Autism Services... (San Antonio, Anton: school districts, military, move to)

[jojo61397]

Hello--

My husband is in the military and San Antonio is on a list of about seven bases we are looking at. My son has moderate to high functioning autism and is 4 years old. We are wondering what are the waiting lists like? What are the services available? And are the school districts good for an NT (normal) child?

Thanks,

[Cookiemeister]

There is an association for autism in San Antonio that would probably be a great source.You could probably google this information.

[Paka]

Originally Posted by jojo61397

Hello--

My husband is in the military and San Antonio is on a list of about seven bases we are looking at. My son has moderate to high functioning autism and is 4 years old. We are wondering what are the waiting lists like? What are the services available? And are the school districts good for an NT (normal) child?

Thanks,

I am not certain of exactly WHAT service and WHERE they are available to military folks here..but know that there are good services for thos with autism.

I had a friend that was a military Doc and their child was autistic (almost 3 yrs old when they were PCS'ed out). They fought tooth and nail to remain here because the services provided their child WERE so good. Unfortunately, the needs of the military over ruled.

I wish I could put you in touch, but we have lost track of each other since their PCS. Just know that there are services available and based on their efforts to remain, I would think very good ones.

Welcome to SA!!!

[majormadmax]

We have a 7-yr-old son who is autistic; and the services we have received here, both on base or off, have been excellent. As a matter of fact, I have to throw out that the Northside ISD has been exceptionally supportive in helping him. He has made dramatic improvements since we PCS'd here from Belgium in 2005, and we couldn't ask for a better school than the one he is in.

PM me if you want further details.

Cheers! M2

[pobre]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

We have a 7-yr-old son who is autistic; and the services we have received here, both on base or off, have been excellent. As a matter of fact, I have to throw out that the Northside ISD has been exceptionally supportive in helping him. He has made dramatic improvements since we PCS'd here from Belgium in 2005, and we couldn't ask for a better school than the one he is in.

PM me if you want further details.

Cheers! M2

I have heard that too (that NISD had exceptional services and support for autism spectrum students)...

[shoosh1958]

I also have an ASD son. We are also in NISD and very happy with their Special Ed services. In fact, all of my kids (12, 11, 10 and 9) receive varying degrees of Special Ed support and we love the schools they attend.
A few years ago we were looking at other Texas cities to move to and I did a lot of research into Special Ed services. I talked to education people in every major Texas city and some smaller places and all of them--with only one exception--said NISD was THE place to be for Special Ed.
I belong to the Autism Society of San Antonio and it is a great group. They meet once a month (next one is Saturday, January 19) and they have childcare. They also sponsor free trainings (next one is Saturday, February 2) but there is no childcare. You check them out at autismsocietysa : Autism Society of Greater San Antonio
AnyBabyCan also has an Asperger's Support and Education Group that meets monthly--they have free dinner and childcare with a reservation.
My husband is retired military but we haven't used them for anything more than the usual medical stuff, as we aren't eligible for EFMP (or whatever it's called). We have a great PCM at Wilford Hall who is great with all of my kids--her name is Sheralyn Wood.

[the_dimwit]

Our oldest daughter (3.5 years old) has high-functioning autism. We were a bit nervous when we moved from Northern VA (excellent services) to San Antonio, but have discovered that the NISD programs are just as good as what we left behind. Our daughter goes to school each morning for half-day, at Beard Elementary in Sonoma Ranch (Northwest side of SA). Her teachers are excellent, and the therapists are incredible (from what I hear).

In addition to schools, there are free seminars every month (on Saturday mornings and Thursday evenings) that offer a great way to learn about autism and meet other parents facing the same challenges. I think the Thursday evening classes are kid-friendly, but I haven't seen any children in the Saturday events.

There are a few resources I'd recommend:

The Autism Society of Greater San Antonio
Welcome Page

Any Baby Can SA
Any Baby Can - San Antonio

One For Autism
One For Autism in San Antonio, Texas, Consulting and Therapy Services, Children with Autism

Feel free to PM me if you need more...

--Dim

[jojo61397]

Thank-you all for replying, you actually did a lot to change our minds... We are going to put San Antonio on top of the list! Thanks again, I'll let y'all (gotta get used to sayin' that ) where we are going...

[3boymom]

I am a high school teacher of .students with high functioning autism/aspergers. Should I consider NISD over North East

[majormadmax]

NEISD is also known as an excellent district, but I have no first or secondhand knowledge of any autism services they provide. I am biased towards NISD as they have done so much for our son; but I am sure either would be outstanding for you.

Cheers! M2