Special Needs
Where in the US should we live with ASD?
DH is at a point in his career where a step up is imminent, and given the trouble we're having getting services for DS 2.5, ASD, we're willing to look anywhere. There are a LOT of possibilities and we're overwhelmed with options and information.
Can anyone give me an idea where we might start looking, and/or if you can give us any information, that would be awesome. We're thinking bigger cities are going to be better overall, but obviously state requirements play a role as well.
TIA!
Can anyone give me an idea where we might start looking, and/or if you can give us any information, that would be awesome. We're thinking bigger cities are going to be better overall, but obviously state requirements play a role as well.
TIA!
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Re: Where in the US should we live with ASD?
I would not recommend Colorado. :P
While we personally have had a good experience with our school district, the resources otherwise are dismal. One good point is that employer insurance must cover a certain amount of autism therapy -- but only if the plan is regulated by the state department of insurance (i.e., headquartered in CO). I've been told that only about 30% of families who need it actually are able to access that coverage, because self-insured plans and private plans are not required to abide by that law.
The state wait list for therapy help is seven years and only covers kids between ages 3-6. Only 75 kids in the state are covered at a time and most will age off the waitlist before receiving any help.
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
I'm near Cleveland. EI in Summit county Akron area is OK, the providers are good and they follow the rules but neighboring/nearby counties seem to have more extensive programs Portage County near Kent State University, Lake County east of Cleveland which is Cuyahoga County, Lorain County West of Cleveland. This is for EI. Right now, Ohio's program Help Me Grow is undergoing major changes related to eligibility. We now have Dx lists that somewhat dictate eligibility and we are beginning to see more and more kids who have to be "professionally opinioned" as eligible. These kids are fully evaled every 6 months full Battelle plus concern area evals.
As for schoolage, that fully depends on the district and your child's needs. We have great programs around here and some not so great programs just like anywhere else. Depends on where in the area you'd like to consider.
I lived a county south of cleveland for 5 years. My boys don't have ASD but they've been in EI since birth.
The state agency is called Help Me Grow and they have county by county support. I personally felt our county was phenomenal in helping child that needed behavioral supports. They had a classroom that started at 18 months for children that needed behavorial and social supports. They also had a preschool that started at 2 for children that needed behavioral and social supports along with motor skill help.
With that being said, I feel children like my boys got the short end of the stick. They feel very strong that the "Family" part of IFSP is the main key. They taught us skills to use at home. Great concept, except when you're getting OT one time a month by the time you get to the next session all the things you've been doing are way outdated.
DS1 is almost 2.5. He has NO words. He does not babble. He was only offered speech 1x/month 45 minutes. When we pushed they consented to 30 minutes 2x/month.
I do know from our pedi (her daughter has Down Syndrome) that almost all her families do not feel that the county speech program was worth it at all. She strongly pushed us to go to a private facility and was ready to help us fight the insurance company until we decided to move. We ended up moving back to NJ. DS1 gets 8 hours of therapy PER WEEK. Back in OH he qualified for 4.5 PER MONTH. He had PT 1x/week, OT 1X/month and ST 1x/month. He doesn't stand, walk, talk, self feed, and is delayed to abouta 12 month old level.
Also, Governor Kasich does NOT like the 2yr old preschool. he does not feel that it is "natural" and is pushing for therapy to be offered in home. All of our therapy was at the county board of developmental disabilities. They do make some home visits (our PT came out and took DS swimming). I know Cuyahoga county (where cleveland is located) has done away with their 2 yr old preschool program.
There are a lot of ASD friendly therapeutic schools. One is Summit Academy.https://www.summitacademies.com/ I also felt Ohio was quick to qualify children for therapy.
BFP #1 9/7/10, EDD 5/14/11, Violet born 5/27/11.
BFP #2 4/9/12, EDD 12/16/12, M/C Rory 4/24/12.
BFP #3 10/6/12, EDD 6/16/12., Matilda born 6/17/13.
Hi! I think you're spot on that bigger cities in general will have better resources. From personal experience, Boston and the surrounding cities have excellent services and teacher education/curriculum standards including early education for children with disabilities, and New York state law offers comprehensive coverage that goes beyond federal requirements- and the public schools in the city are some of the best in the country
From what I hear from friends, DC is a good place because there are a lot of advocacy groups which lend a lot of resources and help if you're having trouble getting services to which you're entitled, but that should also be true of cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, Berkeley, etc. As a rule, "higher rated" school districts generally (but not always) offer better services. It really does vary from district to district though, and I would call the districts as you look at neighborhood and check them out (since the schools are responsible for providing services after EI services end). Good luck in your new home search 