Need to relocate, which states are better??

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

We are planning to relocate. We are currently in the toxic state NJ and finally

decided to move. We have to decide based on where my husband can find a job and

where my son will do better in terms of toxins and allergies. We have been

looking into Dallas or Austin,TX, Chicago, IL, San Diego, CA, Oregon. What

states are actually good for our kids environmentally as well in terms of

education and other supports? Would love to hear from anyone who has looked into

this.

Thanks

is

[Guest guest]

I would say where I am is very good environmentally, educationally, and other

supportsly We are in Northern Colorado. Everybody seems to be outdoorsy and

healthy. I live in Fort , which was found to be the best city to live in

a few years ago, by some magazine that does this every year. Our school

disctrict is very good, too. There is also a closeby city called Loveland, where

I work, that is also very good. My boss has an Aspergers kid and lives in

Loveland and they have had a great experience, too. Another awesome thing here

is Wholeness Center (www.wholeness.com) with a great DAN Doc, Dr. Steve Rondeau.

Yet another awesome thing is Respite Care, that takes care of my little wild

one, which no daycare would take care of (www.respitecareinc.org). Most awesome

of all is my employer, Larimer County, which is covering 20 hours of ABA a week

at no charge to me. Boulder is another closeby healthnut city, but I don't know

about their school system.

Mel

>

> Hi everyone,

>

> We are planning to relocate. We are currently in the toxic state NJ and

finally decided to move. We have to decide based on where my husband can find a

job and where my son will do better in terms of toxins and allergies. We have

been looking into Dallas or Austin,TX, Chicago, IL, San Diego, CA, Oregon. What

states are actually good for our kids environmentally as well in terms of

education and other supports? Would love to hear from anyone who has looked into

this.

>

> Thanks

> is

>

[Guest guest]

I second you on that one! My plan is to get my family out of NJ as soon as we

can manage it. Myself, my husband & my son all have chronic allergies, asthma &

chemical sensitivity & I'm beyond sick of us all being sick. I know we will

never be well living here.

Check out this website for area pollution info: http://scorecard.goodguide.com/

The county where we live is in the worst 10% of the country for pollutants -

ugh!

[Guest guest]

Thanks a lot Mel! I will explore Northern Colorado. I hope that this thread

doesn't die and more parents will provide their input as to which states are

good for our kids. Relocating is a big decision and the most important aspect is

where our kids can prosper. Somebody had suggested Seattle a few months ago but

I always wonder if there is more mold toxicity because of humidity? Any input

will be appreciated.

is

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > We are planning to relocate. We are currently in the toxic state NJ and

finally decided to move. We have to decide based on where my husband can find a

job and where my son will do better in terms of toxins and allergies. We have

been looking into Dallas or Austin,TX, Chicago, IL, San Diego, CA, Oregon. What

states are actually good for our kids environmentally as well in terms of

education and other supports? Would love to hear from anyone who has looked into

this.

> >

> > Thanks

> > is

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I have been looking to move also.I found that there was to much

moisture and ticks in northern California.The Goleta and Santa

Barbara area seems to be ideal.The air pollution is not too bad

(although today I found conflicting info. on their air pollution

rates).There is a 2hr. drive to lots of different Dr.s.Also I can

see my son in a full body wetsuit with the feet and head

covered,surfing everyday(seems very therapeutic)My son has a hard

time with too hot or too cold of weather also.I checked a lot into

San Diego but always came up against huge pollution

problems. Tammy F.

Thanks a lot Mel! I will explore Northern Colorado. I

hope that this thread doesn't die and more parents will

provide their input as to which states are good for our

kids. Relocating is a big decision and the most important

aspect is where our kids can prosper. Somebody had

suggested Seattle a few months ago but I always wonder if

there is more mold toxicity because of humidity? Any input

will be appreciated.

is

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > We are planning to relocate. We are currently in

the toxic state NJ and finally decided to move. We have to

decide based on where my husband can find a job and where

my son will do better in terms of toxins and allergies. We

have been looking into Dallas or Austin,TX, Chicago, IL,

San Diego, CA, Oregon. What states are actually good for

our kids environmentally as well in terms of education and

other supports? Would love to hear from anyone who has

looked into this.

> >

> > Thanks

> > is

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi alexis,I don't have awhole lot of info on this but have been considering where we may move too. I remember someone sent around a mercury pollution map some time ago. Wish I could find it! You may want to look into this and other environmental toxins too as you narrow down your search....i feel like (but cannot be sure) that these indicators are not included in your standard air pollution indexes...just remember calling my local water service and finding that they were complete morons as far as heavy metal concerns in the water...they only knew about bacterias. Also, I would try to find out about special ed services too. For example the current state we live in has really bad special ed services through the schools but we are one of the states that covers aba through insurance...apparently NJ has amuch better special ed programs compared to indiana. Not sure I would choose chicago (maybe I am just biased against freezing cold winters)...if you do look further into chicago area keep in mind there are alot of air polluting factories in the south of the city (hammond, gary ind). One dr has blamed high pollution there to greater autism rates...i haven't confirmed this...i have heard the northern sububs are nice....i think you can find reference books that rank cities by pollution, education, safety etc. Again though look deeper into the stats, ie are mercury and lead levels included in -standard air pollution indices?? Then there is also the nuclear reactors/former test site areas -- personally I would stay away from those...I know I bought a reference book ranking us cities a few years ago which was pretty helpful for raw numbers...on the mold issue, do air purifiers help? Also isn't there something you can buy for your heating and ac (is it ultraviolet?) that can reduce mold? Oh I forgot you may also want to look at consumer protection vis a vis big business and pollution/chemical controls etc...i think they are very different from state to state....i think california has the best track record on this...i would be wary of texas...-- Sent from my Palm Pre

I have been looking to move also.I found that there was to much

moisture and ticks in northern California.The Goleta and Santa

Barbara area seems to be ideal.The air pollution is not too bad

(although today I found conflicting info. on their air pollution

rates).There is a 2hr. drive to lots of different Dr.s.Also I can

see my son in a full body wetsuit with the feet and head

covered,surfing everyday(seems very therapeutic)My son has a hard

time with too hot or too cold of weather also.I checked a lot into

San Diego but always came up against huge pollution

problems. Tammy F.

Thanks a lot Mel! I will explore Northern Colorado. I

hope that this thread doesn't die and more parents will

provide their input as to which states are good for our

kids. Relocating is a big decision and the most important

aspect is where our kids can prosper. Somebody had

suggested Seattle a few months ago but I always wonder if

there is more mold toxicity because of humidity? Any input

will be appreciated.

is

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > We are planning to relocate. We are currently in

the toxic state NJ and finally decided to move. We have to

decide based on where my husband can find a job and where

my son will do better in terms of toxins and allergies. We

have been looking into Dallas or Austin,TX, Chicago, IL,

San Diego, CA, Oregon. What states are actually good for

our kids environmentally as well in terms of education and

other supports? Would love to hear from anyone who has

looked into this.

> >

> > Thanks

> > is

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks a lot and Tammy! , the ideas you gave me are very helpful and

seems like this is just like another biomed project for me. I was a little

skeptical about Texas too as there was some issue with mercury release from the

industrial plants and rise in the autism rate. NJ has a lot of services in the

public schools but that doesn't mean that children are getting the right

services that they need. Eventually it comes down to what private therapy the

child is receiving and the cost of that depends on insurance which is not always

good. Our current insurance does not cover OT or ABA. So the private therapy is

of course expensive. Plus NJ is kinda built on wasteland. It is extremely

difficult to get appointments with the neurologists and developmental

pediatricians because of huge waiting lists as the rate of ASD and other

disorders is high. Allergies are driving everyone crazy here. The idea of an air

filter is great but the child will not have that in an old school building.

Hopefully, some of the parents from Seattle will comment.

is

>

> & gt; & gt;

>

> & gt; & gt; Hi everyone,

>

> & gt; & gt;

>

> & gt; & gt; We are planning to relocate. We are currently in

> the toxic state NJ and finally decided to move. We have to

> decide based on where my husband can find a job and where

> my son will do better in terms of toxins and allergies. We

> have been looking into Dallas or Austin,TX, Chicago, IL,

> San Diego, CA, Oregon. What states are actually good for

> our kids environmentally as well in terms of education and

> other supports? Would love to hear from anyone who has

> looked into this.

>

> & gt; & gt;

>

> & gt; & gt; Thanks

>

> & gt; & gt; is

>

> & gt; & gt;

>

> & gt;

>

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone. I just wanted to add some info to this thread. We live in South Carolina, ton area. Its not so bad, we are a military family so we have great insurance but what we get from the state has also been a good help... My son gets state form of Medicaid which covers 75 visits a year of Speech, OT, and PT combined. Its not a lot but we get this through our regular insurance so we don't really use it except when we go over our cap. I guess if u didn't have private insurance, this would kinda suck. Anyway, he also gets a waiver for ABA which lasts 3 yrs and they pickup your copays if u get ABA through your insurance, and if not your child can get as much ABA as he or she needs for 3 yrs and I think the age cap is 9. Not sure though... The schools are just ok. He gets all services in school. They do offer ABA here at school too. However, there is not anything like adapted P.E. Or anything special like that. There aren't any special schools for children with Autism. There are maybe 3 Dan Dr's in the area. Surprisingly enough there is a pretty good Autism community here. It's not so bad. Compared to other states like florida, its awesome..lol. He also qualifies for camp assistance in the summer time which is nice. There is a camp here for kids and teens with Autism that runs every year and its awesome. He also can have respite, which I used for about a year. I never left the house though because I was never comfortable leaving him with strangers, he's a handful and still young. The respite worker will clean his room, laundry, bathroom, anything that has to do with him. They gave us 15 hrs a week but I just used 2 to help out with the housework. I get gas reimbursement for taking him to any Dr appts or therapies.. I don't feel comfortable letting him ride on a bus to come and pick him up to take him to his appts. All of these things he receives. I don't know about pollution here but the weather is super hot in the summer, and humid! The winter gets cold but not enough to snow. I feel safe in this area and the people are pretty nice and friendly. I hope this helps.CassieSent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®Sender: mb12valtrex Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 04:12:13 -0000To: <mb12valtrex >ReplyTo: mb12valtrex Subject: Re: Need to relocate, which states are better?? Thanks a lot and Tammy! , the ideas you gave me are very helpful and seems like this is just like another biomed project for me. I was a little skeptical about Texas too as there was some issue with mercury release from the industrial plants and rise in the autism rate. NJ has a lot of services in the public schools but that doesn't mean that children are getting the right services that they need. Eventually it comes down to what private therapy the child is receiving and the cost of that depends on insurance which is not always good. Our current insurance does not cover OT or ABA. So the private therapy is of course expensive. Plus NJ is kinda built on wasteland. It is extremely difficult to get appointments with the neurologists and developmental pediatricians because of huge waiting lists as the rate of ASD and other disorders is high. Allergies are driving everyone crazy here. The idea of an air filter is great but the child will not have that in an old school building. Hopefully, some of the parents from Seattle will comment. is> > & gt; & gt;> > & gt; & gt; Hi everyone,> > & gt; & gt; > > & gt; & gt; We are planning to relocate. We are currently in> the toxic state NJ and finally decided to move. We have to> decide based on where my husband can find a job and where> my son will do better in terms of toxins and allergies. We> have been looking into Dallas or Austin,TX, Chicago, IL,> San Diego, CA, Oregon. What states are actually good for> our kids environmentally as well in terms of education and> other supports? Would love to hear from anyone who has> looked into this.> > & gt; & gt; > > & gt; & gt; Thanks> > & gt; & gt; is> > & gt; & gt;> > & gt;>

[Guest guest]

So I suspect the mountains are where the ticks like to be?

Yes,I was sad to see they don't have a target store for the "little

people".

I'm sorry to hear about your daughters vaccine.I would imagine that

was so scary.

Thanks,Tammy F.

We lived in Santa Barbara for all of the 1990s. This was

pre-autism days for us, so I don't know about supports

there. Even then, when we had our older daughter in 1994,

we had a pediatrician named who was fine

with not vaccinating. He stopped being a doctor and became

a university professor, right after we decided to

vaccinate at the age of 3.5 because of an upcoming trip to

a developing country, and as a result of the vaccinations,

my daughter stopped walking, and I called him crying and

very angry. I have wondered if his decision to stop being

a doctor had anything to do with my call. My daughter

resumed walking after 3 days, though.

These are my recollections; The first half of every day,

there seems to be coastal fog. To get sun, you go up to

the mountains. There was only one little K-Mart and the

rest were all boutique-type stores, because they want to

support local businesses, but poor folks like us sometimes

need to go to a Walmart type place. The beaches have tar,

so you need a greasecutter like Dawn to clean your feet

after going to the beach, otherwise you get tar on your

carpet. The university professor, whose name escapes me

now, who was a student of Lovaas and came up with the

Pivotal Response Training form of ABA is at UCSB there.

Carpinteria is a nice little town there, too.

>

> I have been looking to move also.I found that there

was to much moisture

> and ticks in northern California.The Goleta and Santa

Barbara area seems

> to be ideal.The air pollution is not too bad

(although today I found

> conflicting info. on their air pollution rates).There

is a 2hr. drive to

> lots of different Dr.s.Also I can see my son in a

full body wetsuit with

> the feet and head covered,surfing everyday(seems very

therapeutic)My son

> has a hard time with too hot or too cold of weather

also.I checked a lot

> into San Diego but always came up against huge

pollution

> problems. Tammy F.

[Guest guest]

How is Denver area? Portland?Sent from my iPad

Thanks a lot Mel! I will explore Northern Colorado. I hope that this thread doesn't die and more parents will provide their input as to which states are good for our kids. Relocating is a big decision and the most important aspect is where our kids can prosper. Somebody had suggested Seattle a few months ago but I always wonder if there is more mold toxicity because of humidity? Any input will be appreciated.

is

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > We are planning to relocate. We are currently in the toxic state NJ and finally decided to move. We have to decide based on where my husband can find a job and where my son will do better in terms of toxins and allergies. We have been looking into Dallas or Austin,TX, Chicago, IL, San Diego, CA, Oregon. What states are actually good for our kids environmentally as well in terms of education and other supports? Would love to hear from anyone who has looked into this.

> >

> > Thanks

> > is

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I am on the Colorado parents of special needs children group;

P2P-CO . It seems that a couple times a month, someone joins and

asks about Denver because they are thinking of moving there, and there are a

slew of responses about the various school districts. The experiences seem to

differ depending on school districts. As far as being enviromentally clean and

all that, it definitely is.

>

>

> How is Denver area? Portland?

> Sent from my iPad

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks. :)Sent from my iPad

I am on the Colorado parents of special needs children group; P2P-CO . It seems that a couple times a month, someone joins and asks about Denver because they are thinking of moving there, and there are a slew of responses about the various school districts. The experiences seem to differ depending on school districts. As far as being enviromentally clean and all that, it definitely is.

>

>

> How is Denver area? Portland?

> Sent from my iPad

>