Best area to live in terms of Autism support

[asulikeit]

We currently live in London but want to move outside as there would be better schools and more choice for our DS2 with autism or so were are lead to believe.

Your advise would be much appreciated.
Thanks

[SamSophia1980]

Hello my son is 4 he has ASD, developmental delay and is non verbal. We are currently living in Derby where SEND provision is poor. A friend mentioned Northampton is a good place to consider as the SEND system is good. Could anyone recommend the areas with good SEND provision thank you. I am particulary interested in SEND schooling.

[Kebb40]

Hi. I moved from North London Haringey borough to Woking in Surrey. In LONDON it took a year and a half to get my child statemented but once this happened, the support at school, the LA and from the Charity Markfield in Tottenham was fantastic. Since being in Woking the past two years, my child’s support has continually been reduced and now the LA refused to transfer to an EHCP. I know friends who still live in London and their children are autistic and are in mainstream and they were still transferred to an EHCP even when they don’t have as many needs as my child. I would do anything to move back to London as I’ve found unless your child needs are for a special school only, the funding in mainstream for TA’s and extra support is not there and it’s going to get worse. The mainstream schools also do not know how to treat autism or adhd and only support kids who are disruptive in class by fighting. It’s a disgrace!

[farooh20]

hello, im italian with 3.9 non verbal asd son, which school in kengsigton would you recomend if we move there? Thank you

[Pebbles72]

Not Cambridgeshire. Hideous for ABA and HFA. After almost 2 years with no school placement and after tribunal my son (HFA) is now has transition in place to a school 100 miles away. ABA stories are even worse. No enhanced resource provision at all at Primary age. A mum has moved recently from Somerset who speaks very highly of the education and CAMH provision for ASD.

[adrianna22]

What about the ICAN meath school in Surrey, it's a specialist SALT provision.

[EBW2]

Old thread I see but found thanks to a google search.
I am needing probably to move from Harrow nw London. My asd daughter is in ms reception and has had ft sen support without a statement since starting. We are going through statement process now.
There is a great local charity to support families as well as the children themselves.
Typical I have great support and now have to move away...
Looking at anywhere I can afford that has good provision.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

My new LA after Herts seems fantastic too. I meet mothers of children with SEN swearing about my new LA and I do sympathise but not getting provision right and being tight with funding and not answering phone calls, but it is not the same as actively seeking you out to destroy your family.

[HecatePropylaea]

We moved from Herts (boo hiss boo) up to Derbyshire. The school the children are in is fantastic. Couldn't wish for better. And the LEA have been extremely generous and easy to work with.

Whether this is because they are, or whether they look like a dept staffed entirely by clones of mother theresa because we came here straight from Herts I don't know

[hanifah1]

I'm actually Considering moving to London also for other reasons other people have identified. I'm currently in Walsall in the West Midlands (back end of Birmingham). Funding is ridiculous here, I know of many people moving out of the area for extra hope of funding provisions and services.

[RaRaTheNoisyLion]

WorriedMan it is best to start a new thread specific to your question as that will get more responses.

However, unless the child has a statement of SEN your choice of state schools will be limited to just one or two closest.

[WorriedMan]

Hello, thank you for taking time to read this. Our grandson is just over 4 and has yet to be diagnosed properly, it's seem to take forever.
We are convinced he is autistic, he has never spoken, keeps himself to himself, doesn't respond to calling him or he might look up but then goes back to doing his own thing.
Anyway, I saw that someone lived in SW London, my daughter is in Coulsdon and we are North Cheam, what school do you go to in the area, any info would be a god send we can't seem to find anything.

[bookishandblondish]

Oddly I was discussing special needs provision in London with an Aba therapist on Sunday. Westminster is the best borough - reason being very few kids as part of population so even fewer special needs, so they fund quite a lot compared with other places. I think Kensington & Chelsea is also good. The other boroughs which tend to be good are deprived areas where fewer kids get diagnosed - therefore fewer applications.

Surrey and Herts are overwhelmed with applications so bar set very high and little funding per head although the overall expenditure is high.

[Branleuse]

it may be a zombie thread, but im resurrecting it again. im in colchester and having a total fucking battle on my hands trying to acess proper support for my diagnosed, fully statemented asd teenager who is now school phobic, but apparently educational levels are too high for the two MLD schools nearby, but without any suitable provision that he can cope with in any mainstream school.
i thought I'd ressurect the thread rather than start another as its got useful information in it

[Divinity]

I would copy and paste your post onto a new thread blue. I only got to the end as I was curious who had resurrected the zombie for a fourth time. It just won't die!!

[blueskiesblue]

Hi all. Sorry ... I know this is an old thread but I'm after info on counties with good SEN support and this came up on Google. I'm in Northamptonshire and have had the worst experience in terms of getting support for my teen who has a diagnosis of high-functioning Autism. Teen is very bright but grades are deteriorating at school as they're not getting enough support. SENCO insists they doesn't need support or a SEN, even though most of the teachers say different. Teen explodes every day, is violent and aggressive. My youngest and I are classed as at risk but SS won't help because we slip through between their categories. Apparently my teen is isn't disabled enough to go under their 'disability team', but because my teen has a disability doesn't fit the criteria in their 'child in need' team! I've heard from other sources that it's all down to the county's funding, which I think is absolutely disgusting. I'm now wanting to move, partly because of the lack of support and because my teen is very unhappy at school due it being the wrong environment for him. Teen doesn't have a statement but has an IEP. I am considering either north to Ainsdale (Sefton), Bolton/Bury (Gtr. Manchester), Salisbury (Wiltshire) or Godalming (Surrey). I can't afford to get it wrong in terms of moving him, as my teen isn't far off GCSE's and is distressed enough already. Please can anyone give me info on either of those areas in terms of how good SEN support is and recommend schools if possible? Many thanks :)

[1busybee]

Is Hertfordshire still no better? Have dying hopes that it might have improved.....

[QueenofWhispers]

Dev
absolutely pm me. Westminster wont fund in so many words, but then they do pay to you and you choose what to do with x amount. You get to choose who you hire, and what they do.

K&C do indeed cover costs of home programmes, however they do expect you to fight for it year to year...the local schools (although their staff is trained with certain types of ABA (Fox has experience with VB ABA) they prefer not to entertain the idea of having outsiders coming to work with your child. There is red tape in both boroughs, but nothing a determined parent can't overcome...the one thing I've learned on here (Directly From Starlight, Indigo, BlueShark and Bermuda Shorts is that you just keep pushing).

[Dev9aug]

That's interesting queenofwhispers, we were looking at westminster earlier this year but told that they don't fund ABA home programmes anymore so decided against it. Do you know what their position is with regards to ABA both in Westninster and Chelsea.
Do you mind if I PM you, we probably will have to move again in a year or so and both the places you have experience of are on the list of potentials area to move in.

[QueenofWhispers]

I've lived in the borough of westminster and now live in the borough of chelsea.

first things first:

1. you don't have to be well off to live here; there are affordable housing options if you don't mind being creative.
   
2. westminster was far better with the turn around time of statement and was willing to work out problems....however they do say the word 'no' a little too often for my liking.
   
3. kensington and chelsea will fund almost anythingif you are patient enough...and pushyyou have to be pretentious and pushy. I am the least pretentious person I know.

[Pixiedust1973]

I live in Reigate Surrey. Actually moved here for the SEN provision from East Sussex who are truly the worst of the worst for SEN & failed my daughter from start to finish. She was helped & supported in school here immediately & got that elusive diagnosis within a few months just before her 12th birthday after many years of being fobbed off in ES. She has gone from bottom sets to top sets in a year since moving here. :)

[Emily7708]

Yes I only just found out about the ABA school in Thurrock yesterday, I'm still in shock that it exists. It's about an hour's drive from us at the moment. Would be a dream come true to get DS into an ABA school but don't hold out much hope.

Bristol sounds good, have fond memories of going there for boozy weekends in my twenties. Am in awe of your ex-SIL as I am struggling really badly at the moment with just one little four year old with ASD.

[MerryCouthyMows]

What about the ABA school in Thurrock? Not Essex, yet IN Essex. But Thurrock has it's own unitary Authority, so they get to do things differently to the rest of Essex if they choose.

If I could move, which I can't, I would probably pick somewhere like Bristol maybe - but that's more for me! They have the best epilepsy services in the country IMO, and they have a lot of Autism support there.

(My Ex-SIL lives there, and 2/3 of her DC's have dxd ASD - her DS has HFA + ADHD, and her DD2 has Severe Autism).

[Emily7708]

I'm in South Essex and the services here are utter crap. Seriously looking at moving but not a clue where we should go.

Very interested to see Westminster mentioned as I work very close to there. Maybe I should set up camp with DS in the staff room.

[babiki]

:( If I knew where to move, I would... MerryMouthCows where would you move?

[MerryCouthyMows]

There seems to be so much more support in Chelmsford than here...maybe all that says is that Essex as a whole is crap, but North Essex is just even crappier...