Students with Austism can appreciate Gilbert schools in AZ

My college roommate and I went through all the big stuff together; college life and graduation, marriage, even our first babies were both boys and born about seven months apart. When her son was diagnosed with autism, it was another life changing experience for us. It was shock for me but for many parents of autistic kids, it was kind of a relief for her. She's an incredible woman (who happens to have a medical background) so once she had a diagnosis, she dove into research of every kind and learned everything she could to help her child. S

he immediately started to think about therapy and schools. She was then living on the west side of the Valley and slowly started to realize that there were nowhere near the resources her son needed. The question came "Do we move the entire family to help our one child, or stick it out and do the best we can?"

After much thought and prayer, they decided to move. According to her, and many other parents of autistic children that I have spoken with, there are two top school districts in the Phoenix area that give the most support to autistic children, both prior to elementary school and during. Now, I do not claim to be an expert of any kind, but in my small circle of friends and family, I have more than ten friends with autistic children and they all say the same things, so I'm just repeating what I've heard.

Michelle, my college friend, her research showed that Scottsdale School District and Gilbert School District have the very best resources in the Valley for autistic students. She chose Scottsdale as it is much close to her husband's work than Gilbert. Unfortunately because of the high prices in Scottsdale, their family needed to rent. They are very happy with their decision and her son is doing absolutely wonderfully.

The rest of the parents that I know all chose Gilbert School District. I get one or two families a year that decide to relocate to Gilbert, just for the autistic services.

One family down the street, her son started receiving in home therapy twice a week starting at age 3, then went into the Amancer preschool program at age 4. By kindergarten he was enrolled in a "cope" classroom that allowed him to be in a classroom with other special needs kids and a 2-to-1 ratio for teachers and students. Their goal is that by second grade, he will have developed the skills he needs to be in a regular classroom but will probably still have his aid.

The school that he is zoned for, had the preschool program but not the Cope Classroom for his grade. So Gilbert School District sends a bus to his front door to bring him to the nearest school that does have it.

Now I know there is a huge spectrum of autistic disorders, from barely noticeable to hugely life altering. It's just that after speaking with literally dozens of parents in Gilbert of autistic kids, I've heard over and over again that Gilbert Schools has just the resources they need.

I think there is one more aspect of living in Gilbert that appeals to these parents. Because the schools attract the families, they have a network of support even outside of school. It's easy for parents to get together for support groups, or even just playdates. And it seems like children are used to having other kids with support aides, as well as behavioral issues. My son has a boy with Aspergers in his Sunday School class and it doesn't feel weird or hard to deal with, because it's not uncommon.

Anyway, I hope I haven't said anything stupid and offended someone with this post. I've just been thinking about how hard it would be if a family with an autistic child had to move to a brand new area. Relocating to Gilbert AZ maybe just got a little easier for someone.