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Montgomery County MD seems to be doing a very good job. Excellent special education. programs and we even enjoyed tons benefits up until they had a budget cut sometime last year. However my son is still waitlisted for autism waiver 5 years, later which is dissapointing.
To echo one of the earlier posters, NJ is a good state for a special needs child, and autism has been generating a lot of interest in the past few years. There are specialized autism programs within a few school districts, as well as private placements geared towards autism. Some even specialize in ABA methodolgy if that's something of interest to you.
Montgomery County MD seems to be doing a very good job. Excellent special education. programs and we even enjoyed tons benefits up until they had a budget cut sometime last year. However my son is still waitlisted for autism waiver 5 years, later which is dissapointing.
I'm so sorry to hear you're still on the waiting list. We moved from MoCo two years ago, and my son received his diagnosis one year ago. People are constantly asking us if we moved bc of his diagnosis. Apparently lots of Marylanders jump the state line into PA to take advantage of the government mandated autism insurance and the services available here.
Good luck to you and hope you don't have to wait too much longer.
My eleven year old grandson has been recently diagnosed with Aspergers in Charleston SC. I have been searching for a good school geared for a child with ASP. He is extremly bright but far behind in math, writing, & spelling. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I feel for anyone searching for help for a child with Aspergers, you are very fortunate if your State or district provides good support.
My Dutch friend said in Holland they have many such schools.
Thank you, Sylvia H.
I lived in Maine for 6 years and the May Institute was the best service provider I have been involved with. Michigan has just dropped the payment/coverage of respriate.
I live in Sacramento Ca my foster son attends ELk grove unified I dont think it is the greatest you have to fight for what you believe is right they give you a line of you know what and if you are uneducated than you fall for it and five years later you realize the child is still behind there has been NO progress at all even a little but they claim they made great strides. I do foster care for a lot of kids I have had more than one in the special education system in ELk Grove if you fight you can get what you need but it takes a lot of struggling
I actaully agree with those who say NJ, or NY is the best. I have heard many many good things about them. I lived in Washington State for long time, but I think I will move down there too. Best luck to you..
My wife has been a teacher of children with special needs in Massachusetts for many years and I think the most important aspects of the child's education are: Parents, teacher, school system. If the school system fights you then it doesn't matter what state you are in. I will say that MA has enough programs that it is worth considering.
I keep bugging my wife to write a book of her experiences because it would help open the eyes of parents of special needs children. They are so often overwhelmed that they miss out on key decisions and make bad choices. Some things to look out for are: Any school system professional who tells you what you want to hear/paints rosy pictures. Some of the laziest people I've ever met are teachers... they will do the absolute minimum then tell you how great things are. Check out the programs personally. Go to the classroom and watch them for a day. My wife has no problem with parents coming to her classroom, they are there all the time. How inclusive do you want the program to be? Does the teacher promote interaction with other students, student volunteers? many Special Ed. teachers want no contact with anyone outside of their class... they may see how little they do. Is the teacher 'hands on'? Or, do they sit at the desk and dispatch the aides to do the work? (If you see a class like that...RUN!) I could go on and on but the best advice she tells me is to check out the actual program personally and be realistic. If your child is lower functioning do you really want them in Chemistry? And, if they get an A in chemistry, expect that the teacher is blowing smoke.
i live in wayne nj and the special ed programs here are OUTSTANDING. these people have taken exceptional care in the teaching of my kids. my oldest has adhd my middle and youngest are autistic. wayne mainstreams as much as your child can handle. they value your concerns and inputs during iep meetings. i have been more than fortunate with our experience so far.
Just wanted to give an encouraging update. Looks like we have succeeded in getting our son in a ASD Nest program in New York City. A really great program for high-functioning kids - 12 kids 2 teachers, eight of the kids are developing at normal pace and 4 are on spectrum. They have social club for the spectrum kids to practice using language in social settings. Exactly the kind of program we were looking for. If you are interested in these programs in NYC (they have a few nests in each borough) you have to be on the ball with district´s special education chairs. We applied for this program in December and only just got a tentative admission. A long and stressful road, but it looks like a happy ending for my son.
Last edited by insearchofzen; 03-31-2010 at 08:29 AM..
Reason: typo
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