[fieryautumn]

My family and I have been talking about moving to the New England area, specifically for my son who has autism with behavioral issues. We are looking at Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and possibly Massachusetts. We have taken him out of public school (part time in the am at a public school, special education and part time in the pm at an autism center) to full time at an autism center where we currently live out of state. So, we are looking to place him in an autism center full-time that provides ABA (applied behavioral analysis) or a day program for children with autism. We also will rely on a transportation company that works with children and adults with special needs to transport him to/from the center. Also, we need to be in an affordable/middle class area, not a ghetto/crime area or expensive area. I also need to consider good schools for my younger son (neurotypical - in other words "normally developing"). I also want to be within 30 mile radius of a good hospital/doctor/psychiatrist/psychologist who have expertise in working with autism. Any suggestion or feedback? What can you tell me about the services in this state? Thank you so much in advance!

[angelo129]

Originally Posted by fieryautumn

My family and I have been talking about moving to the New England area, specifically for my son who has autism with behavioral issues. We are looking at Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and possibly Massachusetts. We have taken him out of public school (part time in the am at a public school, special education and part time in the pm at an autism center) to full time at an autism center where we currently live out of state. So, we are looking to place him in an autism center full-time that provides ABA (applied behavioral analysis) or a day program for children with autism. We also will rely on a transportation company that works with children and adults with special needs to transport him to/from the center. Also, we need to be in an affordable/middle class area, not a ghetto/crime area or expensive area. I also need to consider good schools for my younger son (neurotypical - in other words "normally developing"). I also want to be within 30 mile radius of a good hospital/doctor/psychiatrist/psychologist who have expertise in working with autism. Any suggestion or feedback? What can you tell me about the services in this state? Thank you so much in advance!

The fact that you mention an affordable/middle class area would certainly rule out Burlington, which is astonishingly expensive (although you don't tell us where you are at present, so I can't make any comparison except to other places in general). While Vermont is politically predisposed to provide the kind of services you need, you should also keep in mind that most of it is rural and simply cannot, no matter how willing, provide the services that urban areas can. That goes for Burlington as well, which (as cities go) is really very small. I do know a family with similar issues who lived in an easy commute to Philadelphia (semi-rural lower Bucks County) and was well served there, but who moved near Portland, Maine and found a near-total lack of services. You should research this very thoroughly, in all its aspects, before making any decision. In general, New England would be a poor choice for your needs.