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Hello,
We are planning to move to Wake Forest, Wake County from the DC metro area. I wanted to know about the publice school system in Wake Forest area. We have a 3 year old son with social communication delays(we do not know if he is on the Autism Spectrum) and I would like to understand in detail what are all the services available in this area with respect to Special Education in the Wake County Public School system. I would also appreciate it if someone could comment on the private services available here.
You may want to contact: http://www.autismsociety-nc.org/ Likely they will be able to provide information you are seeking on services available in the area.
Here is a link to the county school system special educations services (Wake County Public School System) which serves the entire county including Wake Forest.
Other areas you could explore are a developmental day care or inclusive day care which has typically developing children and special needs children in a small cozy mix with advanced services delivery.
Hello,
My actual intention in this thread is to find out from parents(or friends and relatives) if they have been happy with the Wake county public school system and the special ed services provided by them to their children. Do services come easily or do parents have to "push" to get them? Are there a wide range of services offered by the county.... How do services in NC compare to the northeastern states? (NY, NJ, MA). I would like to get some first hand information about their experiences from parents/guardians or any one who knows abou this.
I have an almost 3 year old son who is on the Autism spectrum. He is severely communication delayed and has been in therapy for a year so far. We just did our first interview with WCPSS to get him evaluated again and enrolled in preschool in October after he turns 3. I was very happy with my meeting. It all depends on where you are living and what schools are closest to you. I am in Apex and have heard the schools out here with AU classrooms are excellent and I will be happy with any of them. They are modeled on the TEACCH philosophy and my son was lucky to do TEACCH this past January-May in a play group. They will come to the school and work with your child if you feel it is necessary. It is very similar to ABA Therapy and my son did GREAT with it. I would look up TEACCH's website and see what they offer as well. We are originally from MS and lived in NoVA for almost 9 years before moving here almost 3 years ago and we love it here. Overall, I have been happy with WCPSS as I also have a 6 year old who is enrolled in a magnet school and we love it. My 2 year old son has a twin sister, so we're all over the place...my 2 year old son goes to Dr. Moran here in Apex (Developmental Ped.) and I am very happy with him. Good luck!!
Hello,
My actual intention in this thread is to find out from parents(or friends and relatives) if they have been happy with the Wake county public school system and the special ed services provided by them to their children. Do services come easily or do parents have to "push" to get them? Are there a wide range of services offered by the county.... How do services in NC compare to the northeastern states? (NY, NJ, MA). I would like to get some first hand information about their experiences from parents/guardians or any one who knows abou this.
Thanks in advance.
I had to push for every service for years and was so unhappy I finally went the private route for high school and was very happy (DM me for more info). We were shuffled from school to school and redistricted 7 times in 10 years in Elem and Middle. I rarely ran across an educator who wasn't exhausted and overworked. The problems worsened when our child miraculously was cured and no longer needed services (sounds wonderful to parents but is disastrous to the child when the support structure evaporates). This is a common budget saving technique in Wake County at the end of Grades 3, 7 and 8.
There are a wide range of services available if you qualify. Qualification standards vary from state to state but are the same within each school district in North Carolina (here school districts are largely county based).
I cannot compare with other states (my children have only lived in Wake County).
My son has language and cognitive delays (he's not on the spectrum). We had him evaluated through Project Enlightenment (the first stage of Wake County's process) last winter before his 4th birthday and he was placed in the part-time Wake County preschool program in February. Everyone involved has been wonderful. (I am skeptical by nature and not easily schmoozed.) We regret not addressing his delays a year earlier when we first started questioning his development. He receives occupational and speech therapy weekly at the school and his classroom teacher is fantastic. He was only in school for 4 months before summer break and will graduate to the PM class this fall in preparation for kindergarten. My husband and I have decided to take it one step at a time with regards to the K-12 public school aspect. If he doesn't thrive once in kindergarten, we will consider the private route. But for the preschool level, Wake County's thorough evaluation process and therapy resources are your best bet for staying ahead of the game. I do recommend private speech therapy coupled with what Wake County offers since 3 years old is such a crucial time with development. We had a private speech therapist that came to the house on a weekly basis and she incorporated me in some of the sessions so that I could help keep the momentum going.
I encourage you to start the process as soon as possible. It can take up to 3 months once the evaluation starts and there is a lot of paperwork and formalities, but it will be worth it for your little one.
P.S. We are located in Wake Forest. Heritage Elementary houses one of the part-time programs. They were full when my little one was placed so we commute to another school and are choosing to continue the commute this fall. Wakefield Elementary is opening a part-time program this fall and I know of several Wake Forest children that are going to be going there.
Good luck!
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Wake County Special Education
