Re: Best School District?

[Guest guest]

Also, any thoughts on the autism centers in the area? I'm appreciative of the feedback. To: texas autism advocacy <Texas-Autism-Advocacy > Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 8:42 PM

Subject: Best School District?

Hi all,My family and I are looking to relocate to the San /Austin area for our boys, ages 4 and 6, both who have Autism Spectrum Disorder. Any thoughts on the best school districts for accomodating autism specifically? Thanks!-S. Tiner

[Guest guest]

Irma is your best advisor for San . In Austin it depends, there is no one " Good district " they are all suffering cut backs. But some are better than others. First thing you need though is a good professional advocate. I know parents who had their IEP's from other states totally disregarded. 

 

Hi all,My family and I are looking to relocate to the San /Austin area for our boys, ages 4 and 6, both who have Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Any thoughts on the best school districts for accomodating autism specifically?  Thanks!

-S. Tiner

[Guest guest]

There is no private option for children with Autism in Austin. There are two ABA centers I think and of course HALO but your children need to be seven. I ran my own ABA program for years till I discovered HALO, which totally changed the course of how we taught my child academics. 

 

Also, any thoughts on the autism centers in the area?  I'm appreciative of the feedback. 

To: texas autism advocacy <Texas-Autism-Advocacy >

Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 8:42 PM

Subject: Best School District?

Hi all,My family and I are looking to relocate to the San /Austin area for our boys, ages 4 and 6, both who have Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Any thoughts on the best school districts for accomodating autism specifically?  Thanks!

-S. Tiner

[Guest guest]

We have received excellent support at Clayton Elementary School in AISD (we live in Circle C).MaggieSender: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:42:29 -0800 (PST)To: texas autism advocacy<Texas-Autism-Advocacy >ReplyTo: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: Best School District? Hi all,My family and I are looking to relocate to the San /Austin area for our boys, ages 4 and 6, both who have Autism Spectrum Disorder. Any thoughts on the best school districts for accomodating autism specifically? Thanks!-S. Tiner

[Guest guest]

We have had good luck in Round Rock ISD, just north of Austin. They have " SLC "

classrooms for ASD kids Kinder - second grade who need a little more support

than 100% general ed. In those classrooms, they use something called the Star

program that is an ABA-based program:

http://starautismsupport.com/star-autism-program

Of course, higher functioning ASD kids can go straight to general ed with

differing levels of support from the resource department at each school. (SLC

classrooms are cluster sites that kids are bused to; every school has a resource

department).

After second grade, when ASD kids have to leave the SLC classrooms, some go to

general ed with resource support, and others (like my son, who is more severely

affected) go to " FAC " classrooms. These are also cluster sites, and they also

use the Star program in these classrooms, but FAC classrooms are

mixed-disability classrooms (SLC classrooms are essentially autism-only). In

both SLC and FAC classrooms, they do a lot of inclusion time in general ed, but

I imagine this depends largely on the staff. My son spends specials, recess,

and lunch with his general ed class (with an aide from the FAC class, of

course). They also do reverse inclusion.

Hope this helps!

-

>

> Hi all,

> My family and I are looking to relocate to the San /Austin area for our

boys, ages 4 and 6, both who have Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Any thoughts on the

best school districts for accomodating autism specifically?  Thanks!

> -S. Tiner

>

[Guest guest]

Many school districts use this approach. Ask to talk to parents of kids who have graduated, ask what they are doing now. Autism is not a rare issue I guarantee you schools are not preparing our kids for anything more than a workshop job with this kind of curriculum and expectation. Don't be short sighted. You need a long term plan. 

 

We have had good luck in Round Rock ISD, just north of Austin. They have " SLC " classrooms for ASD kids Kinder - second grade who need a little more support than 100% general ed. In those classrooms, they use something called the Star program that is an ABA-based program:

http://starautismsupport.com/star-autism-program

Of course, higher functioning ASD kids can go straight to general ed with differing levels of support from the resource department at each school. (SLC classrooms are cluster sites that kids are bused to; every school has a resource department).

After second grade, when ASD kids have to leave the SLC classrooms, some go to general ed with resource support, and others (like my son, who is more severely affected) go to " FAC " classrooms. These are also cluster sites, and they also use the Star program in these classrooms, but FAC classrooms are mixed-disability classrooms (SLC classrooms are essentially autism-only). In both SLC and FAC classrooms, they do a lot of inclusion time in general ed, but I imagine this depends largely on the staff. My son spends specials, recess, and lunch with his general ed class (with an aide from the FAC class, of course). They also do reverse inclusion.

Hope this helps!

-

>

> Hi all,

> My family and I are looking to relocate to the San /Austin area for our boys, ages 4 and 6, both who have Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Any thoughts on the best school districts for accomodating autism specifically?  Thanks!

> -S. Tiner

>

[Guest guest]

Listen to those who have traveled this road before you.  There is great prejudice and short-sightedness when it comes to educating a child with autism in Texas.  They most often equate autism with the " R " word and then just treat them as unteachable.  PPCD classrooms and " self-contained " are often no more than over-glorified day care centers.  Few schools follow a child's IEP as it is written.  They may spend a fair amount of time coming up with the IEP -- even if the parent is well-informed and very involved, and STILL, once the parent walks out the door, they put the IEP in a drawer somewhere -- only to be taken out when the teacher has to come up with grades, but they tell the teachers to just " teach what they want, " and they do not hold them accountable to the IEP, so the grades given on it are iffy at best.

Trying to keep them honest is a FULL TIME job, and if you try to advocate effectively you will be an outcast.  You will be viewed as a trouble maker for trying to help your child.  Unless you are willing to believe everything they say and just let them educate your children their way and allow them to break state and federal laws and say it's okay.

As was stated before, there have been budget cuts, but the bottom line is that schools value their football and other sports program more than special needs kids.  They see these children as " a waste of money and resources. "

It takes a lot of time to advocate effectively, and even then there are no guarantees.  Parents have to stay on top of things: matching school work to IEP goals and other things just to keep the school honest.

I wish I didn't have to sound so cynical, but this is what I have seen.  However, Austin seems to have more outside resources available than other cities.You can try the district and work for appropriate programs that provide more than " de minimus, "   and keep very good records, and then if you can show the child has not made progress you can advocate for the school to pay for ABA and/or when they are old enough to pay for HALO. But doing this wastes valuable educational time for the child -- our kids have NO time to waste.  With having to catch my son up, he may well be into his twenties before he is ready for college.

Trina knows I was skeptical about RPM, though I alwasy believed in it in principle, so we gave it a second try, and our son just took off academically.  He was ten years old and though he could read some words, he had NO clue as to word meaning by September of 2010. Nor did he have any composition skills nor math skills. Then we started with an amazing RPM tutor, and my son is doing fourth grade math and is comprehending somewhere between third and fourth grade level.  This is the academic therapy that is offered in Austin through HALO. 

Chances are that whatever school you choose  -- they will not think your child worthy or capable of being taught academics and they will just want to stick to " life skills. "   This is the track that prepares your child only for work in a supervised workshop and life in an institution should something happen to you.  Don't let this happen.  You have to think of these things NOW.  Academic teaching should start NOW.

My son was taught everything a kindergartner should know and more, and he knew these things by the time he was 4.5 years old as I taught him at home using ABA at that time, even though he could barely talk.  It took me realizing I had to home school him if he was to have any chance at a future.  I just wish I had been wise enough not to wait until he was ten.

I'd give anything if you could find a public school who takes the education of these children seriously.  If you find it, please let me know.

[Guest guest]

Trina,

I thought they accepted children at age 5 at HALO. I brought my son there right before his 5th birthday.

Marilyn

From: Sherman

Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 11:23 PM

To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

Subject: Re: Re: Best School District?

There is no private option for children with Autism in Austin. There are two ABA centers I think and of course HALO but your children need to be seven. I ran my own ABA program for years till I discovered HALO, which totally changed the course of how we taught my child academics.

[Guest guest]

Ah yes it has been adjusted from time to time and I think last year children started at five with the intern then went to Soma at 7 years. But there is always a chance for an exception. My child didn't start with Soma till he was 12 he's 16 now. He did ABA up to 40 hours a week from the time he was 3. We have made more progress with less hours in those 4 years than we made in the 9 previous. But when you look at it academically he went from a school thinking he was on a kinder level in 5th grade to passing the 8th grade math TEKS commended. That was huge. He is still moderately Autistic. 

Trina 

 

Trina,

I thought they accepted children at age 5 at HALO.  I brought my son there right before his 5th birthday. 

 

Marilyn

 

 

From: Sherman

Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 11:23 PM

To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy

Subject: Re: Re: Best School District?

 

There is no private option for children with Autism in Austin. There are two ABA centers I think and of course HALO but your children need to be seven. I ran my own ABA program for years till I discovered HALO, which totally changed the course of how we taught my child academics.