Hello, all. I am new to this forum and will be moving to Edmond shortly. I currently reside in southern CA. I have a 41/2 yr old boy who was recently diagnosed with Asperger's. We are currently getting services for him through our school district such as OT, speech/language, social skills development. He will be placed in a preschool program that uses IBI (I think also called ABA) with two "tutors" in the classroom and a ratio of 1:8. We are scheduled to move to Edmond, OK in early 2008 and am concerned that I cannot get the same level of quality services, although I know the reputation of the schools there are excellent. Any advice from folks in the area would be greatly apprciated.

I haven't had experience with this situation but I would definitely contact the schools in advance before making a move.

EDMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Edmond Public School District Covers 97 square miles servicing an enrollment of over 15,000 students.
These students attend one of the fourteen elementary schools, four middle schools or three high schools in the system. Over 1,400 certified and support personnel staff Edmond's schools.

Special features of Edmond's school system include half-day kindergarten, considerations of children with special needs, and a program for gifted and talented students. Within the community there is a great interest in education. Some of our civic and professional organizations are strongly involved in programs designed specifically to enhance the quality of education in Edmond.



Special Education Services, (405) 521-4862

Ensures children with disabilities receive appropriate services, and that technical assistance is provided to parents, local schools, and other state and federal agencies that work on behalf of students with disabilities.

Misty Kimbrough (http://www.sde.state.ok.us/agen/misty_kimbrough@sde.state.ok.us), Assistant State Superintendent, (405) 521-4873
Mark Sharp (mark_sharp@sde.state.ok.us), Associate State Director, SoonerStart/Early Intervention, (405) 521-4880
Cynthia Bernardi-Valenzuela (Cynthia_Bernardi-Valenzuela@sde.state.ok.us), Associate State Director, SoonerStart/Early Intervention and Preschool, (405) 521-4872
Kim Nickerson (kim_nickerson@sde.state.ok.us), Associate State Director, State Personnel Development Grant, Data, Personnel Development, and Special Education Master Teacher, (405) 521-4869
(cris_mccarty@sde.state.ok.us)Gail Priddy (gail_priddy@sde.state.ok.us), Associate State Director, Dispute Resolution, Child Count, Finance, and Response to Intervention (RtI), (405) 521-4877
(cris_mccarty@sde.state.ok.us)Malissa Cook (malissa_cook@sde.state.ok.us), Associate State Director, General Supervision, Compliance, Special Education Paraprofessionals and Alternate Assessments, (405) 521-6137



Wrightslaw Special Education & Advocacy Conference, Oklahoma City, OK (December 5, 2007) (http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/07.12.ok.htm)

Oklahoma Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities (http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com/help/ok.htm)

Special Education Services (http://se.sde.state.ok.us/ses/resources_for_parents/)

Edmond has a great reputation for accommodating special needs children. Probably the best in the OKC metro.

I believe John Ross Elementary school has a special program for children under the Autism Spectrum. I'll check and verify that's the school I'm thinking about and get back to you....

I'm pretty sure Northern Hills does as well.

Hello, all. I am looking for some honest feedback on the schools in the area. We are from southern CA and will be moving to Edmond in June. I have two boys, ages 5yrs and 3yrs. My older boy has Asperger's Syndrome, meaning he is on the autistic spectrum. His condition is on the mild side, luckily, and he is very bright and high functioning. We do get services for his deficits in social skills through the school district here in CA and they are very good. Anyway, I know the rep of the schools in the area. The info I am looking for is this.....Would Edmond or Deer Creek be a better fit for us? I have heard from someone who recently moved to the area that Deer Creek caters to the brighter students and may not to a child with some needs. That being said, my son is way ahead of his peers academically, but socially behind. I kind of like Deer Creek because it is smaller, but does that also mean less services? Any type of feedback would be greatly appreciated.
One more question....my husband would also like to consider Norman. From my research, the schools in Edmond seem to be the best and I do not want to consider Norman at all. Also, I have heard that there is a class action lawsuite against them regarding there treatment of special needs children but I have not been able to find out any info on that so not sure it is true. Comments?

Thank you all in advance. I am sorry this post is so long!

I merged your new post since we started a discussion on this same issue last year. The info above has a lot of contact information.

I recommend that you contact the appropriate people above and ask for an appointment.

You will find that those who live in a city might be biased. You won't get an accurate picture most likely.

You might also want to research flood plains in the Deer Creek area. I originally wanted to move there but sections of that area were practically underwater when we had our heavy rains.

Well, the thing is that I have researched sooooo much. What I want to know is the reputation and I want to hear from some folks who have experience in dealing with them. I am already in contact with the districts (Edmond has been more willing to deal with me that the other district), but they are not going to tell me ...well we really don't have great services here...or Deer Creek (or Norman, heaven forbid) would be better for you....
And I do realize the bias against Edmond from those in Norman and vice versa. I have experienced that first hand in doing all this research that still leaves me wondering....what is the best district for my child.
So, I realize I have posted similarly before because I am trying to get a feel for reputation of the districts from people who have kids in them. That's all.

I understand... I wonder if you call the above contacts if they would be willing to get you in touch with some parents of children who have similar challenges?

Maybe search for a Support Group in the areas you mentioned and try to contact some of them.

I do have a friend in Edmond Schools who has had problems with Special Education testing. Her son has struggled and they have recommending testing him at the beginning of the school year, but so far ( it's now March) and there have no tests done. So, that's about all the experience I have with learning disabilities and Edmond schools.

I wish I could help more!

Greater Oklahoma Asberger Support Group

Highly Functioning Autism Support Group

You might try calling or emailing Kathy to speak with parents who might have had experience with area schools:

Kathy Rand
405-424-7678

Email:

102507.3043@compuserve.com

I have actually called Kathy Rand, but the # I had was not correct. Will try that one. Thanks. Also have call Autism Society of OK and they did not get back to me. Will keep trying, I guess. Thanks for your quick response. I really do appreciate it.

Have you tried Greatschools.net ?

Greatschools.net: Your Child With Learning Difficulties (http://www.greatschools.net/content/specialNeeds.page)

Understanding Asperger's Syndrome - California - GreatSchools.net (http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/385)

At the bottom, there are some parent comments.. not sure if it applies to OK, but you might find some info.

Yup. Done it all. Also spoke to the director of Rucicon School and a woman who runs a support group in Edmond, and also one that runs a group in Norman. Problem with that was the Edmond folks have nothing nice to say about Norman and vice versa....worse on the Norman side. What is with that?! Anyway, I am just a Mom trying to do her very best for her little boy. Opionions are still impt to me one way or the other because at least I am more armed should I get a hard time from the district. Thanks.

Have you heard anything about Clyde Howell in Edmond? It is a public school that only has mainstream pre-k and an early childhood special needs program, but I'm not sure what needs they address. I have been very impressed with this school. The number is (405) 340-2960

Thank you. I will look into that. : )