Expert: James Michael Roan - 6/12/2006

Question
Our family has an excellent opportunity to get a better job in Rawlins, WY, but I'm very concerned about not being able to find anything on the internet in regards to special ed. or autism in that area...I'm coming from Saginaw, MI where my son(w/autism) goes to a special needs school. What kind of info would I need to have in order to get him the education he needs when we get there? Do you know who to contact that would know that info.? and how do I find people/families in WY with autism? I'm feeling very apprehensive about sticking him in a "normal" school..he's fairly low functioning with little language and lots of behavioral problems...but this opportunity is twice the pay with insurance, etc.Thank you for any thoughts...

Answer
Hi Leslie;

I found this link very helpful: http://www.autismlink.com/states.php?state=WY

You will need his IEP and most recent speech and language, occupational therapy, and psychological test results. If you can, ask his current teacher(s) to write a narrative describing his present levels of performance in behavior, academics, and communication. This will help smooth a difficult transition for him.

Kind Regards,
James