MOMania

By jim d

May 2, 2008 8:31 AM | Link to this

From What I’ve heard The Howard School a private school in atlanta is amongst the best at providing for these kids.

By Lauren

May 2, 2008 9:08 AM | Link to this

Yes, I echo that. The Howard School is the best.

By Leslie

May 2, 2008 10:44 AM | Link to this

I want to relocate to Atlanta with a child that is in a wheelchair, and has cerebal palsy. I would like to ensure enrollment by moving into a top area for her needs. Any suggestions from happy parents would be appreciated.

By Tina

May 2, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this

I have a close friend whose 4 year old son is autistic and is, at present, at Heards Ferry. They’re going to Dunwoody Springs’ inclusion Pre-K next fall. I’m sure Howard School is excellent; I remember babysitting for a boy who went there over 20 years ago. It’s probably very expensive and to live close in to minimize drive time is especially costly.

By Lu

May 2, 2008 11:01 AM | Link to this

As a mother of an autistic son I highly suggest they call the Marcus Institute in Atlanta. Their CLAS (Center for Academic & Success) program offers excellent support services in all areas and based on the child’s IEP needs will help them choose the right school/program best suited for their daughter. The Frazer Center on Ponce De Leon in Atlanta is also an excellent choice. Overall, the most important thing is to stay within a large school system like Dekalb, Fulton or Gwinett. Once you get further out like some parts of Cobb, Douglas, Cherokee or Paulding Counties you may run into limited services due to lack of funding. I learned this the hard way so i’m speaking from experience. The key here is a well written IEP because that is your “ace in the hole”. Once your friends arrive in Atlanta; with the right guidance they can request a new IEP drawn up with the services their daughter needs. Atlanta is full of private therapy companies that will come to your home or you can go to their offices. The Atlanta parent magazine has lots of ads in it and you can get those at doctors offices/daycares/schools. I don’t know if they will need after school care but the Elaine Clark Center in Chamblee has an excellent after care program until 6pm and they also do therapies there. Best of luck to your friends and have them call the Marcus Center for guidance.

By jim d

May 2, 2008 11:20 AM | Link to this

Leslie,

Here’s a list of numbers you may wish to keep at hand if you move to georgia and place your child in a public school.

Best wishes.

By Thor

May 2, 2008 11:49 AM | Link to this

The Elaine Clark center in Chamblee for after school programs might not be around in the next few years. The land next to it is under contract for a large mixed use development and it has been widely rumored for the last 12 months that Elaine Clark would be willing to sell if the price is right.

By Autistic person

May 2, 2008 12:30 PM | Link to this

Single worst thing you can do for an autistic kid is coddle them.

FORCE them to interact in ‘normal’ circles/situations.

Autism is NOT a ‘defect’, it is the next step in human evolution. We have a gift that ‘normals’ do not: superior intellect.

The child can be taught to use this superior intellect to quickly learn new situations and learn from mistakes in dealing with these situations.

It isn’t easy - for the kid or the parent.

But the right thing rarely is.

By GR

May 2, 2008 12:47 PM | Link to this

The schools in the Duluth and Peachtree Ridge clusters have several autism classes and good special ed services in general. My son who has severe developmental delays and speech issues has been in the public school system since he was 3, first at Monarch School in Duluth and is now finishing kindergarten at Chattahoochee Elementary, also in Duluth. I’ve been pretty happy with the services he gets and the progress he has made.

By SB

May 5, 2008 1:51 PM | Link to this

I heard others mention the Howard School, however, the Howard is not a school for children with autism. Before picking or choosing any school, make sure that your friend speaks with parents who have dealt with that particular school system to determine if they can and will service her child’s needs. Alpharetta Elementary actually has a pilot program that is implementing Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). My caution to your friend is that she make sure that whatever school she selects has the capability to service the needs of her daughter. Autism is not just a speech language issue; it’s a neurological issue that has to be addressed from a variety of angles. She will want a school that is willing and able to do that.

By mom of 2

May 5, 2008 5:39 PM | Link to this

If the child is very high functioning, then usually the key is inclusion. Dekalb has a wonderful inclusion program but only in very few of its schools. There is no right answer for any child. It is sort of like saying my kid has brown hair, brown eyes and is left handed which school is best? Autism is a spectrum disorder. There are many wonderful options around atlanta. (thank you bernie marcus) Try the marcus instutute. If you move into Dekalb you will then be contacting the coralwood diagnostic center. (By the way Coralwood is a wonderful inclusion program) Good luck. (BTW I have also heard wonderful things about Forsyth county schools with inclusion and lots of support groups for family)

By Jared

June 15, 2008 6:29 AM | Link to this

Nice site! [url=http://yygbxusw.com/auvi/exft.html]My homepage[/url] | [url=http://uqlvkwgc.com/jwme/zjtu.html]Cool site[/url]

By Ron

June 15, 2008 6:30 AM | Link to this

Thank you! http://yygbxusw.com/auvi/exft.html | http://danbdfzv.com/svkq/cdvj.html

By Chris L

February 25, 2009 4:27 PM | Link to this

This is a very new school but should be considered for those with autistic kids north of the perimeter. www.keystoneatlanta.org

By Atlanta Metro Mom

March 23, 2009 12:01 PM | Link to this

The options seem to be pretty limited for pre-K (yes, even the free state-funded one, which you think would be a benefit for kids with disabilities), since although the funding is through the state, many of the schools that offer this are private daycare centers and being private, they don’t have to take any kid that is different or hard to handle. We finally got my son into Sheltering Arms, a non-profit daycare that is a United Way agency. Part of their mission is that a certain percentage of the children they serve must have disabilities. They worked with the county school district, the state inclusion coordinator, and specialist from the Marcus Institute to get our son adapted to their center over the summer; it was a bumpy ride at first, but by the time the school year came along he was ready to be in regular pre-K, and we think he will be ready for the social demands of a regular kindergarten class next year. There are Sheltering Arms centers all over the Atlanta metro; they do often have waiting lists, though.