Somerville, NJ Autism Program? (purchase, school district, to live)

[cherilgrl]

Does anyone have any information about the autism program at Somerville School District? My son is 7 yrs old and will be going into the 2nd grade. We currently live in S. Brunswick and the autism program is great here but we are now seeking to live closer to family and purchase a bigger home.

Any information is appreciated. Thank you

[CM402]

I recommend calling the Somerville district and asking if they even have an autism program.

[anna_mom]

In some districts, they are not willing to talk to you on what they will or will not offer in special ed (I assumed it was for the reason that special services are expensive) until you register your child.
BTW, I have tried..
But then it never hurts to try

[CM402]

Originally Posted by anna_mom

In some districts, they are not willing to talk to you on what they will or will not offer in special ed (I assumed it was for the reason that special services are expensive) until you register your child.
BTW, I have tried..
But then it never hurts to try

If they don't have something suitable, then prepare to fight for Out Of District Placement.

If you need any help with advocacy, feel free to direct message me. I am a member of a forum of advocates around the country (and quite a few in the tri-state area)

[cherilgrl]

Originally Posted by CM402

If they don't have something suitable, then prepare to fight for Out Of District Placement.

If you need any help with advocacy, feel free to direct message me. I am a member of a forum of advocates around the country (and quite a few in the tri-state area)

Thank you! I will definitely take you up on your offer if needed. Based on your experience what town in NJ have you found to work well with parents and really care about the success of the child?

[CM402]

Originally Posted by cherilgrl

Thank you! I will definitely take you up on your offer if needed. Based on your experience what town in NJ have you found to work well with parents and really care about the success of the child?

No specific towns, but a lot of towns will try their best to work with the parents, but ultimately fail with more difficult cases (Such as Hazlet, but in Hazlet, if they feel that they cannot handle your child, they will offer an OOD placement, they send around 100-150 students out of 4000 in the district OOD a year, at like a cost of close to a million dollars)

Any district that is one of the top districts in the state for test scores is not a good environment for a special education student.