Opinion About the Best Place in the Country to Live with Special Needs Child...

L.,

Florida has by far the WORST school system for special needs children. I applied for a McKay scholarship and my special needs son now goes to Creative Learning in Rockledge, it is a wonderful school, the owner is on the cutting edge with therapies and the teachers are amazing! She has helped the autistic speak, the developmentally delayed catch up, it goes on and on! The public school system Exceptional Ed programs here are horrible. My son was denied services constantly, several IEP meetings only to have paperwork filled out and services written only to find out that they never put them into action! If you are looking to move out of state, New York and most states on the upper east coast are by far more advanced than Florida. Florida schools are failing in many areas and the Special Education classrooms really are only designed for the Special Needs student with very minor disabilities. Go private if you stay here or move out of state.

Hi L.,

I have an autistic child and live in Jacksonville. I am very happy with the school she attends and am blown away by all the services here. Every parent I speak to has a different regimin of therapies for their child, but overall I have only met one parent unhappy with this area for their special needs child.

I am originally from SoCal and I would say that they used to have the most incredable services imaginable through the school systems. The key words are "used to". I left in 2003 and had already seen some deep cuts that had a negative impact on special needs children. I imagine it's much worse now. I also imagine it depends on what needs your child has as to the best location.

Best of luck to you

A friend of mine has a daughter with autism and they were living in CA when they found out. They actually wanted to move out of CA but did not due to the great system they have. Not sure of specifics or if balancing out the cost of living is worth it, when the extra money you spend on living expenses could be spent on individual therapy. I do believe that the help is through the school system.

Hi L.,
I love that you are so invested in your child's education. Now is a great time as your child is just about to start Kindergarten.
As a public school teacher in FL work works with Special Needs children I hate when people attack an entire states educational system based on their experience. I was educated in the FL public school system and have worked in the system for many years. It may not be the best in the nation but it is full with outstanding teachers, parents, and students.
In response to your question I'm not sure there is a greatest place in the nation to live. There is going to be good and bad everywhere. If you set up a meeting with guidence counselors at the school you are zoned for, you will be able to get a better idea of what they are able to provide for your child. I know that in the county I work there are clusters of schools, each school having a "speciality" in the special needs arena and your child would be bussed to that school at no cost to you, if you "speciality" is not at the school closest to you. Your post was very general so I'm not sure if you chlid would be placed in a "regular" classroom with just teacher services, pull- out services, or in a special needs classroom but look into it do your research and talk to people in your area as well as areas you would look to move to. The people on here that have offered specific schools and places to look into are going to be your best places to start if you are serious about relocating. But you can't discount an entire state based on a reputation. The school by you might be terrible but it could also be the best school and you would miss the opportunity for a great education for your son and spend a lot of money you didn't need to if you don't look into it.
I hope that helps a little. I'm sorry if it seemed a little negative I just hate that my husband and I work our tushies off everyday to provide the best education possible to each individual student we encounter and I read hurtful things on message boards. :)

i also live in florida and can sympathize with your need for the best for your child with special needs. i have a special needs daughter, but she has congenital hyperinsulinism and because the disorder is so rare, we ended taking her to the best hospital for that specific problem and that was Children's Hospital of Philidelphia. we spent over two months there last year. as for developemental delays, my cousin's little boy has some delays and is borderline autistic and she has him enrolled in OT 5 times a week, a play group that specializes in social interaction and speech delay therapies. he is only 3 and i just spent the last 4 weeks up there with them and he's doing fantastic. it is all covered by the state because of his diagnosis. and the groups are wonderful with very caring staff and nice facilities. they live in bloomingdale illinois. hope that helps. :)

I have read about New Jersey, seriously.

ask here:
http://www.wrightslaw.com/