Best Place to Move for Autistic 3 year old daughter
Dear Group,
I am looking for the best place to live for my autistic 3 year old daughter. I am debating between Berkeley, Albany, Walnut Creek, or Pleasant Hill (because these would be most convenient logistically) but open to other areas if there are better fits.
I am looking for:
-Neuro-affirming and accepting community where she can make nice friends and be accepted and celebrated
- Close to school programs that are good for autistic children/youth (either public or private or hybrid)
- Close to nature, trails, nice parks, community gardens, places that are quiet and serene
- Safety (she is a child, a girl, and her environmental awareness, at least at age 3, is not great)
- Strong dance program/community (she loves dance!)
-Strong music/arts/performing arts programs and community (this is something our family values and she also gravitates toward)
- Opportunities for some sports like swimming, etc (she is not a very sporty or the most coordinated child but it would be good for her to have opportunities since this would help her coordination and constipation issues)
- Not cut-throat pressure in school (of course I don't even know what type of school she will be in at this point. I do know she is pretty self-directed, gets overstimulated with too many kids/noise, and is more on the intellectual side from what I have observed so far).
- Neuro-affirming play spaces and therapy centers nearby (eg I know of Spirited Play Labs, EACS, and Child's Play OT, Xenophon therapeutic horse riding, but not sure if you know of others)
-Opportunities for science and tech exploration if she ends up liking those
My daughter's profile:
She loves books and music the most. She loves memorizing and reciting books or tv programs. She likes math and language too.
She is very slow to trust and feel comfortable around new people/strangers. She can feel quite anxious with new people.
She has a very gentle disposition and is an emotionally sensitive little girl (the sponge of other people's emotions) so a gentle and loving environment would be nice
She can become passive and go into freeze or avoidance mode when anxious or overstimulated. This can make her a bit of a target for other kids her age who I have seen be mean to her or boss her around.
She is very playful, delightful and interactive with those she is close to (family)
She voices a strong desire to play with other kids but then gets anxious or overstimulated and then shies away.
She is a gestalt language processor with a strong memory. Not sure if this is relevant.
Thank you so much for your time and help. Moving from our current location to find a better place for her, and it is a big decision. So any help is much appreciated.
Parent Replies
Your daughter sounds like a lovely kid! We live near the border of Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill, so I can provide our perspective on a few things.
We have found the ample open space really helpful. When all we knew early on was that our son couldn't tolerate groups of kids or much noise, we had plenty of bike/walking trails and open spaces that lead to Mt. Diablo. There's also the Ruth Bancroft Garden, which is small, quiet, and lovely. I admit that I've never been to the "mall" in Walnut Creek, which I know is what a lot of people associate with the city. There are also lots of parks with playgrounds that are not very crowded.
The libraries are great and have quiet play spaces. Walnut Creek has a well-funded community arts program, though I can't speak to how neuro-affirming they are. Our younger, neurotypical son did not have a positive experience in one of the arts-based preschools.
I've heard mixed things about support in the WC school district. In general, Pleasant Hill schools have the reputation of being less competitive than those in Walnut Creek. Also, be aware of whether your address is assigned to WCUSD or MDUSD -- people tend to like WCUSD more.
There's also Pediatric Motor Playground in Lafayette, about which I've heard good things.
I've found people to be, overall, friendly and easygoing, and, if timed right, it's still quick to get into Oakland/Berkeley. Please feel free to reach out to me privately with any more questions!