Florida family moving to another state whose schools are better for children with autism

From The Orlando Sentinel:

Daniel and Ruth Faiella have made headlines for taking their son with autism, Matthew, to Costa Rica for controversial treatments. Now the Faiellas are packing up and leaving Central Florida in search of a better public education for Matthew (pictured).

Next week, while Ruth and 8-year-old Matthew fly to Buffalo to search for an apartment, Daniel Faiella will pack up the couple's Central Florida home and prepare to drive a moving van to western New York.

Daniel, who works as a bellman at a hotel near Universal Studios, does not have a job lined up, but he is willing to gamble.

"I feel we have to get radical," said Daniel, 34.

Some might say the Faiellas are already radical. The couple have embraced treatments that many in the autism community consider controversial. They have mortgaged their home and are $110,000 in credit-card debt — money spent on unconventional treatments: injecting stem cells into Matthew's bloodstream and placing him in a hyperbaric chamber, which some believe improves blood flow to the brain.

Although they say they've been shunned by some in the autism community, the Faiellas say they've seen dramatic changes in Matthew since they started both therapies. Two years ago, Matthew was still playing with baby toys, Ruth said. Now he runs around the house with his Spider-Man and Captain America figurines and plays Lego Racers on the family's computer.

Searching for better schools has become common among parents of kids with autism, one advocate says.

"I've known parents who've left Texas for New York, some who've left for Wisconsin and families that have left Texas for Delaware," said Jeff Sell, a Houston parent and vice president of public policy at the Autism Society of America. "It's hard to say that one state does a better job than another, because you'll find pockets where individual school districts have a wonderful director of special education. But generally, the states that spend money training teachers usually have better results. So the parents sniff that out, and they move."

The Faiellas say they've decided to move to New York, where Ruth grew up, because there is more funding and better educational opportunities for kids such as Matthew there.

The Faiellas are not the only family to move across the country to find help for a child with autism. In Florida, some families move from rural areas to urban areas in search of better public schools for their children, said Terri Daly, director of the University of Central Florida's Center for Autism and Related Disabilities.

"But it's much less common for people to move out of state," Daly said. Florida offers parents of special-needs children McKay scholarships, which enable them to find a school that meets their needs. But the state's social-service agencies have long waiting lists for those seeking other assistance. Some families of children with autism have been on waiting lists for more than six years.

The Faiellas know they're gambling, but they feel confident they're doing the right thing. "For Matthew," Ruth said, "we'd do anything."

Linda Shrieves can be reached at lshrieves@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5433.

Ruth Faiella already has spent hours on the phone with New York school officials and parent advocates. Each has assured her that Matthew will receive more hours of speech therapy each week and will be in a smaller class.

•Last year, his class at Thornebrooke Elementary School in Ocoee had 3 adults teaching 11 students. In New York, Matthew will be one of 6 students in a classroom with 3 teachers.

•A 2007 Census Bureau study found that in the 2004-05 school year, New York spent $14,119 per pupil while Florida spent $7,207.

Special-education officials at Orange County Public Schools could not be reached for comment.