Would you apply still if you were me, inspite of your fears?

Princess_Lily

So my son, (the social butterfly in every setting imaginable), will be turning 4 this year and is ready to enter preschool.   He knows his colors, numbers, some of his shapes and we are working on handwriting & taking turns in a group setting.  He is currently in a gymnastics class also (for socialization & listening to a teacher) which meets twice a week for an hour as well as in therapy for speech and OT.

 I'm a little trepidatious about placing him into another preschool.  There are high expectations for preschoolers locally, and prior to our knowledge of the speech delay & sensory issues (sound & some tacticle), the 2 schools we tried placement in, didn't want to keep him in the school for more than 3 months because he was "too hard."  Back then, he was not speaking (more gestures & words only I could understand) and he was having more tantrums (due to people not understanding him) After the second placement and removal, we decided to push for evaulations, which led to the discovery of some underlying conditions.

He is a very smart kid, and on occassion he will not want to sit for circle time or an activity he isn't interested in doing and will slink away to the sides of the class gym area and start doing something he wants.  I tell his teachers to not be afraid to place him into time out when he breaks the rules - however with 10+kids its understable that they can't always be on top of it. So, he will take advantage of this.  His OT said that behavior in class is a mix of behavior and sensory, its hard to tell which, but she is working on him with that area - and advises me what to tell his teacher(s).

Now that we are armed with information, I am  more confident yes...like I know what questions to ask and how to screen for the right school, etc.  But I just don't want to pull him from *another* school and I'm afraid that would happen again.

Would you apply still if you were me, inspite of your fears?  The VPK program we would apply to for PreK4 is only offered for select private schools, so when he gets to kindergarten we will have to place him into an entirely new public school (the local public schools don't offer preschools). 

kcisthebombdotcom

My son has similar issues (a sensory seeker with a tornado of energy as well as an artic delay which makes him difficult to understand). This is his fourth week of preschool and he is doing amazingly well. We do the preschool program at the Y. He goes 2 days a week for 2.5 hours at a time. He's only expected to be in the classroom for a little over an hour and in that timeframe they have learning centers that always have one sort of science based sensory activity that's right up his alley. They do that prior to circle time so he's organized enough to participate. In the second hour, one day they do open gym as their activity and the other day they do swim, so those activities work great for him and give him the sensory input he needs.

He's doing amazingly--making lots of friends despite the fact he's a little tough to understand and his teachers report he listens/behaves well. I would really focus on finding a program like that. GL!

funchicken

I think if you could find a preschool that offers a half-day program that would be good for him.  Would you be applying for September?  If so, that's 7 months away, which would give him a good chunk of time to progress with his speech and sensory issues.  My DD goes to pre-k every day for 2.5 hours, and she loves it.  She's sensory-seeking for movement, but she has no trouble following the routine at school.  Occasionally, she'll want to stand at the table for an activity instead of sitting, and the teachers don't mind at all.

Our public schools don't offer preschool either, so all of the kids we know will be adjusting to a new school for kindergarten.  I wouldn't let that dissuade me.

ridesbuttons

If "your fears" is the only downside, then absolutely I would enroll.

kcisthebombdotcom

-auntie-:

He probably needs a preschool experience where he can practice classroom etiquette more than a well developing child will. If you decide not to send him, he could end up further behind where his peers are by kindie. If you district doesn't offer an integrated special needs preschool, what do they do with the children aged 3-5 who have IEP services? Are they delivered in private preschool settings? The sorts of preschools that will accept students who have services delivered are most likley to be an appropriate choice for your son. I would caution you against trying to get into the sort of school that positions itself as "selective" or is a feeder for the more rigorously academic private schools in your community. Be honest about your son's behaviors as they exist currently and ask to observe a class at schools you are strongly considering.

Do some districts offer special needs preschool to all kids with an IEP? In my district if you have an IEP for speech only you don't qualify for integrated preschool.

My son goes into the school to do speech with the SLP but doesn't attend preschool in our district. We have to do private preschool.