Special Needs
mamantraining
member
Transition to Preschool
mamantraining
member
I am not sure, but from the info I have my son will probably be eligible for the district preschool in the fall. I will know more when I meet with the district in a couple months.
My questions for anyone who has gone this route:
Are parents able to choose the preschool as long as its within the district or does it have to be the closest to your home?
Do some of the schools have before or after school care?
Do kids attending these schools still get individual services such as speech or does district push for groups?
I realize the circumstances are different for everyone. Just curious as to what I may expect. Thanks!
My questions for anyone who has gone this route:
Are parents able to choose the preschool as long as its within the district or does it have to be the closest to your home?
Do some of the schools have before or after school care?
Do kids attending these schools still get individual services such as speech or does district push for groups?
I realize the circumstances are different for everyone. Just curious as to what I may expect. Thanks!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Transition to Preschool
I live in a very large district. We did not end up at our home school but we did end up at a very close school to us. The district does its best to keep as close to your home as possible. I would venture to guess that class space plays a role in spots too.
We do not have an option of extended hours. I do not even have a guarantee of him being at the same school or same hours in the fall.
My son currently has his SLP come in and do a group session. We are still waiting for OT services to start and I believe that would be individualized.
We are in the middle of the transition to the developmental preschool (still working on the IEP). I put my answers above.
Speaking only for my district and individual situation
I enrolled DS as a typical student before we knew he needed services. So I chose the school. I have heard of other parents choosing to change schools after services were started.
I don't know of any public PKs with before or after care but I have heard of transportation between daycare and PK.
My sons IEP states individual or small group services. Most are done in groups of no more than four kids.
DS 09/2008
I'm in the same district as df.
We were in the process of getting a dx as we were doing preschool enrollment. I initially chose a different preschool within our district, with the same curriculum but a different facility/more space, but when we had her first IEP meeting they recommended a specific class with a higher level of service that is only available at one preschool in the north part of the district (and one in the south). So we transferred her enrollment before school even started (enrollment is in Jan & school doesn't start until August); we received stopgap services in the meantime, including summer school. I'm glad we did this, because this school has the district's ASD lab at the elementary level and having her for preschool there was a factor in our favor for choice enrollment for her to attend that school for elementary (which she will). We have two elementaries within 5 minutes of our house in our neighborhood; this one isn't our home school but was still super close, luckily. Some kids are bussed there to attend the class that DD1 was in for the first year (she is in a typical mainstream class this year).
Our preschool is one of a handful of district preschools that does have a full-day option, but not for the co-taught class that they wanted DD1 in. We would've had to arrange other daycare plus transportation if I wasn't a SAHM; since I started WAH PT, we have a PT sitter who does pick DD1 up from preschool and cares for her and DD2 while I'm working.
DD1 does get one-on-one services pushed into her classroom during center play time and other times during class. She gets speech and OT and her teachers work with social skills according to her IEP goals. Sometimes other kids are involved in the speech work (this is a really good thing!), but there is no formal group therapy.
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
I see a lot of you are saying speech is in small groups. Does anyone have experience with a child with appraxia doing well in these groups? From what I read these kids need lots of one on one.
My son turned 3 at the beginning of December. We started the process of evaluations and such in October. I attended a meeting in August that outlined the process for parents whose kids would be transitioning soon.
We got DD1's medical dx in March. A week later, her first IEP meeting was held; they had already determined that she qualified for services and recommended the co-taught class. If the placement was recommended by the team, she qualified and had a spot in the class. She had turned 3 in January; we never dealt with EI b/c we were already past the age limit.
Our plan from March was: she would join a once-weekly toddler class until the end of the school year (verrrry minimal services, obviously) and attend six weeks of summer school, with regular services starting in August. It kind of sucks to come in at the end of a school year, TBH. Our other option was to put her in preschool immediately; but that was making her the new kid, and the youngest by far, in a class that had been together all year and where many of the supports had been removed as the year went on. We decided that the best option to set her up for success was to have her start in August.
No experience with apraxia.
DD1, 1/5/2008 ~~~ DD2, 3/17/2010
We had our initial meeting three months prior to my DS's birthday. He was tested by the district's SLP in the beginning of November. His IEP was finalized the 2nd week of November a little over a month prior to his birthday. He had his first speech session the day before his third birthday.
My son had a suspected case of apraxia while still in EI and an apraxia diagnosis would not qualify him for special ed preschool in my school district. Kids with apraxia (and any other preschool aged kids with an IEP for speech) only get drop in speech services; the frequency would vary depending on how severe the apraxia is. If the apraxia presented with a fine motor delay (which I know is incredibly common the two are paired together) they would get walk in OT as well.
Kids with apraxia generally do not respond well to speech therapy in group settings. I would really push for 1 on 1 therapy 3xs a week in his IEP. If you've met with any professionals, like a developmental pedi/he's been formally tested and diagnosed with apraxia by someone make sure you bring that to your meeting to help your cause. Apraxia-kids.org has lots of good info on the need for more 1 on 1 speech multiple times a week as the most appropriate therapy for apraxia--research that and bring that information to your meetings as well.
GL!
When you say tested by the district, did they test specifically for apraxia? I have paperwork stating a suspicion of apraxia from the current SLP. Since the main issue my DS has is expressive speech, I haven't taken him to any other professionals.
From what I understand from people I know and my phone call to the district, kids with apraxia will qualify for developmental preschool. I guess I will know more once I attend the initial meeting.
Thanks for the website. I have been on there before and seen the recommendations they give regarding therapy frequency.
Is there anything else anyone recommends to bring to the meeting?
Hello! We do not have a dx yet but for now, we have the blanket Global Dev. Delay for DS.
DS was in EI until he started preschool in the fall. He turned 3 in June and all of the evaluations took place in Feb/March of 2012. We met with the school district in April 2012 (prior to turning 3) for a preliminary placement CPSE. At the time, they were recommending that DS would receive services as a push-in only at his current daycare. After much deliberation and conversation with a special ed teacher, we decided to go back to the CPSE and push for more services.
After an hour long meeting, we got them to agree to a half day program at an Inclusion preschool. He would be provided transportation to and from school, have all services there, and eat lunch there as well. He currently has pull out services for Speech, OT, and PT.
I had to go back again for more meetings to put him in the full day program and to increase his therapy sessions.
My suggestion is to bring everything you have with you to the meeting. I have a giant folder I bring with me.
Also, know that despite the fact that you have a lot of knowledge about your child and what they need, the district may look at you as just "the mom". I am a reading specialist in an inner-city elementary school. I work with disabled and special ed kids everyday and unfortunately, what I had to say was not taken as seriously as the words of their team of evaluators who do not know DS.
IEPs are not set in stone and you can keep going back if what they decide is not working! Good Luck!
That's the part I'm worried about the district being pleasant and working cooperatively with me. I too teach special Ed but not for the district so I have seen various situations at IEPs.
Do you feel having the extra knowledge helped you get services for your DS?