Best Private School for a child with Autism in the St. Louis Area (Kansas City: house, school district)

[bls5555]

Any ideas?

Doesn't have to be suburbs either. If there is one in a small town feel free to list that also. Thanks for the help.

[photobuff42]

Why wouldn't you want services from Special School District? They are free and probably more effective.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by photobuff42

Why wouldn't you want services from Special School District? They are free and probably more effective.

Because this is the Saint Louis Area. School pedigree is very important

God forbid you wind up in a "gasp" public school.

What will you say when you are asked "What HS did you go too?"


Back on track, You are right. The public option is probably a good an effective one. I have many friends that are teaching special needs classes in the public environment. All have masters in education (most from ivy league schools).

[ktCakes]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

Because this is the Saint Louis Area. School pedigree is very important

God forbid you wind up in a "gasp" public school.

You clearly do not have a child with autism or any other sever challenges. What a rude and hurtful thing to say to the OP. I imagine her biggest concern is getting the best education for her child and NO, public isn't always the best option when extra care is needed.

bls~ I would try contacting Touchpoint Autism Services (formerly Judevine Center) to ask about schooling and other services. When my friend lived in town and a severely autistic son, her family depended a lot on Judevine. Good Luck! Touchpoint Autism Services > Home

[DinsdalePirahna]

Maybe I was a little rough. But it was an honest assessment of how things are done around here and frankly, it is one of the reasons why I want to leave this area.

Why is it so important that they find a private program?

My niece is functionally autistic. my stepson has asperger's. My best friend has a severely autistic son.
I can totally feel empathy for having to deal with the situation. All are making do quite well with public programs.

Parents need to get it through their own heads that Nothing wrong with public options. There is no shame in public options and the care is just as good with public options.

What I am really interested in is why has there been such a jump in cases of autism over the last 20 years?
My own theory is that is directly related to the diet that we and our parents consumed growing up in the "better living through chemistry" era

[skipcromer]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

Maybe I was a little rough. But it was an honest assessment of how things are done around here and frankly, it is one of the reasons why I want to leave this area.

Why is it so important that they find a private program?

My niece is functionally autistic. my stepson has asperger's. My best friend has a severely autistic son.
I can totally feel empathy for having to deal with the situation. All are making do quite well with public programs.

Parents need to get it through their own heads that Nothing wrong with public options. There is no shame in public options and the care is just as good with public options.

What I am really interested in is why has there been such a jump in cases of autism over the last 20 years?
My own theory is that is directly related to the diet that we and our parents consumed growing up in the "better living through chemistry" era

http://idea.library.drexel.edu/bitst...2006175339.pdf

[bls5555]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

Maybe I was a little rough. But it was an honest assessment of how things are done around here and frankly, it is one of the reasons why I want to leave this area.

Why is it so important that they find a private program?

My niece is functionally autistic. my stepson has asperger's. My best friend has a severely autistic son.
I can totally feel empathy for having to deal with the situation. All are making do quite well with public programs.

Parents need to get it through their own heads that Nothing wrong with public options. There is no shame in public options and the care is just as good with public options.

What I am really interested in is why has there been such a jump in cases of autism over the last 20 years?
My own theory is that is directly related to the diet that we and our parents consumed growing up in the "better living through chemistry" era

Did I mention anything about public options being bad? I currently have my son in Kansas City in a public school district that was the first school district in Missouri to win a Quality Service Award. Look it up. Im sure you can find it. I never stated anything about the quality of public schools. I MOVED from Illinois and might need to move back. The district in Illinois I was in CUT all of the special programs due to budget constraints. Yes BY LAW services that are needed must be given, but that doesn't mean it has to be in the same district I live in.

I will also state being in Illinois and then comparing the school district to the Park Hill school district (yes I just answered the riddle above) is night and day. Illinois should be ashamed of the district he was in before. Instead of working for solutions they tried to ignore problems.

It is a big deal.

[skipcromer]

Originally Posted by bls5555

Did I mention anything about public options being bad? I currently have my son in Kansas City in a public school district that was the first school district in Missouri to win a Quality Service Award. Look it up. Im sure you can find it. I never stated anything about the quality of public schools. I MOVED from Illinois and might need to move back. The district in Illinois I was in CUT all of the special programs due to budget constraints. Yes BY LAW services that are needed must be given, but that doesn't mean it has to be in the same district I live in.

I will also state being in Illinois and then comparing the school district to the Park Hill school district (yes I just answered the riddle above) is night and day. Illinois should be ashamed of the district he was in before. Instead of working for solutions they tried to ignore problems.

It is a big deal.

What district?

[iowa86]

We moved here a few years ago from Kansas. Schools here have been a disappointment so far and we are in the Ladue District which has a pretty good reputation. Our daughter has a learning disability and we are unable to secure an IEP (individual education plan) for her because the criteria in Missouri is pretty extreme for qualifying for special services. I would check into Judevine and Learning Disabilities Association of ST L before you decide on a district. In my opinion, $ spent on a house in a so-called "good" district doesn't necessarily mean better educational experience. Good luck!

[CarrieNeno]

Originally Posted by ktCakes

You clearly do not have a child with autism or any other sever challenges. What a rude and hurtful thing to say to the OP. I imagine her biggest concern is getting the best education for her child and NO, public isn't always the best option when extra care is needed.

bls~ I would try contacting Touchpoint Autism Services (formerly Judevine Center) to ask about schooling and other services. When my friend lived in town and a severely autistic son, her family depended a lot on Judevine. Good Luck! Touchpoint Autism Services > Home

I agree with KT Cakes, that this should be your starting point!!

Though Special School District is an excellent program for children within a certain spectrum (my own son has a speech IEP)... I'm not sure that their work with autistic/asperger children is always the best. There are a number of children that I have encountered at my sons' school (Pkwy) with autism, on all ends of the autistic spectrum. As a former Social Worker, I can say that I have been somewhat unimpressed by the SSD interaction that I have personally witnessed within the classroom and school.

Not to say that it is not quality care, I just think that there has to be better out there. If it were MY child, I wouldn't be satisfied with what I have seen. Period. The key is to network and meet other parents, people battling the same issue, to get their true and honest feedback/opinions.

If Touchpoint gets you nowhere, a couple other links:

St Louis Autism Support Group (Saint Louis, MO) - Meetup.com

MOFEAT - Missouri Families for Effective Autism Treatment

St. Charles County Autism Support Group (http://www.sccasg.org/ - broken link)

Autism Speaks, Community, Family Services, Missouri: Support Groups

Good luck!