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Hello all! I was hoping some of you could share your insight. Previous similar threads are pretty old and likely not up to date given budget changes. Our toddler was diagnosed with autism a year ago. We live in TX and don't have much reason to live here. I'm trying to research the top 3-4 locations/states to consider for moving for our son's long term future (i.e. therapy/education for his childhood and resources/programs for his adulthood). We want to move somewhere we can stay permanently. I'm hearing good things about Boston, but want to know if that's really the best and whether there are other places that are comparable or better. We are getting ABA using our insurance and didn't plan on using the public school system for another 2 years, however that is partly because 1:1 ABA is not really in the schools here and because services are not great here.
So, what are the top few places to live for child/adult autism services? If mentioning a state, is there a particular area to look into? I know cost of living will be much greater than in TX, but that's ok.
Pennsylvania is highly rated in the whole state. Not sure about adult services though only kids. Most of my friends who live in PA are very satisfied with the services there. Boston is supposed to be excellent, but the COL there is pretty high.
1:1 ABA is not in schools anywhere that I know of but PA has an autism scholarship you can use for ABA.
Where in Texas are you? Some places in Texas are a bit better than others. My grandson is doing well in the public schools in suburban Houston, but he is high functioning and we are still having some problems with his academics.
Thanks, Nana! That is good to know about PA. It seems like a more reasonable (cost-wise) option. However, given that we are going to uproot our jobs/lives, we want to be fully informed about which state really has the BEST services. I will need to look into PA more, because it sounds like it'd be a nice place to live. Do you know what parts of the state your friends live in? I've heard good things about Pittsburg, but I've not heard as much about Philadelphia.
We are also in the suburbs of Houston. My son is not high functioning and needs a lot of support (he's not started school yet, is in ABA). We are frustrated by the school districts here. I think, with money/insurance, you can get decent ABA here, but I feel we will be at the mercy of the school districts who don't have his interest in mind. It seems like here, if you don't know to ask for something, you won't get it through the district. Going through our first ARD was eye opening.
My grandson was in an ABA center from 3 to 5 and then at 5.5 when to the PPCD in our burb. In Kindergarten he was mainstreamed with support - resource room for k - 1 and then push in special ed teacher from 2nd to 4th grade. He was, btw, preverbal until he was almost 8 years old. Still did well with minimal supports - no aide.
My grandson was in an ABA center from 3 to 5 and then at 5.5 when to the PPCD in our burb. In Kindergarten he was mainstreamed with support - resource room for k - 1 and then push in special ed teacher from 2nd to 4th grade. He was, btw, preverbal until he was almost 8 years old. Still did well with minimal supports - no aide.
What is "pre-verbal"? So he was able to learn in a mainstream class without being fully verbal?
What is "pre-verbal"? So he was able to learn in a mainstream class without being fully verbal?
Yes, he was able to be in a mainstream class even though he was not fully verbal. Preverbal means he had some words, but they were mostly labeling things. He was not able to hold a conversation. He was able to get his needs met and follow rules. He had a lot of little girls who took care of him. In fact, we had to get them to back off and let him do things for himself. The school was very accepting of differences and it did not hurt that he was very cute and sweet. Class size was a factor. There were only 17 kids in his elementary classrooms.
Do realize that mainstream classrooms are not the *best* placement for all kids though. It will depend on the child and the level of noise that s/he can handle.
Yes, he was able to be in a mainstream class even though he was not fully verbal. Preverbal means he had some words, but they were mostly labeling things. He was not able to hold a conversation. He was able to get his needs met and follow rules. He had a lot of little girls who took care of him. In fact, we had to get them to back off and let him do things for himself. The school was very accepting of differences and it did not hurt that he was very cute and sweet. Class size was a factor. There were only 17 kids in his elementary classrooms.
Do realize that mainstream classrooms are not the *best* placement for all kids though. It will depend on the child and the level of noise that s/he can handle.
That's great that the other kids were taking interest! It's nice to know others are looking out for him. I'm sure they will even when they're older and in Jr high and high school.
That's great to hear about PA! We have had good luck with the early childhood education in Great Falls MT. Our son had the verbal ability of a one year old, I think it was Nana who called it preverbal, when he started the preschool program at 4yo. He was in a self contained class until 3rd grade. We added a few "regular ed" classes & by the end of the year he was almost 50/50%. We started grade 4 in regular ed but we pulled him back because he wasn't ready. He is now in 8th grade and doing well in the integrated classroom setting. His teachers are quick to respond to our emails/phone calls. He is assigned as a teacher aide in the library during free periods. He has a lot of friends from elementary who still look out for him. He still has speech and goes to the special needs phys ed for physical therapy.
We are hoping to move to PA because Montana doesn't have vocational training in the school. I grew up in PA and thought that was part of every school district. Does anyone know the chances for a special needs child getting into Vo-tech in PA? I see a lot of math & reading "requirements" but don't know how strictly those apply for children on IEPs. We have mostly been looking north of Pittsburgh to 80, east to the Altoona area & south to Scottdale area. We would like to stay outside the Pburgh metropolitan area if possible.
For those dealing with less than ideal school situations, if your child can repeat simple phrases I highly recommend some stock phrases being reinforced at home. Our favorite was teaching G to raise his hand and say "I need help." We found that the squeaky wheel does get the grease, and the quiet child who plays alone and isn't a bother gets ignored. We found that out in daycare when our son was bit by another child and we weren't told about it & when we routinely found him in a soaking wet diaper when we came to pick him up. We found a better daycare placement in a private home.
Good luck to all!
So I was going to start a similar type of thread, before I stumbled upon this one.
We have lived in several states and now live in NJ. The school system is great here, our daughter receives 1 to 1 care and I couldnt ask for more. What is difficult is the high cost of living which is why I am looking to see what other states are great for autism care.
My child needs 1;1, but I've been told that is unlikely to happen at his young age in Texas unless he has behavior problems. It's sad that people have to move to get services that are available in other states.
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