Those who should be in Kindergarten in the fall....come in

smiling76

My son is currently in the "2nd step" of Early Intervention where he attends a "pre-k" type of class at the local elementary school.  It is just like a normal pre-k class but helps with their development--which for him is mainly speech and sensory issues. 

He's made big strides in his speech in just the last several months--but isn't where he should be as a 4.5 yr old.  He is also really 'trying' when it comes to sensory--but again, things happen and the sensory issues take over. 

So the question is--- for those who have 4 yr olds this year--what are your plans for kindergarten for next year?  I have a call out to his teacher, but we need to discuss "developmental" vs traditional.  I'm honestly not even sure if he would pass the requirements to get in to traditional (not even sure what they all are to be honest). 

Just curious what your plans are, what you've discussed w your teachers and therapists, etc?

finsup

I just had our meeting w/ the teachers/therapists about this last week.

They feel (and I agree) that my DS will be able to handle a regular kinder class, with some very basic accomodations.  So that is where he will be placed in the fall.  He will still get pull outs for OT and social skills.

I'm nervous.  I'm thrilled that he has made so much progress in the last 3 years through EI and the SPED preschool but this change does give me a bit of heartburn.   He's going from a 1:4 environment to a 1:22 - thats big.

My DS does attend a "typical" after school program and has since he started preschool, so he's always had a mix of programs and has done very well there - I'm hoping (praying) that his has also helped prepare him for this big change in kinder.

So, I'll be monitoring very, very closely. 

smiling76

That is great news!! I should say too that ds is also in daycare before and after his program. I too think he may do ok in traditional but just not sure. I wish his therapists and teachers were a little more proactive AND reactive. Lol.

mommyof4boys

We kept our twins and youngest for an extra year of preschool.  I know IDEA/FAPE says LRE which technically is the next step up but where I argued is this: Had they not had special needs, I would have kept them back a year.  My boys have mid-September birthdays where a cutoff here is September 30th.  Chris will be in kindergarten in September.  He'll start September 7th and turn 6 September 13th.  All who see him now agree he needed the extra year to blossom.  They showed me data that last year he was a bit slower to do things, pacing is an issue for him.  This year he's a "leader" and is able to do things he couldn't last year.

MirandaHobbes

My son is also in his last year of pre-K before kindy in the fall. We just discussed placement a couple weeks ago. He'll be in a mainstream classroom with pull-outs as needed (ST, OT, social skills, and whenever he gets overwelmed a resource teacher will be in the room to direct him and take him out if need be).

I'm pretty optimistic of him falling into line. Fortunately for me he is a "rule boy" and is more likely to fall apart because someone isn't falling the rules rather than something sensory. But I'll also be watching closely. Because he doesn't tantrum he runs the risk of slipping through the cracks. I've been warned that his kindy teacher will have to be very proactive to get him to engage with the other kids. We were given the choice of putting him into mainstream with just pull-outs (i.e. no resource teacher in the room to assist as needed). It doesn't make sense for us to go this route because I think he'll need a hand from time to time, and I can't rely on a kindy teacher who has up to 30 students to be able to help him all the time.

I'm also worried right now because he's awfully comfortable in his private pre-K program that he's been in for a couple years. The teachers are pretty accomodating of his behaviors and  let him do his own thing. He's going to have to get used to not having his way all the time and it might be a harsh reality. I'm actually trying to see if I can change his private setting this Spring to give him a taste of kindy and change things up. Instead of going to a private typical pre-K program he could go to a public typical pre-K program at the elementary school he'll be attending. We're on a wait-list, so we'll see what happens.

AgrippaRidesAgain

We just discussed this with DS's preschool teacher.  DS is also a rule follower apt to melt down if someone isn't following the rules, is sensory averse to certain sounds and sights, and has high anxiety. We're still on a waiting list for the developmental pedi, but right now his teacher strongly recommends sending him to kindergarten next year because he is academically more than ready to be there.  In her words, "He would just be anxious AND bored if he stayed in preschool."

So, we're moving forward with kindergarten registration and hunting for a play therapist. 

lite-bright

DD1 just turned five two weeks ago and will be in kindy in the fall. Her IEP for the coming year won't be set until March, but all indicators point to her being in a traditional kindy class with continuing speech therapy. I'm not sure about OT, she's coming along really well with just minor modifications. 

If it's determined that she needs it, the school we're trying to get her into has an ASD lab where she could get extra social support. I suspect that she's doing well enough that she may be okay through kindy without lab access written into her IEP, but likely will end up needing it later in elementary as the bar for social behavior gets higher.  

I don't know what the kindy requirements are, but I've been told she'll meet them without issue. Academically, and with classroom etiquette/behavior, she is right on par with peers and for awhile, will probably do as well or better than some of the typical kids who haven't had two years of preschool. My hope is to keep her "in the middle of the pack," as she is now, and I anticipate that may get harder over time. We plan on full-day kindy to give her as much of a boost as possible going into first grade.