Jayhawk

Many thanks to TraumaRUS! I checked into NAMI and will be researching their site this evening. PARC in Peoria may be a bit of a problem, but I shall hang in there!

Thanks for your reply Linette. I'll try the Google search, but what I'm really interested in are first hand opinions regarding programs in other states. Ya know, the problems always been that all the state run Departments of Developmental Disabilities either ignore you or claim they have the very best of everything when in fact they're running under funded and under staffed programs where there is no accountability for anything. We were involved with what we thought was a good program but within 6 months the people on site - the people who were the determining factor for our decision to sign on with that program, all left the operation. What followed was almost 2 years of sheer torture where the state of NJ totally ignored the growing problems at the group home, which was being run into the ground by a bunch of inner city bottom feeders. By the way, you may have heard of the NJ Division of Youth and Family Services, a.k.a. "DYFS" ? You know the nightmare where the state places foster children with drug dealers and prostitutes and the children wind up dead or completely lost? Well, The NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities, a.k.a. DDD, is under the auspices of the NJ Department of Human Services which also over sees DYFS. Different name but same mind set, only we were determined not to wake up some morning to learn in the morning paper that our son, had been starved, beaten and raped by some malcontent hired by the state of NJ. So the search goes on. Thanks again for your thoughtful reply.

Good morning all! My wife and I (ages 54 and 53, respectively) are the parents of a 25 year old man with Autism. Incidentally, my wife, "she who must be obeyed..." is an RN. We have been doing everything we can to place Sean in an appropriate residential program in New Jersey, but after a failed placement through the NJ Department of Developmental Disabilities and a great deal of anxiety and stress on our parts, we are now considering an alternative strategy in order to secure a happy, healthy, and safe future for Sean. We have learned from other parents as well as Sean's attorney that Minnesota and Wisconsin are very progressive in the field of developmental disabilities and we are now considering whether or not it is feasible to relocate. We're not "locked in" in terms of Minnesota and/or Wisconsin, and we figured that if anyone was in a position to comment about opportunities elsewhere in the US, a nurse specializing in the field of developmental disabilities would be the person to start with. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Many thanks,