very diverse area. There are many very good school systems, many choices for therapists, activities, etc...etc... The state also provides an ACCESS card (with the Ds diagnosis) that will cover any co-pays or insurance costs that your medical/dental insurance provider does not.

There is an EXCELLENT comprehensive resource guide that was put together many years ago called The Family Resource Guide. My copy was published in 1999 - but I imagine it has been updated an reprinted since then. It includes hundreds of service providers, telephone numbers and websites for our area. Also there are many helpful tips for parents and families. Possibly Shelia Cannon at the Ds Clinic could mail you a copy. Sheila.Cannon@chp.edu

Hope this was helpful!

[marie1330]

Thank you all so much for your replies. This whole "possible" move has got me overwhelmed b/c of the whole extra consideration of the special education need. ThreekidsPA, my husband was just in contact with Shelia Cannon and she also gave us some ideas. I have a great support network here in Colorado and it's comforting to think in could exist elsewhere.
thanks again!