miamirn
Posts 40
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Hi,
It would help to know where in South Florida you are thinking about, when you intend to move and the ages of your children, including their level of functioning.
In general there are Autism services in the school system. I can only speak for the area around here, specifically Miami-Dade County. We have an all Autism school and the McKay Scholarship program which allows parents, who's children have been in the public school system for one year i(I assume) only in Florida to choose alternate school placement, like private schools where they receive substantial financial assistance. In terms of therapies, yes we have therapies, but I am reluctant to tell you if it would be 3 x weekly. It really matters how severe your children are and what their need are to determine placement and accommodations as in any state. What I would do is make a list of questions you have for each individual child and speak to the head of the ESE Director at the Dade County Public School District Office. You can get an e-mail address from the secretary and also e-mail her with your concerns and specific questions. I have found the District office to be very professional and helpful. I would use this method as a rule of thumb in any District. The best people to talk to the Autism Directors in the ESE District office, at least to start with. When and if you have decided where you are going to live, it would be beneficial to talk to one of the local autism specialist teachers. They work out of the regional offices, but are best located by calling the District Autism ESE Department. In that way you can prevent running around in circles. The Autism specialist teachers are assigned to the regional areas and can give you information about the individual schools, in general. They can also give you the run down on what's happening in the county and what's coming up in the future on a regional level. In general, it's wise to get to know people, develop relationships, stay on top of things and be proactive. In that way you can get the most out of the educational system. If you don't try to individualize your childrens education, the school system will treat your children generically. You can most certainly call someone at Parent to Parent in the Miami office. The number is on "Parent to Parent of Miami" site. There is always someone to talk to who knows the system, the law, and perhaps more. I have had great support from them for my Autistic Grandson. There are also webinars that they give regularly, so you might check that out. They cover topics like Florida IEP's, the law, your rights, etc. They also have support groups. You can always PM me, if you need to. Your welcome to talk to me most any day except Tuesdays. Evenings are fine. I get a notice every time there is a new post or PM from this site. Gee, I'm from NYC. Manhattan West Side Uptown. I grew up there. It's been decades since I've lived there. I sure wonder how your school system is up there. The services sound good. Good luck to you and try to keep in contact.
Elona
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