Best city/school district for child with AUTISM (Phoenix, Scottsdale: credit, attorney)

[ILoveNY629]

I agree about the climate. I have lived in AZ for ten years and you cannot hang out outside for several months of the year. The sun is brutal and the temps very uncomfortable. This can start as early as April and continue as late as October. My kids spend many weeks couped up inside.

How about Florida?

[sarahrose]

My mother actually lives in Fl and was a former special ed teacher, she told me even though the climate is great, the schools systems are not, so I guess I never even considered it. We are still looking around, but this isnt something that can be decided in a week or two, so I have done lots of research, unfortunately, I have read soo many negative things about AZ and the schools, I'm just not quite sure what to think.

[Boatdrinks]

Originally Posted by sarahrose

My mother actually lives in Fl and was a former special ed teacher, she told me even though the climate is great, the schools systems are not, so I guess I never even considered it. We are still looking around, but this isnt something that can be decided in a week or two, so I have done lots of research, unfortunately, I have read soo many negative things about AZ and the schools, I'm just not quite sure what to think.

I do agree with you about the FL school system, in general. Wha I was referring to was a special program through a hospital or autism center or something like that. It's not run through the school system. I guess it's more like a therapy program then school - they work on social skills, OT, PT, etc. It's very intense, and every day I think. She also has therapists come to her home.

If you were going to mainstream, I wouldn't chose Florida OR Arizona. I think, in general, both school systems are cruddy. Yes, there are some good districts in both states. But on the whole, they're bad. In AZ, Gov. Napalatano spends less money per child for school then any other state. It's horrendous. I know two women who used to teach special ed in elem school here and they both had very negative things to say about the programs. The teachers are overworked, underpaid and they don't have the resources they need. So yes, if you're going to send your child to public schools, stay away from both AZ and FL. I hear wonderful things about the public schools in the midwest (Iowa, for example) though I can't speak to their special ed programs.

If you're interested in the FL program I mentioned, let me know and I'll ask about it.

Best of luck to you.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Boatdrinks

I do agree with you about the FL school system, in general. Wha I was referring to was a special program through a hospital or autism center or something like that. It's not run through the school system. I guess it's more like a therapy program then school - they work on social skills, OT, PT, etc. It's very intense, and every day I think. She also has therapists come to her home.

If you were going to mainstream, I wouldn't chose Florida OR Arizona. I think, in general, both school systems are cruddy. Yes, there are some good districts in both states. But on the whole, they're bad. In AZ, Gov. Napalatano spends less money per child for school then any other state. It's horrendous. I know two women who used to teach special ed in elem school here and they both had very negative things to say about the programs. The teachers are overworked, underpaid and they don't have the resources they need. So yes, if you're going to send your child to public schools, stay away from both AZ and FL. I hear wonderful things about the public schools in the midwest (Iowa, for example) though I can't speak to their special ed programs.

If you're interested in the FL program I mentioned, let me know and I'll ask about it.

Best of luck to you.

I read that comment that AZ schools are bad or very bad a lot here. I'm not sure where it is coming from, maybe generalized statistics? I too am looking for a new place to call home - I'm tired of big city life. I have an elem school age daughter so schools matter. I look at Greatschools.com and I have found virtually no place that I would like to move that has ratings for their school that are as high as the one my daughter goes to right here in AZ. If you look at Gilbert, for example, every school in the city, I think, has a 10 - the higest rating and very hard to find in other cities. Very high ratings are also found for the schools in the Kyrene District, in Litchfield Park, and in EMR where I live and many others in Phx and Tucson metro. For us, leaving Phoenix may well mean a step down in school quality according to greatschools anyway.

The fact is that Arizona school quality reflects the demographics of its student body. The higher their parents income, the higher the scores and the better the school. It should not be that way but it is. So if one moves to an affluent area, they can expect schools on par or better than any in the US. If they choose to live in a lower income area, the schools will more likely be underperforming. In smaller towns there is less social segregation and usually only a couple schools. So in those town here, you do see lower scores.

[SaraS]

Hello Sarahrose,

First, forgive me if I fail to do this correctly, I have never posted before. I to had been considering moving to AZ and a friend was doing some research for me about schools and services in AZ. We currently live in central Iowa and our son is 15 and has autism. After reading the posts to your request we are reconsidering moving. I noticed the moderator posted a message about good services in Iowa and I thought I would expand on that. Our son has been receiving excellent services both in school and out of school since age 3. We live in the Ballard school district and I can not say enough good things about the teachers and the administration. They listen to us in his IEP's and make every effort to work with us in what we wish our son to learn, including independent living skills. His teacher is amazing and very patient and understanding. Ballard is a small community with average classes of right around a 100 students with 98% graduating and 86% going to college. Ankeny also has an excellent special ed program. Des Moines, I hear, is not as good, larger population and less individual attention. Ames is in the middle of the road. Those are the school systems I am familiar with.

I also want to tell you about other services available in Story county and Polk county. There are supportive community living services and respite services. PT, ST and OT. Those are the services we have utilized and they have been covered under the HCBS waiver. I personally work for Creative Community Options in Ankeny. We support adults with Autism, Asperger's and other communication disorders both hourly and 24 hour. We provide SCL and supportive employment. We are the only non-profit organization that is completely community based. We have no beds to fill or houses for people to move into. Our services begin at age 14 and we assist your child to transition into living in his own apartment or home with support from our staff based on whatever his needs are. Our mission is to empower Iowans with disabilities to achieve their personal goals.

I have gone on and on I know but I was thrilled and proud to learn Iowa is among the best for services to people with disabilities. If you would like more information feel free to email me at sara.spangler@creativecommunityoptions.org

Good luck with your search!

[sarahrose]

Ive been researching the Dallas/Plano TX area and it sounds a bit more promising than AZ, but i'm still just looking, We are only trying to escape the long frigid winters here, and want to be able to be outside more months of the year. But, we will see what happens..............MN is a good state for kids with disabilities, it's just so damn COLD!!!

[boonedocs]

Been reading alot about the Austin area for kids with autism. We have a 6 yr old with high functioning autism. Any thoughts on specific school districts (public or private)? Any info on the Capitol School? Does UT have any affiliations with any special ed programs? How about adult disability services in Austin/Texas? Thanks

[diggitydot]

Our kids attend school in the Dysart district and we've had great experiences.

Our two oldest are tested almost yearly for the gifted and talented programs. They barely miss it by a percentage point or two each year, but their teachers still adjust the girls' lessons to their abilities, even without a formal IEP. (They've had some fantastic teachers!)

We recently had to have our son tested for suspected Autism or Asperger's Syndrome. This is the first time I'd ever dealt with special needs services in the district, but was REALLY impressed. They scheduled his screenings, evaluations, and meetings quickly and they were done VERY professionally. He was diagnosed with speech issues, but they still jumped on top of it and were very proactive in getting him into a specialized preschool along with speech and occupational therapies.

Since our experiences with the district, we've talked with a couple of other parents in similar circumstances. Our neighbor's son is Austistic, but the school still tests him periodically when they notice different habits or behaviors that may not support the original diagnosis. From what I've been told by my neighbor, the Dysart district has been FAR more proactive with their son than any other district they've lived within. (And they've lived in several states and also in the Glendale and Peoria districts here in AZ.)

Just my $.02 worth. Don't know if it helps you much...

Oh, and I think part of the reason AZ ranks so low on national testing scores is that it's difficult to test kids when you have such a transient society. My daughters' school's boundaries have drastically changed every single year since it opened in 2004. That's got to make it tough for the administrators to get any type of consistent data from standardized testing.

[lisa locker]

Originally Posted by sarahrose

Ive been researching the Dallas/Plano TX area and it sounds a bit more promising than AZ, but i'm still just looking, We are only trying to escape the long frigid winters here, and want to be able to be outside more months of the year. But, we will see what happens..............MN is a good state for kids with disabilities, it's just so damn COLD!!!

I am in the Tempe School District. They have a Seals Program (designed for autistic kids and high functioning austic kids.) There are several schools in this district and the Broadmoor school is the best in my opinion. We are in the Fuller School.

Horizon Schools in Glendale has a program and I am checking out a school in Paradise Valley. My daughter is supposed to go to school at Fees Middle School next year here in Tempe and they are supposed to be adding some addtional support for these kids....

[dianadea7]

I was quite disappointed by some of the replies, as we moved to Arizona because of the reputation of their autism programs. We are within the Gilbert School District and they are very advanced in their teachings. I have since started working for the District and let me tell you that there are large amounts of people moving in specifically for their programs. Please reconsider, as we have not been disappointed by this school district at any time. By the way, my son is nearly 7 years old, in a self-contained placement.

Good Luck in your decision.

Diana