Re: Outstanding schools for autistic children

[Guest guest]

Spectrum of Hope in Houston is a fantastic program.

Hello. We will soon be able to move anywhere in Texas we want. One consideration is finding the very best school/program for our 5.5 year old son. He is fairly low functioning but we still hold out hope that a great program can help him break through to achieve some level of independence as an adult.

We are looking for a private school/program (of course, we'd love to have a public one, but don't hold out any hope for that in Texas) and are willing to consider most places in Texas.

Any advice or tips are appreciated.

[Guest guest]

Spectrum of Hope in NW Houston is exceptional.

Kim

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

wrote:

>Hello. We will soon be able to move anywhere in Texas we want. One

consideration is finding the very best school/program for our 5.5 year old son.

He is fairly low functioning but we still hold out hope that a great program can

help him break through to achieve some level of independence as an adult.

>

>We are looking for a private school/program (of course, we'd love to have a

public one, but don't hold out any hope for that in Texas) and are willing to

consider most places in Texas.

>

>Any advice or tips are appreciated.

>

[Guest guest]

Since your son is fairly low-functioning, I recommend " Focus on the Future "   in Plano,Texas.  I sent my son there for three summer programs (that was all we could afford), plus it was 65 miles from our house, so my husband got special permission to come in late and stay later at work, and I picked our son up in the afternoons.

It is a wonderful program/school.  We felt very welcomed there, and it was the first time  -- well, we saw more progress there in eight weeks of summer school then we ever did in years in a you-know-what kind of school.

Batts is the director, and she has written three books, one of which is " The Road to Independence, " which talks about how to get special needs kids to independence.She gives seminars on her method of potty training.  We had tried everything and then went to her seminar and did it the way she said, and our son was potty trained in three days. 

She also turned us on to " Reading Milestones "   - a very visual reading program that becomes comprehensive (reading, language arts, writing) as the child progresses.  They do community based instruction, academics, etc....

Her son has autism.  I don't agree with her about everything.  After our son was damaged, we never vaccinated again.  She continued to vaccinate her son, but she respected our decision -- as long as you have some kind of waiver, and Texas has conscientious objection as well as religious and medical (which our son had).

The teachers are very caring and knowledgeable.  We loved it there.  I would have sent my son there last year, but when he heard me telling my cousin about it, he started crying -- not becasue he didn't love the school, but it would mean about three hours a day in the car, depending on traffic, and there was always bad traffic on the way home.  It would have also meant A LOT of gas, so we finally decided to home school instead, and that has worked out well.

Our son was very excited about going to school when he went there.  I would highly recommend it for lower functioning kids.  My son was higher functioning with more language than most, but he had no academic skills and was not very independent.

You can learn more about Focus here:http://www.focussped.com/I believe the tuition is 17,000 per year, but that does not include the summer session.Plano, Texas also has more services available for children with autism than even Dallas proper.  They have a very active parent support group.

Sincerely,Haven

[Guest guest]

A third vote for Spectrum of Hope in Cypress, TX (a suburb of Houston located in County).  Website www.spectrumofhope.com Tammy From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of Kim FritzschingSent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 7:39 PMTo: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: Re: Outstanding schools for autistic children Spectrum of Hope in NW Houston is exceptional.Kim Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone wrote:>Hello. We will soon be able to move anywhere in Texas we want. One consideration is finding the very best school/program for our 5.5 year old son. He is fairly low functioning but we still hold out hope that a great program can help him break through to achieve some level of independence as an adult.>>We are looking for a private school/program (of course, we'd love to have a public one, but don't hold out any hope for that in Texas) and are willing to consider most places in Texas.>>Any advice or tips are appreciated.>

[Guest guest]

Including Kids, Inc.   They have been a lifeline of hope for my kiddo. http://www.includingkids.org They have several different programs to fit needs.  My son, I would consider, on the low-functioning side, but he is making such dramatic progress and being put with the higher functioning kids has been so incredibly beneficial for him. They are also TEA accredited.  Their SOAR Academy program is incredibly and has doubled in size in the last year.  They have 1:1 teachers.  The teens/almost adults are learning job skills every day that will translate into an actual job and they have fantastic partnerships with businesses in the area for opportunities.  They are located in Humble, but I live in The Woodlands and felt the drive was totally worth it every single day, twice a day. Hilda Bowen From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of Tammy Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2012 9:05 AMTo: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: RE: Outstanding schools for autistic children A third vote for Spectrum of Hope in Cypress, TX (a suburb of Houston located in County). Website www.spectrumofhope.com Tammy From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of Kim FritzschingSent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 7:39 PMTo: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: Re: Outstanding schools for autistic children Spectrum of Hope in NW Houston is exceptional.Kim Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone wrote:>Hello. We will soon be able to move anywhere in Texas we want. One consideration is finding the very best school/program for our 5.5 year old son. He is fairly low functioning but we still hold out hope that a great program can help him break through to achieve some level of independence as an adult.>>We are looking for a private school/program (of course, we'd love to have a public one, but don't hold out any hope for that in Texas) and are willing to consider most places in Texas.>>Any advice or tips are appreciated.>

[Guest guest]

Do the older teens and young adults also do college or high school level academics?

 

Including Kids, Inc.   They have been a lifeline of hope for my kiddo. 

http://www.includingkids.org 

They have several different programs to fit needs.  My son, I would consider, on the low-functioning side, but he is making such dramatic progress and being put with the higher functioning kids has been so incredibly beneficial for him. They are also TEA accredited.  Their SOAR Academy program is incredibly and has doubled in size in the last year.  They have 1:1 teachers.  The teens/almost adults are learning job skills every day that will translate into an actual job and they have fantastic partnerships with businesses in the area for opportunities. 

 They are located in Humble, but I live in The Woodlands and felt the drive was totally worth it every single day, twice a day.

 Hilda Bowen 

  

From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of Tammy

Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2012 9:05 AMTo: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: RE: Outstanding schools for autistic children

   A third vote for Spectrum of Hope in Cypress, TX (a suburb of Houston located in County).  Website www.spectrumofhope.com

 Tammy

 From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of Kim Fritzsching

Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 7:39 PMTo: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: Re: Outstanding schools for autistic children

   Spectrum of Hope in NW Houston is exceptional.Kim Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone wrote:

>Hello. We will soon be able to move anywhere in Texas we want. One consideration is finding the very best school/program for our 5.5 year old son. He is fairly low functioning but we still hold out hope that a great program can help him break through to achieve some level of independence as an adult.

>>We are looking for a private school/program (of course, we'd love to have a public one, but don't hold out any hope for that in Texas) and are willing to consider most places in Texas.>>Any advice or tips are appreciated.

>

[Guest guest]

I don't have that information. That would require confidential disclosures of other clients on their part, which is not their policy. Each child's educational plan is individualized, so it is best to contact the school with questions regarding those specific type of questions. Hilda From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of ShermanSent: Monday, January 23, 2012 12:29 PMTo: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: Re: Outstanding schools for autistic children Do the older teens and young adults also do college or high school level academics? Including Kids, Inc. They have been a lifeline of hope for my kiddo. http://www.includingkids.org They have several different programs to fit needs. My son, I would consider, on the low-functioning side, but he is making such dramatic progress and being put with the higher functioning kids has been so incredibly beneficial for him. They are also TEA accredited. Their SOAR Academy program is incredibly and has doubled in size in the last year. They have 1:1 teachers. The teens/almost adults are learning job skills every day that will translate into an actual job and they have fantastic partnerships with businesses in the area for opportunities. They are located in Humble, but I live in The Woodlands and felt the drive was totally worth it every single day, twice a day. Hilda Bowen From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of Tammy Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2012 9:05 AMTo: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: RE: Outstanding schools for autistic children A third vote for Spectrum of Hope in Cypress, TX (a suburb of Houston located in County). Website www.spectrumofhope.com Tammy From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of Kim FritzschingSent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 7:39 PMTo: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: Re: Outstanding schools for autistic children Spectrum of Hope in NW Houston is exceptional.Kim Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone wrote:>Hello. We will soon be able to move anywhere in Texas we want. One consideration is finding the very best school/program for our 5.5 year old son. He is fairly low functioning but we still hold out hope that a great program can help him break through to achieve some level of independence as an adult.>>We are looking for a private school/program (of course, we'd love to have a public one, but don't hold out any hope for that in Texas) and are willing to consider most places in Texas.>>Any advice or tips are appreciated.>