[Daisy12]

My husband and I have long been hoping to relocate to Vermont, in search of a better quality of life and proximity to the outdoor activities we love. We also thought it would be a great place to raise our son, who's now 3 yrs old. Unfortunately, it's turned out that our son was diagnosed with PDD (mild autism) and will need special ed. He's doing well and eventually will be mainstreamed into regular classroom. But, I am worried about moving to a rural area that may lack the professionals to help him. Wondering if anyone knows of good school districts for pre-K and elementary who do a great job with special ed? We own a home in Killington, and could move there, but are open to any areas.

[oconnorcm3]

Come on, folks. If you have any information on special education in Vermont, respond. I keep checking, hoping to read postiive infomation...or any information.

Mari

[Lilybeans]

You need to talk to the different school districts to see what services they offer. Generally, the districts around Burlington will have more of what you want.

[GypsySoul22]

My son is in the Hartford school district and I am pleased so far. I agree with Lilly. You need to contact the school district or the office of education in Montpellier and ask THEM in the special ed office.

It depends on your child's abilities and needs, I think.

[Ellwood]

Arlington special ed is terrible; teachers have antiquated attitudes. They had a fabulous teacher, but she isn't there anymore.

[lxvt]

I have very strong opinions about the special ed system in VT. I can tell you that I am a professional that works in the field and happens to love working with children with ASD. My personal opinion is that if I had a child with special needs, I would not live in VT. With that said, my own child has a speech problem and we are planning on leaving next year to move to a state with better services. I don't think it has anything to do with the service providers, neccessarily, as far as them not knowing what to do, but with the system that is set up here.

So you are completely aware, VT as a state, feels that it is way ahead of the game by having a full inclusion model in its public schools. This means every child is mainstreamed. This sounds wonderful on paper because, as supporters of this method will tell you, the idea is for everyone to be seen as the same. There is a perception that if a child is taught in a separate classroom, that somehow they are not seen as equal. The comparison that is often made is to NY and how "backward" the system is there because there are still SpEd classes. I have been told that to see this less inclusive model as superior is short-sighted and have been given the analogy that we once separated people of color and viewed this as acceptable. I see it this way: children with special needs are just that. They have special needs. To throw them into a classroom that may be instructing at a level well above their head is just plain careless. What often occurs is the adult paraeducator often ends up doing a lot of cueing and much of the work to help the student succeed. My feeling is include the child where possible but there should be classes established outside of the regular class to meet the child's needs.

Also, many professionals try to get away with "consultation model" where the child is seen once a month or twice a month by a professional and then the services are carried out by an paraeducator who does not have a professional degree in the field. This is often seen with OT and SLP's. Before moving here, I did not know what this model was, but it is prevalent here. This model is supported by the VT Medicaid system as well and although ineffective in my opinion, is encouraged to avoid "dependence on professional help".

In addition, there are very few services outside of the school that can be pursued. We drive an hour each way from our home twice a week to get my son's therapy. I hope this helps. I would be happy to answer any other questions you may have. I would agree with other people that services can be very different depending on the school so knowing where you are going and calling ahead is really important.

[pucabear]

I taught in a regular education classroom in Vermont, and am currently teaching Special Education in another state. I agree that the mainstreaming in Vermont is not good for most special education students, but it just goes along with the "socialist" type views that you will frequently find in Vermont. I do not mean that to offend, but just to be honest with what I experienced.

I am currently in a state that tries to include special education students "to the maximum extent" that is appropriate for the individual child.
How appropriate is it when you have a child that is screaming in the back of a classroom because he does not understand and cannot communicate? That is Vermont's version of "Fair and Equal". Fair and Equal is not necessarily the same for everyone.