# Anyone moved to US with a child with special needs?



## Jemima80 (Feb 13, 2011)

May be a bit of a long shot here but just wondering if anyone has any advice on here.
My son is autistic, here in the UK he is in mainstream but with a statement and a one to one teaching assistant. Anyone have any ideas of how this would work in the USA (specifically WA) I'm presuming we may need to pay to send him to a specialist school whilst we're there.
Also, if you have been through this, do you think we are mad pulling him out of his schooling here, potentially for just 2 years?? It is literally the only thing holding us back as I don't want him to really struggle.
Also could it potentially be something that would jeapodise getting a visa?
Thanks for anyone that may be able to help!


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Your child's special needs have no bearing on the visa. You will have to make the call to pull him out or not. Will his medical needs be covered by insurance? This may be a good start for your personal research.
ASW - The Autism Society of Washington


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## charmingelements (Feb 13, 2011)

My advice would be to maybe check with the education system of the county you're moving to so you can see what they offer for children with special needs. In the US, there is really no national education system - everything is done by state and county. My little cousin is severely autistic and he goes to a normal middle school that has a special classroom and teachers for him (this is across the country in Maryland) and there are some places that you might want to send your son to a special school. I agree that you should check out the Autism Society as you will most likely find other parents in your area who could give you better advice.


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## Jemima80 (Feb 13, 2011)

Brillian thanks twostep, I shall take a look.
He doesn't really have any medical needs as such, his needs are all educational and over here once you receive a statement of educational needs for your child then those educational needs, legally have to be met but obviously there was a whole lot of paper work, peaditrician appointments, psychological assessments that had to take place to get that statement. I think contacting schools etc & most definately ASW would be my best first step. AMerica in general seems to be a lot more on the ball when it comes to autism than in the UK so hoping that'll work in our favour.


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## Jemima80 (Feb 13, 2011)

Thanks charmingelements  will definately check it out!


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## Kennedysonline (Feb 17, 2011)

I just chanced upon your thread request as I was trying to find my own information regarding education when moving to Spain from the US. It sounds like we have a similar system here in the US when educating children with special needs. The below link will guide you to learn about IEP's (Individualized Education Plans) as defined by the Federal government that State's must follow. Here in Massachusetts, many children with special needs are on an IEP plan at their school that ensures they are placed in the proper classroom setting (mainstream is preferred but if a child has strong needs, accommodations will be made). In our schools here they do a really great job by having in house specialists to assist the children either on a one-to-one basis or right in the classroom. I do hope WA has the same great education system we have here. As you probably already know, you still have to be the driving force in your child's education plan...keeping asking and following up with everyone as needed. Good Luck! 

Okay, I'm such a new member it wouldn't let me post a URL yet, so please try an internet search for United States Federal policy, Individualized Education Policy it falls under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Sorry I couldn't post the link but of course this is a reminder to me that I should really be searching for information on our own move. =)


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Research & Statistics - ED.gov


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## Jemima80 (Feb 13, 2011)

Thank you so much Kennedy, it's good to see that the US system is similar to the British one with IEPs, also with inclusion to mainstream being what is pushed & yes, also the same in the UK that you have to push-push to make sure you get the best. I think that's why I want to make a start at it now and give ourselves as much time as possible! Good luck with what you are trying to achieve!
Thanks twostep, have just clicked on that link so will take a good look now


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## dcrossen (Feb 20, 2011)

I'm a certified teacher ... make sure that you are diligent when developing your IEP ... it is the road-map for your special child's success ... also, you must keep on top of things ... in other words, follow the progress monitoring tools closely so that teachers are not pushing your child along aimlessly ... look for "real goals" and subsequent results ... ;-)


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