Where Should Families Move for Better Autism Resources?
Friday May 2, 2008
In the United States, autism resources vary radically from state to state, county to county, and even town to town. As a result, children (and their parents) may receive terrific, adequate, or terrible academic and therapeutic services based solely on where they live. Over time, certain states, counties and towns have built reputations for good or excellent services, and often families consider moving to take advantage of those services.
In general, I've heard good things about New Jersey and Minnesota (which may explain higher levels of autism in those states). I've also heard that North Carolina may be a good option. Of course, services tend to be more available in large metropolitan areas as opposed to rural areas, but that's not always true. One dad writes:
In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh area) ... our resources and funding for autism are awesome. My two children with autism get wonderful therapies (over 40+ hours a week each--- which is all needed and warranted) including a lot of ABA through wrap-around as well as Speech, OT, Developmental, and Physical Therapies. I could go on and explain more but do I need to? I do not know what services and funding are like in other areas across the nation. I have heard, though, that where I live is outstanding for Autism Therapies.If you live in the US, would you recommend moving to your area for autism services? If you live outside the US, what's the best way to access top quality services in your part of the world?
Comments
I wouldn’t suggest moving any where- and certainly not based on school services due to each child’s services through a school is individual and does not predict each child will ever get those same things which was provided to another. One also has to consider what age groups are most likely getting those services from the school. Many times the focus is Early Intervention but once the child goes to grade school, the theme changes and the focus is more providing FAPE.
I cant tell you how many parents I have met that has moved to where I live (general area) or to other states and have horrible school experiences and lack experience in advocating for their child’s needs. Many parents assume all these great school services are easily just provided, and that simply is not the case. Schools have budgets, and each year they change meaning last year may had been just great but next year all of a sudden parents are experiencing budget balancing acts.
As for private services, no matter where you live there’s going to be a waiting list and as far as I know, MN has not passed any laws that mandates autism services paid for by insurances. MN does allow for children with autism to get MA (Medicaid) based on the child of if the income is too high, they have a TEFRA program, both of which will cover private costs.
County services also are based on budget’s and most often diagnosis. If last year the county was great, all it takes is a few budget cuts to change al of that and with the economy being the way it is, this could also be effected.
Then you have the job aspect, cost of living is higher in some states than others that use more heating and a move to another state based on services could just end up a horrible situation. It’s always best to know the educational laws and keep up to date on changes, and effectively advocate for your child within the school district where one lives and not to be afraid of due process.
I wanted to move but look like that isn’t happening
Sometimes people do need to move.
We wanted our child access to more speech therapy
But it’s not just school services but some states have insurance laws that cover part therapies
And some have more therapies in general even though in many cases they are out of pocket.
My point was more so that the grass always sounds greener on the other side, but when many get here they find it very much different, and they’re freezing for half the year
Over here, our grass stays pretty white.
Some years back it was said California was the best place to move to- if you speak to a parent from there they’ll tell you that’s not the case.
Where I live they do have many private places although I do not think this state has passed any insurance laws. The waiting lists are very long. The best place to get a diagnosis of autism in this state at the time my son was diagnosed, had a year long waiting list. For Private O.T and Speech, they are more located in the larger cities than rural area’s like where I live. Then try finding a Psych for meds that’s accepting new patients, or one that doesn’t have a 5 month waiting list or longer. If a child needs meds and one moves here, this would be a tough situation.
I also know many from many different school districts has the same IEP issues as any one else would in any other state. I’m not sure of any school that isn’t having the same budget issues as other states are and they’re relying on tax payers to pass levies to help them out. This state is known for it’s great education but I cant say that would also include Special Ed and I can say I was so disgusted with our own school district my son doesn’t attend school there.
Some counties are better than another but they have waiting lists too, some right now is at 7 years.
I myself had never had much trouble getting things for my child here, our insurance covered his private therapies as well at that time. I did not have a good public school experience however and many do not. For those with lower income, this state has cut a ton of programs. one thing this state does have is a place for when a child becomes an adult that was started by parents many years ago and is quite large and offers many different programs and assistance to many different disabilities.
Where I live services are hard to come by even out of pocket. I thought I was moving. I am glad I did some dyi therapies because I cannot live via waiting lists.
We moved to MA from Texas last year due to my husband’s job. It is like night and day. Services in Texas for individuals with autism are absolutely horrible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsHOR-PNdjk
I would say move to NJ. It is well known that the knowledge and quality of ABA and the services provided in the centers there are far superior to the rest of the country.
And yet even within Massachusetts, some cities and towns are better than others. Our town is well ranked for educational quality based on SAT’s, MCAS, etc but there is not a large population of kids on IEPS so there is not as much attention to services as in some larger cities. It’s a catch 22 though – to live where my child with autism gets good services or to live where my typically developing child benefits from a strong school system. I agree with Sandy about becoming an effective advocate wherever you live!
This is such a difficult decision to make for all parents,especially if you have other kids or a husband who is not flexible. My son is autistic and was born and diagnosed in the south. I was very frustrated because I could not find the services that he needed,ie.. after- school, respite, summer camp. I’ve been in the north with him for the past couple of years and I have to say there is a big difference. The resources here are incomparable to the south. I’ve met other parents who have had the same experience. If the move will be significant for your child, I would say it’s worth considering.
I think it’s a very good idea to research the school district in which your child would be attending if you were to relocate. We live in N. California in a really nice town, but the services are limited in our area. We’ve started researching the school systems within a 50 mi radius of our home town and it looks like we will probably relocate before our son turns three. The Sacramento, CA area has wonderful services, a great Regional Center (ALTA) and a few great school districts that provide special services for children on the spectrum. I think it has a lot to do with the Regional Centers and the Service Coordinators(Case/social workers). Our Regional Center lacks services, but our coordinator is AWESOME! There are many things to consider before moving, but if you find good reliable information and can talk to people who are currently in the system, why wouldn’t you move if it’s possible for your family. Our move will add another hour on top of my husbands already 1 1/2 commute, but he is willing to do whatever we need for our precious little boy of 22 months. I should mention that this will mean our 15 1/2 year old daughter will have to change schools for her senior year or also commute to her high school one hour away. She too is okay with it because she wants the best for her baby brother. Lets just hope that the autism services get better and become more available in the area where we all live. God help us!
I’ve gotta say, on paper (and even when meeting with administrators and taking a tour) Tom’s lousy preschool sounded great… our district sounded wonderful… our county sounded terrific… and I’m guessing that all three were, for some folks. In fact, I met several people who raved about all three settings.
For us, the preschool (focused on individual needs and abilities) was a complete bust: Tom was booted after three months. The public school was a bust: “couldn’t meet his needs” after first grade. The county was a bust: despite “specialized program” with bells and whistles (including 1:3 adult:child ratio, trained teacher, adaptive programs, built-in speech/social skills) for kids on the spectrum, Tom was stressed out, learning almost nothing, and having social and behavior issues that DISAPPEARED after one year of homeschool.
Bottom line: I think the “best” setting for your individual child will vary based not on the reputation of the school, district, program or agency – but on the ability of the individual teacher(s) and staff to understand and meet your individual child’s needs. And I’m not sure that’s something you can know, despite research, until your child is actually in the situation!
Lisa (autism guide)
I moved from NJ to Montgomery county, MD. My son has advanced wonderfully. Now like most of you said it depends on the child and what you are looking for. There were many kids that were doing great but my son was not. I got lucky here in MD because I got him into a wonderful school. There are kids here who are not advancing. I say do your research and go where the state meets your needs. I still miss NJ but for my son MD was the best choice for him.
Georgia = No.
i live in troy ny my son is 19 now an i just like to say to everybody about the service here there are no waiting list an if you have to wait it is about a month for something an there is medicade here an private schools here special education here no waiting list an doctors any doctors for autistic adult or child no waiting list service are here an people to help lawyers are here to help that go by your income avocates that will help with meetings. if i was considering moving an by what i was reading earlier i think i now would pass on moving it is to scary for me my son has stable ground.
I think that being an advocate for all of your children is important. I also think that people need to be sensitive to how much energy goes into raising an autistic child vs. how much energy it takes to change a school system. We were successful in getting my nephew’s service dog to be allowed to attend school with him starting in kindergarten. We had to use the local newspaper and tv news, but we did it. However, it took a huge support network and being willing to parade a precious 5 year old around publically to say “this isn’t right”. It was very hard and the outcome was good. We have tried to get him consistant speech therapy in school and as he has been in this school for 3 years and hasn’t had a year where he had full time speech therapy (he has lost his ability to speak). Sometimes being an advocate isn’t enough. Sometimes you have to consider moving to a place that has the tools you need. We are considering moving to a warmer climate because he withdraws during the winter and we loose him for months at a time. We are hoping that by going somewhere warmer we won’t loose him.
Lisa, thank you SO much for your comment about how the public system seemed so great before you entered it but then was a bust for your child. In particular how he had all those problems that disappeared when you began homeschooling. That really spoke to me. My son is only 2 but I am really torn because I want to move to be closer to family. It seems to me that strong extended family could be very important for a child with autism, maybe more important than anything else. However, my family lives in an incredibly rural area. Very, very, very poor. I live in Atlanta where the resources seem okay if not stellar. I am scared to leave. But you reminded me that sometimes WE are our children’s best therapists and teachers. If I can learn to trade in Starbucks for actually being able to see the stars at night … I don’t know … maybe it would be better for all of us.
Let me first say you have to fight for your kids rights for a equal education! I have 2 kids on the spectrum both with high IQ’s. We’re also a military family. I’ve been doing the whole IEP, fight with insurance company, find Dr. with a brain in Autism for almost 6 years! It may take me 2-3 Dr. before I find good one. I learned to call first and ask questions before even seeing the Dr.! The kids get home ABA and OT but years waiting list on speech. I would rate it a 7. Both get proper school education/services OT, SP, ABA, Behavior Dr., extend day and resource. We’re supposed to be moving and I’ve only found 2 states that have these services. We almost got stuck in DC/all area counties suck. Still I called around and it was fast to understand No Resource teacher, No prek/K extended day, most of the counties are short on staff/OT’s. Some schools couldn’t even answer basic questions. Only good for ABA and that’s it!
Agreed, Georgia – BIG no. At least we’re not alone! I’ve been looking into moving from the south to north somehwere for years….hoping to do it next year!