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

LB Camden has always been good for us and we have 15 years experience. They try hard and listen, it doesn't always mean you get perfection but they know they are not perfect. Unlike Harringey where they think they are perfect (the Shoesmith effect?!). Barnet has quite a good reputation among my many friends who live there and Islington stinks on hot ice. And we are mostly ABA parents btw.

jeshiko - very, very, very occasionally you can get the govt to pay for an ABA school in the UK.

Interesting to hear that you say NZ is even worse - 'cause my mum continually tells me to move back home :)

Schools claiming to use ABA as a primary intervention - there are 6 schools in the whole of the UK listed here :(

When you/all say "best for ASD support", what do you consider to be good support? Getting a good statement? Choice of schools? Provision of support outside educational settings? ABA funding within statements?

Tbh I wouldn't know whether my LA (London Borough of southwark) is any good or not, have nothing to compare it to! All I know is so far that though we got a diagnosis and statement easily (compared to others' experiences here), the proposed statement is rubbish, and we have been told (untruthfully) that Southwark do not fund ABA. We have had nothing in the way of support or service since dx last September. No SaLT, no support in any way at all. Have belatedly discovered Contact a Family who have been great, but that's it.

IndigoBell: that website is quite out of date, I think.

The ABA schools listed are all private, I believe, and I can easily name at least another 4 just in the South East of England.

The main problem with private SN schools is finding out that they exist in the first place - you can't ask for your child to be considered for a school if you don't know it exists

There are now 16 ABA schools in the UK. It is not impossible to get them for your child, sometimes without tribunal - but you do have to be able to prove that ABA has worked either EXCEPTIONALLY well for your child, or that it has worked BETTER than any other methods (eg TEACCH). Some well-placed legal letters can also pre-empt a full tribunal situation. If you can argue that ABA is particularly and uniquely well-suited to your child's particular special educational needs, and that stunning progress has been made, you are in a good position, but be prepared for a fight!.

Apparently Southwark is a good LA, but not Wandsworth - when it comes to ABA.

sickof you mention Southwark having a good reputation - good for what? They've told me so far that they "don't fund ABA".

They have sent a fair few kids to rainbow bialy - aba schl in wandsworth.

Camden has been great for social services support and support for parents. We've also had good SEN support inc ABA school.

hi theres so many my ds goes to one but look at this link for different areas

www.schoolsnet.com/uk-schools/best-special-school/top-uk-schools/16180339/0/-5/-1.html

Can anyone define Autism support in terms of services? eg OT, SALT, Autism Advisory Service, CAMHS, Is that it?

Avoid Wiltshire.

Nasty, vindictive LA SEN staff who haven't a clue about the law or what they are supposed to be doing yet are wonderfully self-righteous and up their own arses.

Piss poor ASD outreach which must be about 20 years out of date ('we've changed the way we work and now it's 50% our strategy and 50% knowing the child' - before they never factored in knowing the child!!!!). They think it's perfectly acceptable to NEVER meet the child

The Ed Psych team run on the same basis - don't ever meet the child. But they are happy to file reports for Tribunal.

Forget multi-agency working without a Tribunal battle - seriously.

Their S&LT team is run like a hit squad to fight off any claims for provision. They basically see themselves as working for the LA.

I would doubt that anyone has heard of ABA here.

I have heard too many stories of children left out of school unsupported without provision.

There is no provision for HFA/AS children at primary or secondary level. Their 'state of the art' ASD school is crap.

They are unspeakably appalling. Wiltshire is the land that time forgot.

That was quite therapeutic .....

Umm.... just wanted to say Swindon is 'in' Wilts, altho a Unitary Authority, and has been fine. One of the Schools indicated for DS was utter Pants, (but that was a rubbish HT) other than that MS schools and Units and SS that we looked at have all seemed ok. (I am not talking about ABA btw.) and the MS DS is in has been fanatstic. Open to work with us, willing to fund staff to learn to sign, happy to take input from us as parents. SLT has been supportive, of our signing with DS and of how to encourage and develop speech.

Yes we are having to keep everyone on their toes as it were... but not because they are resistant.... Also Swindon's Aiming High Funding has been very well used I feel. There is a weekly ASD group after school, one day a week in the holidays, and funding to access individual activities DCs want to do. Also local parent support group (Parent to Parent) and support from local Carer's Centre.

Pre-school support via Portage, Special Tots and Koalas.

I am not saying they are perfect, and we have had our battles, , but it seems to have been more a rubbish worker or two, rather than institutional rubbishness,

Milton Keynes is also a Unitary Authority. They have 6 SS and many good MS schools with Hearing Impaired, ASD, SLT and Behavioural Units attached.

My DD is fully funded and has been since she was 4. She is now 12. She us MS Secondary with a TA

DS3 was fully funded for MS with a TA and is now moving to a SS as he was struggling with MS. We were warned that he might not cope, but we wanted to give it a try.

Overall I would say that MK has been pretty good for our family, but it does depend on how long you've been in the system and what relationships you have managed to foster with the Powers that Be!

This thread is almost a year old. 2006hildy revived this by an unrelated question. 2006 it might be better if you start a new thread asking your question.

Westminster is pretty much the best place in the country. They can afford to be and most parents cannot afford to live there to access it.

Signandsmile

"Umm.... just wanted to say Swindon is 'in' Wilts, altho a Unitary Authority, and has been fine."

Precisely - it's a different local authority.

Oh zombie thread!

Star

Appropriate "Wiltshire is the land that time forgot".
I wasn't trying to disagree with your experience of Wilts CC, I was just trying to point out that within Wilts (the place) is a little 'Island' that is not wilts, in case anyone wanting to move to the area (OPs op) was not aware that Swindon was not wilts.... only trying to be helpful.

However, as dev and star point out old thread, so its a bit of a moot point anyway...

It was the 'mmmm' which got me. Sorry didn't read that from your thread which was talking about LAs.

no probs, . (I will avoid Umm, in the future.. I kinda thought of it like raising my hand to make a comment in a conversation that everyone else feels very strongly about)

Everyone round here seems to have a real downer on Swindon, it's the butt of lots of jokes, so a chance to say actually Swindon is quite good for some things is really nice...

Sign I feel the same about Milton Keynes. People feel it's all about Roundabouts and Concrete Cows. But it's much more than that !

yay sally we we can form the 'defense of oppressed locations' brigadewe will be doolies. you can see the easter hols have driven me a bit....

Ahh bless you sign. Good Friday tomorrow. Looking forward to DH giving me a sanity break from the lovely 4dc!!