Twins and Kindergarten

[Guest guest]

Gotta jump in here....as I have apraxic twins and they are going to be 4 this

month and have attended a pre-school hand program since last May. They have

ESY and will go another whole year. They have ind. speech 5 times/week and

OT and PT once a week. I do not take them to private speech anymore. They

were in the same class last May and June and I requested that they have the

same teacher this year and stay together because they cry when separated--but

are getting better. I also am a Kindergarten teacher---not in their district

though.....I live in NJ and I am pretty sure that a child does not even have

to attend Kindergarten...according to my superintendent/principal. .....and

yes, there are 2 full day Kindergartens in our 1 school district and the

office does tell the parents that they like to separate twins. We have never

had a parent fight that they wanted them together. The only reason I can

think of is that I am right next door to the other Kind., we do everything

together as far as eating lunch, recess, and the teacher and I are best

friends and do the same lessons and " fun " activities...so that one child is

not doing something totally different than the other. we even have a set of

twins now and often they just need to see each other so they spend time

together and then hug and go into their classes....now the mother part of me

emerges....I don't think I want my twins separated and I think it is because

of the talking difficulty. I think I would not have made such a big issue

out of this if they were " fine " , but I am afraid that not having that clear

kindergarten speech will frustrate them so perhaps having each other will

make it easier....if that makes any sense....as far as the teasing..I think

that is definitely an area that the teacher must strictly enforce (i sound

like a police officer). I have children in my class that I cannot even

understand and we have been in school 7 months and I have loads of practice

with my apraxic twins...but in the beginning of the year I stressed this

rule(about teasing and feelings, etc) and I have to honestly say that they do

not tease each other's " artic " probs....many mothers expressed their concern

at Kind round-up regarding their child's speech probs....my class is known as

the land of misarticulation errors......and some kids actually " interpret "

what their " neighbor " is saying....one other point and then I will stop

rambling....How can you hold back your child when I thought 5 was the end of

pre-school hand...or is it just a reg pre-school? I think that when a child

gets out of pre-school hand. then they should attend Kind...----I hear many

parents say that they are going to hold them out but then they have to get

them into speech therapy and OT and PT etc on their own whereas if they

stayed with the public school they could get these services...if the Kind. is

a full day then sometimes the child can attend the AM part of the day and do

the therapy stuff in the PM when the kids might have their specials and

recess etc.....how was that for one long sentence????? Kathy in NJ