Deaf & Autism services (Portland, Bangor: employment, public school, maintenance)

[moonlightbay84]

Hi, I have been thinking about relocating to Maine. I have a 7 year old son who is on the Autism spectrum and is Deaf. He currently is receving ABA at an autism center and is mainstreamed at a public school with a wonderful deaf program after attending a deaf school for three years. I am deaf as well. I would like to know which parts of Maine has great services for children with Autism and Deafness, perhaps a good size Deaf community.. anybody know??

[slyfox2]

I used to live in Middle atlantic region and have a good familiarity with the school since my wife was a teacher there. We lived in a very progressive district with lots of support services. I have to tell you honestly what you already know; providing extensive services for deaf is expensive and when you throw in the spectrum its even more so.

While the schools in Maine are very good, its because the teachers here work very very hard with lots of imagination. But what they don't have is lots of money, and lots of resources. I would figure that you are going to need to stay near the major cities, which might actually be quite small compared to where you came from.

Remember that there are more people in greater philadelphia, than in the entire state of Maine. And what is here is spread through 35,000 square miles compared the Philly's 640 square miles.

I don't want to discourage you, but if you are coming from a place where there there are lots of services, don't expect them here. In the small area I lived in in central Atlantic, for example, there were three different full service transmissions shops. I live near Ellsworth and you would have to drive to Bangor, about an hour away, to find just one specialty transmission shop, and then it might be nothing like what you would get where there is some serious competition---its prices have no competition, so they aren't that good.

Good Luck to you.

[mainegrl2011]

Originally Posted by moonlightbay84

Hi, I have been thinking about relocating to Maine. I have a 7 year old son who is on the Autism spectrum and is Deaf. He currently is receving ABA at an autism center and is mainstreamed at a public school with a wonderful deaf program after attending a deaf school for three years. I am deaf as well. I would like to know which parts of Maine has great services for children with Autism and Deafness, perhaps a good size Deaf community.. anybody know??

I write this quite often, but here goes this topic has been discussed and if you search the forum, you should find some info. I think slyfox2 makes some good points. The population density in Maine is low and that's one of many things that people find so attractive. Then some complain about having to drive a long distance for this or that ....can't have it both ways. For example, one of my best friends had a child with heart problems (also deaf) and made trips to Portland a few times a year...about 150 miles each way. There's a residential location in Ellsworth.
KidsPeace National Centers of New England - Community Employment Opportunities; DHHS Maine www.kidspeace.org (site is currently down--maybe just for maintenance?) Give them a call; maybe they can help you.

[slyfox2]

Kidspeace might work.... but there was a site in Allentown, PA that our school used for very difficult cases. This was a more than 3 hours drive from where I lived. But they did not handle anything other than emotional and other kinds of mental disturbance. I'm not aware that Kidspeace handles spectrum disorders or sensory disorders---unless there is a serious behavioral emotional or behavioral mental disorder component.

[mainegrl2011]

Originally Posted by slyfox2

Kidspeace might work.... but there was a site in Allentown, PA that our school used for very difficult cases. This was a more than 3 hours drive from where I lived. But they did not handle anything other than emotional and other kinds of mental disturbance. I'm not aware that Kidspeace handles spectrum disorders or sensory disorders---unless there is a serious behavioral emotional or behavioral mental disorder component.

Read more about the Ellsworth location. As I said previously, give them a call; "maybe" they can help you. Services

Autism Residential Services

http://www.kidspeace.org/locations.a...cf_80_0_3200_1

[jesolphin]

Hello Moonlightbay84,

I was wondering if you knew about the Deaf-Autism program at Vermont Centre for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing?
[url=http://www.vcdhh.org/schools/deaf-autism-program]Deaf-Autism Program[/url]

Cheers,

Jessica