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I'm from New Jersey but thinking of moving to Florida in the future possibly Orlando, Tampa or Kissimmee...not to sure yet out of the three . But my dilemma is that my son was diagnosed when he was 2 1/2 yrs old with high functioning autism. At the time he had no language at all only pointed at the things he wanted and his social skills were non existent. He's now 5 yrs old and is doing amazing has been in the public school system since he was 3 in a self contained classroom with 1 head teacher and 3 assistants and 5 other kids in his class with him. He had improved so much that last year for preschool they began mainstreaming him with regular Ed students which helped improve his social skills tremendously and now In kindergarten they will begin his mainstreaming soon. My main concern is that him having such a great improvement will be hindered if I were to make the move to Florida. I've seen a few things about their programs for autistic children but they weren't as good as what he's receiving now. I'm just very conflicted and worried that he'll go backwards in his journey and I want to make sure my son will receive the best . I also have not been able to find anything on how elementary and high schools are there for special Ed and I know here in Jersey there are many different types of options for high school and they have already put in place the program for middle school. I'm not looking to move anytime soon but I would like to know my options and make sure it's a smart move for my son .
Someone please help me I know Florida has a lot to offer I just want to make sure the type of school I need for my son offers just as much if not more
You are right to worry. FL schools in many, if not most areas, don't come close to what NJ offers. We lived in both states. My son had an IEP, and it was accepted, and followed in FL, but his was a learning disability, and not reliant on heavy intervention.
You might want to reach out to the Dan Marino Center for Autism in Weston FL. It's nowhere near Orlando, but they might be able to give you information on various districts in the state.
I'm from New Jersey but thinking of moving to Florida in the future possibly Orlando, Tampa or Kissimmee...not to sure yet out of the three . But my dilemma is that my son was diagnosed when he was 2 1/2 yrs old with high functioning autism. At the time he had no language at all only pointed at the things he wanted and his social skills were non existent. He's now 5 yrs old and is doing amazing has been in the public school system since he was 3 in a self contained classroom with 1 head teacher and 3 assistants and 5 other kids in his class with him. He had improved so much that last year for preschool they began mainstreaming him with regular Ed students which helped improve his social skills tremendously and now In kindergarten they will begin his mainstreaming soon. My main concern is that him having such a great improvement will be hindered if I were to make the move to Florida. I've seen a few things about their programs for autistic children but they weren't as good as what he's receiving now. I'm just very conflicted and worried that he'll go backwards in his journey and I want to make sure my son will receive the best . I also have not been able to find anything on how elementary and high schools are there for special Ed and I know here in Jersey there are many different types of options for high school and they have already put in place the program for middle school. I'm not looking to move anytime soon but I would like to know my options and make sure it's a smart move for my son .
Someone please help me I know Florida has a lot to offer I just want to make sure the type of school I need for my son offers just as much if not more
NO, do not move to Florida.
This is where Alex Barton was voted out of his kindergarten class and the teacher is still teaching (though she is in a different school and grade). He did get a large settlement, but seriously you do not want your child subjected to this kind of abuse.
I'm not sure your reasons for wanting to move to Florida but you might need to put your sons education first. If he is getting a good education being special needs, count your blessings. We had to take our kids out of public all together and put them in private because of the terrible special Ed offered in our state (pretty much non-exisitant). My sons teacher even told me he deserved to be bullied because he wasn't as emotionally mature ad the other kids.
I say, don't risk it. Not to mention the big move and change might set him back in itself.
My daughter is special needs (PDD-NOS, moderate intellectual disability, ADHD) and intially started school in NY state. NYS had GREAT special education resources and programs. My career was leading toward Kentucky, and prior to moving, we checked into the school district's special education programs. The school district we were planning on moving to did not have a robust program, but we did find a district which did have a great program and moved there. We also found a program at the university specifically for children with autism. Sometimes the area you are going to will have additional programs for your child's particular needs, so check into that as well. Look into the surrounding areas of your destination; you may have a further commute but it will be worth it for a better school district and access to programs that he needs.
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