Best schools/school districts for child with Autism! Please help!! (Sarasota: to live, bill)

[H.Nicole00]

Hello everyone!!

This may seem broad, but we are in search of literally any information we can get!
We may be relocating to the Sarasota area of Florida for a possible job offer. Before making any major decisions, we are interested in finding out some information in regards to finding the best fit for our son who is currently 9 years old, in 3rd grade and moderately Autistic. He also has ADHD.


He has an IEP in place and in an Autism classroom at his school. He gets pull-outs for such things as art, phys-ed, music, etc to be with the mainstream 3rd grade class. All core subjects are taught in his Autism classroom where there are less than 10 students, 1 certified teacher and 3 aides. He also gets weekly OT and Speech. They also have aquatic therapy once a week, which he loves.


His academic level is more on the kindergarten to 1st grade levels in most areas. His communication is very delayed. He is a very happy little dude and a joy to be around! He is medicated for the ADHD, which works very well for him. He is very smart and has the most amazing memory I've seen


Would anyone out there be able to give us any insight for which school districts in Sarasota and/or the surrounding areas we should be looking at or even avoid?


It is important to mention we also have a now 5-year-old, who is not on the spectrum and does not require any special education. So, that being said, our search broadens to find an area to live and school district to best suit both of our children.


Thank you in advance!!

[Nancy in Nokomis]

My son is high functioning autistic and we had a terrible experience with Laurel Nokomis School in Nokomis - once he hit 6th grad they treated him horribly - I have heard other horror stories - not just my experience

LN also has an autism unit but that is for the severely autistic.

My son was in an contained classroom in the lower grades but once they reach 6th grade they are all put in the general population - there is really no help for them - it is very, very difficult to get an aide. Make sure you have an IEP from where you are coming from and dont give them an inch.

I hear some schools in Sarasota are better. It depends on the school - a high rating means nothing - some lower rated schools are better because they qualify for more money to hire aides.

Florida has something called "The McKay Scholarship" where the county will pay most of the bill for a private schools - this is they way they farm the autistic children out.

There are not many schools for special needs children around here - I would get on the waiting list to "Beyond the Spectrum" in Lakewood Ranch - good school. Or if he is very high functioning and has no behavior problems "Dreams are Free" in Sarasota is good - its part of the Catholic school system. Google special needs schools in Sarasota and Manatee County - there is absolutely nothing in Charlotte County.

[H.Nicole00]

Thank you so much for the information! I hate to hear that this area doesn't seem to make much effort for autistic and/or special needs children. I will definitely look into the Scholarship. How hard is it to qualify for the Scholarship?