Relocation Questions

[Guest guest]

do not move to fl unless you have the money to spend , and no st pete

akin

[Guest guest]

do not move to fl unless you have the money to spend , and no st pete

akin

[Guest guest]

****this is an edited post that I first placed in the Autism-Florida

list. It is clear that S.FL seems to be the best Fl has to offer so

we are now focusing in the Broward and Dade areas.************

Hi! I am the mother of a 4 year old (in Sept) son with autism. My

husband is from Florida (St. Pete) and most of his family is still in

St. Pete. His parents live in Pensacola. He is begging to move back

to what he affectionately calls " the land of milk and honey " . He does

not care where as long as it is coastal. My son loves the beach and

swimming and my husband loves to boat and fish.

My son is still an early learner (ABLLS). He is somewhat verbal but

not spontaneously and his articulation is very poor. He uses some

sign language. He does well around older or calm, quiet children, but

has auditory sensitivities to children crying, squealing, etc. He is

a sensory seeker and loves to be hugged and rough-housed. His eye

contact is excellent when he is engaged or interested. Otherwise he

isn't so great at it. He has some pretend play. He has a wide range

of affect and is very personable. He does not have tantrums really,

and overall is a very easy child. Developmentally I would say he is

in the 18-24 month range overall. He has a lot of splinter skills,

but he has such a long way to go. But he is a hard worker and we are

SO proud of his many accomplishments. He amazes us all the time =).

Right now we have a AVB program 31.5 hours per week. We would want to

continue using AVB. So, here are the questions I have.

1) What should I expect from the public schools?

2) Are there good public or private schools that incorporate AVB and

1:1 instruction?

3) Are there areas or school districts that I should steer

clear of?

4)If you don't mind sharing with me what you average in ABA costs per

year, I would appreciate it. I was impressed that FL has more BCBA's

(over 1,000) than any other state. Do the BCBA's provide direct

instruction, or do they mostly provide consultation?

5)Are the communities supportive and are there adequate (proactive

and empowering) support groups?

I thank you in advance for sharing your ideas, opinions and answers.

Please feel free to e-mail me privately at love4jake@... if

you'd prefer.

Thanks,

Beverly