Special needs Preschool

am369

EI was discussing that in January he needs a new IFSP (plan for therapy needs) and we were discussing that at 2.5 he will get a review and referral to start the evaluation for the school program. 

She mentioned that they have a great classroom for preschoolers with PT/OT/SLP.  DS so far has no cognitive or social/emotional delays, they're simply fine/gross motor skills.  She said most kids even without mental delays go to this classroom for preschool if they classify for school district therapy.

Is this common?  It just seems strange to put a fully functioning child (mentally) in a classroom with children that need more one on one.  It seems like that child would take away from the needs of others.

Assembly_Reqd

I don't know how common this is.

I think that your child will actually be a benefit to the other SN children in the class far more than take away from them. The benefit to your child would be that he would interact with all types of children and learn that not everyone has the same abilities. I would totally understand though, if you didn't want this to be his educational experience.

If we have to do a SN class, I would love it if there were neurotypicals in the class with Nate. I don't want him to be completely insulated in SN-Land.

OSULori

In my part of Ohio, I would consider this practice fairly common.  I've seen families have mixed results with this type of classroom-it really depends on the mix of kids in that particular class.  Overall, though, the biggest concern of the parents of my patients in these classes has been that their child may not start KG with the preacademic skills that the other kids in the KG class have because the curriculum and activities have been structured for the more severely impaired kids in the class.  The teachers and aides do what they can, but often the squeaky wheels get the grease so to speak and sometimes the less severely impaired kids are the ones left out. 

I have one kiddo in particular that is in the process of playing KG catch up after two years in SN preschool due to articulation and some immaturity/behavior issues (more related to being adopted from another county at 3 years old than anything else) and luckily her mom recognized she was struggling at the start of KG and is working with her on the academic stuff she missed out in SN preschool.

While this practice seems strange (and IMO, it is), it's not surprising given that schools are often short on space and teachers.  As much as it would probably be better from an academic standpoint to group the more severely/less severely impaired kids, often its just  not feasible.  I am in no way trying to "diss" SN preschools-I admire SN preschool teachers and therapists immensely and have a tremendous amount of respect for what they do.  I do, however, feel that the classroom structuring mentioned by the OP is not ideal in a lot of ways based on what I've been told by parents of kids who have been there.

hopanka

We were part of something like this at UCLA when DS was 2.5-3 yo. They had a EI preschool type program there and DS was in a classroom where you had both NT kids (with maybe some slight speech delay, or fine/gross motor delay....but to us moms it didn't seem like anything we would even notice) and then a few children with more significant needs (a couple with Williams syndrom, one Asperger boy and so on). Altogether there were about 8 kids, including DS, and 5 full time teachers (along with 2 more floaters, usually OT specialists or ST therapists that were there only on certain days). So, the ratio was nearly 1 on 1 or a small group. It was a very enriching environment for DS - both inside the classroom as well as in the adjacent playground. They followed the typical preschool protocol (circle time, centers, recess...etc), so the children were ready for preschool by the time they aged out at 3 yo. DS spent 5 months there. I liked it. It prepared him really well for the real (mainstream) preschool when he turned 3 and he had no problem transitioning. I think they carefully put these groups of NT/SN kids together this way, so the kids can benefit from each other and learn from each other and at the same time they get ready for the real school environment gradually with lots of support.

breezy0629

There are children with all different abilities in my son's preK class.  I absolutely love that he has peer models for more appropriate speech, tone, inflection, content, etc.. All of the children have needs on different levels. All classified as 'developmental delays', some of which are more of a physical nature and some which are more language/expressive/social in nature.

Peer Pressure can be a beautiful thing in a DD PreK class. Lots of things go on that can be useful to all these children.... outdoor play, meals, physical demands.... and when it is classified as 'play' and 'everybody else is doing it', it can be VERY motivating for children to try harder at things they aren't usually so good at.

I've seen it work for my son, I see a little girl with AFO's (is that the right word, braces on her legs) RUN her little heart out on the playground, and the kids are all encouraged to self feed, open their own containers, etc...  All of this under special instruction of a teacher who is trained (unlike regEd Kindie)..... I think it's great!!

HTH 

Florak8

DS attends an inclusion day care, and we love it. He is in class with typical kiddos, and also kids with a myriad of different needs. I don't think his special needs make the typical kids want to stop walking and strap themselves into his stander. And I don't think the kids with cognitive delays make him stop embracing new learning challenges.

Maybe if he were in a classroom where all the kids were significantly cognitively delayed, I could see the curriculum not being challenging enough. But a good program would not create that type of situation.

DS' school is run by EI and our county DD board. It's awesome for getting him PT and OT in a peer environment. His school PT works directly with his private PT and we just love that! 

mskolman

It is very common. It is the really the only way your child will receive services for his delays once he turns 3, unless you go private. Because your child has fine/gross motor delays he does qualify. Some of the other kiddos in the preschool will also only need like SLP or something...not all will have cognitive delays or need one on one. I work in a school that has a program like this and it has a very small class size and kiddos with varying needs. 

wellfleet04

My 3.5 year old qualifies for OT from the school system and I would not hesitate for a second to send her to the integrated preschool in our town. I'm committed to another preschool already, and she will get services through the town preschool after school, but honestly, the integrated school is AWESOME.  My DD has no cognitive or speech delays at all, and she would definitely love and thrive in that environment.  I'd give it a chance if that is the recommendation of your therapists.  It seems to work well for kids of all abilities and strengths in our town.  I have friends with neurotypical kids who go there and they are super pleased with their kid's education as our my friends with SN kids in the same class.

nictel

I'm looking at either a SN preschool - integrated class - or a typical preschool with an aide for DS starting next September.  It really depends on where he is with speech and what the IFSP team recommends.  He does not have an ASD diagnosis or SPD diagnosis - 'only' - speech / motor planning disorder.  He gets speech and OT.  He has no behavioral issues at all, and I'll be thrilled if he attends a SN preschool.

Let me just add - and by no means do I mean this snarky - I do not snark other special needs mom - but I see by your ticker that your son is only 5 and 1/2 months old.  Is that right?  At 5 months old, I had no idea what delays my son truly had.  At a year, when he wasn't crawling, we figured he was slightly delayed in PT (which with therapy he caught up in).  It wasn't until almost 18 months old that we realized he had a speech delay.  5 months is too young to predict whether your child might end up with speech, social, emotional, etc etc etc delays totally unrelated to their current condition.  I would keep in close contact with my IFSP team, research local SN's preschools, and keep my options open.

Good luck!

momtojake

In order for your son to keep receiving is pt/ot/slp he needs to go to the preschool.  You don't have to send him to the preschool but you if want him to continue with his therapy he would have to go to that location to get the therapy.  My DS has no cognitive delay either and he will be going to the early learning center in our town for preschool. It is especially for children with IFSPs.  Thankfully our school has a few different classes including blended classrooms that have 10-15 normal functioning children and 5 delayed children.  Maybe your DS can get in a classroom like that.

Glendi2.0

I won't speak to the value of an integrated classroom (that's already been done), but I did want to say that I know kids in my district who are receiving speech/OT/PT without being enrolled in DD's integrated preschool program (one kid actually went to school with my typical 4-year-old but went to DD#2's school to receive his services.) Not sure if this varies district to district or state to state, but I know it is an option here.

bugmommy

In my school district I have to fight to get them IN a program like this.  Both of my guys have ASD and mainly need SLP help (no PT and minimal OT for fine motor and sensory).  In our school district they actually prefer to bring the services to a private preschool because its cheaper for them.

I agree that your DS is soo young so its probably not too productive to worry about this yet - you have no idea how his diagnosis will evolve over the next 2 years.  If this is your district's practice, then I'm sure there will be many other children that have delays in a single area.  In my area there a ton of kids that only have a speech delay, so none of them would require "more" than you DS (if he continues to only have motor delays).  My concern would be more with how the staffing is done than the kids in the class.

jason&robin

My son has a speech delay and has received therapy since 18months. He qualifed for the integrated preschool and it is fabulous. He has 2 teachers. One is a SLP and the other is a PT/OT. There are about 10 kids in the class. Some have no special needs at all and others receive help like DS. It's such a great class. It's really hard to tell who gets the help and who doesn't and the teachers work the help into the daily routine so the kids don't even feel like they are being pulled away. It's the best thing for my son and I am so thankful they do this.

ETA: At this point, DS only has some articulation issues. Otherwise, he has no other problems. He can speak well enough that you can understand him most of the time. He has no other delays and he thrives in his class.

audrey79

My DS#1 is in a special needs preschool class M-Th 12:40 to 3:25.  He has SPD and a lisp... he receives PT/OT for gross motor delays (only gross, fine is normal), and he also gets SLP for his lateral lisp. His SPD, inability to do a lot of gross motor stuff his friends can do, and the inability for them to 100% understand him makes him very frustrated and it's been coming out in his behaviors and social abilities at school and home.  Besides that, when they gave him an IQ test, he was well above the mean and actually was functioning at a 1st grade level in certain acadmec realms- he's only 4. 

He goes to a "regular" private daycare/pre-k program as well when he's not in the special needs preschool program at the public elementary school.

I say if they think he needs the program- what's the harm in sending him!?

Good luck!!