PolkMoms.com

Hi! We just moved to Florida 7 months ago, so I'm still trying to learn about the area. My girlfriend is considering moving to Lakeland as well, and she has a daughter with Cerebral Palsy, and was wondering how the school system is down here...meaning are there specialized schools for children with special needs, or do they mainstream the children into the district? Thanks....

My son is in the ESE-PK4 program at Valleyview.

I know that there are some kids in there with CP, but I don't know what thier situation is or what the severity is.

He is in there for Development Delay and ADHD.

There are also kids with Autism in the same classroom.

They are going to "mainstream" my son next year for Kindergarten, but they will have the "medical other" (for his ADHD) to keep him in the ESE (exceptional student education) program.

I have worked with the school system for a few years and from what I have seen, most students with disabilities attend a neighborhood school as opposed to a specialized school. Only students with very severe disabilities attend specialized schools. CP is such a broad diagnosis- it would be hard to know where she would be placed. However, I would guess that most students with CP do attend their neighborhood school or at least a "typical" school near home that could meet their needs.

Mainstreaming is a little questionable from what I have heard. Most parents I have talked to have felt that the schools will let the children in mainstream classes, but they do not offer much individualized support once the student is in the class. Therefore, the students struggle in mainstream settings, which can lead to them being put in seperate ESE classes. Of course, I am sure there are plenty of people who have had different experiences, but this chain of events seems to be what I have seen the most if a child has a significant diagnosis. If her CP only affects her motor skills, I would think she would be fine in a mainstream class and do well here. However, if she has any cognitive delays, mainstreaming might be harder here.

If your friends's daughter is still under 5, Pre-K is a whole different story. Almost all Pre-K classes are made up of only ESE students. There are very few exceptions simply because there are very few "typical" pre-K students involved in the county school system.

There are some great schools and teachers in our area, but as a whole, Florida is not known nationally for offering great services to students with special needs. I know a number of families that have left Florida in order to get more services for their child. I think it would really depend on how severe your friend's daughter's needs are. I don't know what the school system is doing for her in her home state, but she will probably not get physical therapy on a regular basis in school here. I am sure that would be a concern for a child with CP. The family would have to utilize insurance/medicaid to get ouside physical therapy.

As a teacher in the county, I can tell you there are some schools that are more adapt at handling your child's needs. Just contact the school board, 534-0500 and they can assist you in getting your child placed properly at a school that can service your child with the extra needs that they have. There are some schools that actually have a wealth of resources available for children with CP. Good Luck!

My boys were both in the ESE pre-k program due to health impaired (seizures) as well as severe speech delays. They had a great teacher, however, Polk County is not able to provide the best services. This is my opinion and my own experience. This was the main reason I pulled my kids out of school to homeschool them. In my opinion, the school system is fine for the average child, but if you have special needs children, its just not the best.

You might want to look into Achievement Academy. They offered this program for my children but I passed on it.

I am really worried about this for my son too.

He is in ESE-PK now, but will start kindergarten in August.

Home schooling is not an option for me as I am a single mom (by choice).

I am so worried about him being "behind" already and he hasn't even officially started school yet.