Best School district for Highly functioning Austistic child (Yonkers, White Plains: where to live, law) - Westchester County - New York (NY) - City-Data Forum

bostonmommoving · 08-07-2010, 09:51 PM

Hi
We are moving this month and have yet to decide on an area. My son with PDD will be repeating kindergarten and is fully mainstreamed with 1:1 aide support. I have to commute to Bridgeport but want to live in Westchester so am looking at Mamaroneck, Larchmont, Rye, Rye neck, Rye Brook.
What I don't want is him to be pulled out into a separate class for even 50% of the day (talking to Mamaroneck that is what they are recommending) I am looking for a district that will support him fully in the regular classroom (and he does need that support)
Thanks so much!

mclairch · 08-07-2010, 10:32 PM

I'm not sure how far away these towns are from Bridgeport but Chappaqua and Dobbs Ferry are fully integrated schools, i.e. they have no self-contained rooms. Ardsley (where my son with PDD-NOS) goes has loads of supports and does a great job with behavioral and emotional support. I'd think that if you insist you can keep him out of the self-contained room.

My son is doing their emotional support program next year for 1st grade, where he checks in the first 10 min of the day with the special ed teacher and goes over behavioral goals for the day and then goes off to the mainstream room with the support of behavior-trained aide and then only checks back in at the end of the day to see how he's doing with the behavior stuff. I think it's a great fit for him as he has no cognitive stuff just behavior/social stuff. I think Briarcliff Manor and White Plains also has this ESP.

In general, I have also heard the Pleasantville and Eastchester are great for ASD but not sure if that's for high-functioning kids or kids who need self-contained support.

Good luck in your search. We moved last year from Chicago. It's rough trying to figure this all out long-distance.

streetsmart · 08-08-2010, 12:23 PM

I can't speak about the schools, but if you are commuting to Bridgeport you are going to want to stick to towns on the LI Sound/I 95 like you mentioned: Rye/Rye Brook, Harrison, Mamaroneck, Larchmont.

Having said that though, that commute will be BRUTAL. If I were you I'd be looking in CT, east of Stamford. The traffic through Stamford/Darien/Norwalk is terrible - guaranteed. Have you considered Westport or that area? Then again, are you thinking about taking the train? That would be the only bearable way to do it.

bostonmommoving · 08-12-2010, 08:23 AM

Thanks I decided the commute would be brutal as you said so I took a lower paying job in Yonkers, I have more flexibility as to where to live. Any thoughts?

streetsmart · 08-12-2010, 11:21 AM

Apparently, Chappaqua fully integrates students with autism (no special classes). Your best bet is going to be to call around to get definitive answers.

mclairch · 08-12-2010, 01:53 PM

Also, call the local SEPTA. I got most of my research done speaking to the parents whom I contacted via each school district's SEPTA.

Zeet · 02-22-2011, 01:53 PM

Whatever you do, don't move to Peekskill. The "NYS 2008 Superintendent of the Year" does not believe in special ed and thinks these kids bring the district down. She recently retired, but the district is a mess. They refuse to classify kids with Autism because up until this past December, under NYS part 200, a child with Autism was entitled to all these services they refused to spend money on. They also do not like to send children out of district. They tell people, that in order for a child to be classified with Autism, they must have been diagnosede by a doctor before the age of 5. No one on staff is trained. The CSE chair never returns your phone call. They have caller ID so they avoid you. They thought a friend of mine was suing and the CSE chair order all the staff not to talk to her, not only the present staff, but the past staff also. She is suing the district now (a year after the CSE chair thought this). When another woman was trying to keep her child back a year, she was told that it was against the law for the school district to do this because that is what "No Child Left Behind" law states. Another parent was told that her child was misdiagnosed, she does not have Autism, her asthma is what is causing her behavior and her academic delay. The place is a mess and with all the lies that people are told, the state needs to investigate the district.

bostonmommoving · 02-23-2011, 02:06 AM

thanks for all your input. I wanted to note for those searching for a great place we moved to Rye where my son has recieved amazing support. He was given a full time one

ne aide with significant experience. His IEP from Boston only called for shared aide. He is fully integrated and doing exceptionally well. I was discouraged by a few from Rye, I think for the child with more needs this would not be the right place. For any child the classes are small, the teachers excellent and caring and I have been impressed.

Mdb400 · 07-15-2011, 03:06 PM

Hi,
I am also moving with my family to Westchester this fall, and have a mildly autistic child with PDD NOS who has done well in mainstream settings. We are looking for a fully integrated classroom setting. Does anyone have any recent information of school districts which should be considered?
Thanks,

mclairch · 07-17-2011, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mdb400

Hi,
I am also moving with my family to Westchester this fall, and have a mildly autistic child with PDD NOS who has done well in mainstream settings. We are looking for a fully integrated classroom setting. Does anyone have any recent information of school districts which should be considered?
Thanks,

There are lots of great districts but both Dobbs Ferry and Chappaqua have a full inclusion model meaning that all students with IEPs are in mainstream classrooms. So they'd be a good place to start your search.