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I am moving to Naples in June 2013. my main problem is I have a special needs child with mental disabilities. we currently live in a small town in CO who told me out right "we are a small town and therefore we can not provide the help that your child needs and we do not know how to help him". they sent him to a residential treatment center in Denver who is not taking care of him the way that he should be. he's only 9 has the mental function of a 6 year old at the most, is violent, and cannot be in a regular classroom therefore they put him in a treatment center. the doctors at the center keep giving him random diagnoses that don't add up and yet not doing the work to come up with the correct ones. I'm moving to get away from this place but I'm scare that Naples, being more aimed toward the elderly, will not be able to help him properly either and my child will not get proper help.
my questions are:
1) are there any schools in Naples that still have smaller special ed classrooms for children with special needs? the para didn't work at all and is not an option. he is going into 4th grade.
2) are there any GOOD therapist who actually do their job and focus on the kids and not the money? he needs a lot of help, serious help
3) are there any residential treatment centers in Naples for children who are under the age of 12?
4) do you know of any kind of medical treatment centers, outpatient, that actually come into the home to work with the family and the child one on one?
5) what would be the best school for a child with disabilities? I read in a different post that private schools do not have the resources to help a child with disabilities. but the person did not give the name of the school or the option or services they choose besides a "public school"
any kind of information about special needs services will be amazing and greatly appreciated.
thank you in advance.
I'm moving to Naples from NY and have a 16 year old son with special needs. He attends the local HS now and is in a self contained class but is also integrated into some of the regular ed classes.
Do you have a service coordinator now for your son in Colorado? They should be able to give you some information and guidance to transitioning your son to the Naples schools/system. I would suggest you call the local elementary school or district office directly to find out about what kind of classes they have now that would be best for your son. Also if it's possible I would suggest you visit the school/classes that may be appropriate before this school year ends. I spoke with someone already in the HS that my son will be attending and he was very helpful. I hope everything works out well for you and your family. I know how hard it can be to get the appropriate services. It has been a struggle for us too but has gotten easier as my son has gotten older, thank goodness. Good luck.
I know of two schools in Naples that may work, I personally don’t have experience with them but I do know a teacher and a student at one of them, I’m sure if you contact them they would be more than happy to help.
First if your child has an IEP, they will be eligible for a McKay scholarship, which could cover most of the costs. Florida School Choice | McKay Scholarship Program
One of the schools is called Easter Seals and they really work with you, to try and make it possible for you and your family to afford the school and treatments that your child may require. They have around 7 children to a class with 2 teachers.
This website will probably answer more of your questions than I can. Easter Seals Florida : Services for Children and Adults with Disabilities and Special Needs
The other school is Able http://www.theableacademy.org/
My friend whose son attends Easter Seals found that this program worked better for her and she was also able to get a lot more finance help at Easter Seals, they teach life skills and also take the kids swimming to build core strength. She had the impression after having her son at a public school for under a year that he was just getting babysat rather than the learning experiences that he so needed
If your sole purpose (this was unclear to me) of your move is to find a better program for you son, Naples would probably not be a first choice. If you have other reasons for needing to move here and are searching for the best options for your son, that is a different story.
When I worked in the schools in PA, NJ and NY we had plenty of families who moved to those states for the services and plenty came from Florida who were dissatisfied with the services they were getting.
I am also at a loss for the current residential placement. If he is able to live at home then really he should be at home. If you are saying you are unable to care for him at this time because of his behaviors then it does all make sense. If a child functions at home, there is no reason to pay for 24-hour residential care. If he is unable to be in a home environment in CO unless there have been changes in his behavior, he will most likely need those same supports here in Naples.
Our salaries are so low here that I can't imagine anyone is in the field "for the money."
I'm new to the public school system here in Collier County.
If your circumstances require you to move here, I am sure you will be able to navigate the system and do the best you can do for your child. If you are moving here solely for him and his needs, you shoud definitely do more research.
Good luck.
it's a difficult story. we are moving to FL b/c I have family who live in Naples, CO has said they have "no options" for my son, and the residential place he's at is HORRIBLE (they throw their hands up and walk away from him b/c they can't "deal" with him and he needs a "moment". his behavior has gotten 10x worse there and they wont discipline him) he's not staying there.
the reason that he's in residential is because he started to get extremely violent and I have a younger child is suffering emotionally from his actions toward and around her. I was able to manage his behavior the best that I could but only when I was around. I am a single mom and made the only income we have. I work mostly till 7pm 5 days a wk to 6 days so it's hard to be there every moment and a lot of people do not know how to handle a child like him.
school is his biggest challenge. no one can handle him there. he's either crying or having temper tantrums or hes hitting other kids or teachers, throwing desk, etc. it got to the point that they isolated him for most of the day. put him in a room by himself with his para, placed him in a rocking chair (to calm him), the para sits by him, and asks him questions about his school work or reads to him. they do the work for him and call it "good" because had fewer confrontations that way. but with other kids he gets into fights, not every day b/c its always random. you never know what you'll get. his mood changes constantly throughout the hr, day, etc. teachers told me kids are afraid of him and parents want him removed from the class but he always would cry and say he was getting picked on. some drs have said his "emotional brain" is of a 2 or 3 y old, other have not confirmed it.
but he is very smart. he knows all about history, science, math, etc. he can come up with good theories about how anything and everything works. he's very visual. but he's not good at reading which frustrates him and makes him loose his temper or cry or... whatever the moment gives you. but he's very smart. I know a lot of people say that about their kids but he really is, he's just a little off, which isn't a good way to put it but it's the only way I know how to. I'm not a blind parent who doesn't see what's going on. I see it. I always have. I know he needs help, i'm not ashamed of it or think less of him. not everyone is the same but that being said not everyone should be treated the same and living in this town it seems to be if you aren't the same as everyone else, there's nothing we can do for you, go find a town that can help you better. that's why I agreed to residential.
residential was supposed to be for 3 wks to get him on a stable meds. (I had taken him off meds b/c it was easier to fax a prescription to walmart then to evaluate my child. they ignored the concerns and behaviors and continued to write and refill instead of modify and pay attention but then it turned into a whole candy jar of meds for a little guy who wasn't even 40 lbs. once they tried to add the 6th med I called it quits. I never believed in the meds in the first place but I wanted him to feel better because I knew he was unhappy.)
so at the residential home he acted the same way as he did at school. so they sent him to Denver to the one he's in now. they said this program would be a 6 month program but now they are uncertain when they will release him because now they are adding to his list of diagnosis.
so I found Manatee Palms in fl, they said that they would take him but they need to be in constant communication with the residential center here which is not complying for some reason. the man at manatee palms said that if they do not get the medical transferred over to FL medical then the treatment center will not take him and will send him back home with me. they said that he will have to get a new therapist and a new referral to residential. I have no problem taking him home, he's my baby but like I said I know that he needs a lot of help. I do think that with the right care he might have a chance of being reintroduced into our home but again we need good support systems in place for him. nothing is perfect or fixes over night. so I need a good school who can handle him, good doctors and people who actually care instead of labeling him after a couple of minutes and tossing medications at him and making an apt for a month later.
another challenge is I volunteered him to go into this treatment center because I knew he needed help but if I do not have the proper things in place for him, a residential treatment center or a good school and therapist, several options they will fight me completely and draw out the process of me moving. I have to be out of my house by June 1st and I no longer have family in this area they relocated to other states because they didn't like this particular area. FL is where some of my family is and my support system is.
sorry I know this is so long but maybe this can answer your questions and maybe I can get more help from explain in detail. thank you so much for the help you have already given me. I will definitely apply for the scholarship and call those schools in the am.
As far as public school goes, I think the best two schools with special needs classrooms are Lely and Vineyards, and I don't think in Collier that you can get residential for under 12. Easter Seals which used to be called Eden might be starting in home treatment again but it would depend on his diagnosis. Good Luck, I'm hoping that after your phone call this morning, you are able to get some of your questions answered.
Good Luck, keep us updated.
There are certain deadlines for the McKay so I would apply as soon as you can, it's very simply and you get a response within a couple of weeks. You can apply online.
Can you go through your files and collect each IEP, report, etc and send it to Manatee? That should give them enough information to know if he is a candidate.
Do you have a service coordinator in-district in CO. Some one has to be the case manager. Check your IEPs for the name of the case manager. It is her job (not the treatment center) to be sure your son's transition is a smooth one.
However, have you thought about funding? Your new district in Collier County needs to be in on the decision to pay for Manatee. They can't do that until they have reviewed his records. They can't do that until you live in the district. The district in Colorado will not continue to pay if you don't live there.
I work for a program that is called H.U.G.S. (Health Under Guided Systems). We are funded by the Naples Winter Wine Festival so there are no fees for the families in our program. The program is only available to residents of Collier County. We are a multi-agency collaborative that is designed to help families find services for children from 3 months - 18 years old with social, emotional, and mental health needs. Once it is determined what services are best for a child, we help the family get linked to the services based on the insurance of the child. We don't actually pay for ongoing services for a child but provide the support to get & stay linked. I think it is best to talk about the services available in Collier County if you would like. I work at NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) in Naples. If you want to contact me, please PM me.
You didn't say what his specific disability was. There isn't a full fledged residential treatment center in Naples, the nearest one is on the east coast. I believe its in Hollywood. David Lawrence center is a mental health facility that has overnight stays when someone is baker acted and they have outpatient mental health services as well, but they are not a long term care center. There are multiple public schools in the CCPS system that have "EBD" units, if that is where your son would fall. They also have autism units if that is closer to what he would need, its really hard to say without knowing the details. Each of the behavioral units in the district have a teacher, multiple aides, and a full time behavioral analyst. There is a lot of training that goes to those individuals. The public school system can't turn a kid away like a private or charter school, they can't tell you they don't have the resources.
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