school placement...Help!!

[Guest guest]

Hello..

I really need your input....we are in a real dilemma regarding where to

place our son next year......Please give me your input....

My son is three years nine months old...he has been attending a private

language preschool for the past two years....we have had a home program

running along with the preschool....he has made tremendous progress...so

much so that he no longer qualifies for a PDD or Autism label....though

he still has issues and certainly a way to go socially and conversation

wise.

Option #1....is the school he is currently attending....specializes in

language problems of all sorts......he has done well, and this school

has been reinforcing, but everything he has learned has pretty much been

from our home program. This school wants to keep him in the same class

next year, although he mastered their curriculum for the year back in

February....they feel he needs too much attention as far as prompting,

as luckily he does not have any behavior problems..so far... I do not

want them to have him repeat, as he would really be doing nothing more

than being a role model for the class, and would probably be the most

advanced kid in the class....which wouldnt do him any favors.......after

two hours of debate this Friday, they are considering moving him up to

the next level ..we will know in two weeks...he is currenly registered

to attend this school in the Fall....

Option 2 ..... is an incredible private daycare/preschool....very

enriching, with art, language, computers, tumbling....etc.....top of the

line everything....also the director of the school has a kid that needed

you to " reinforce eye contact, needed additional prompting, had trouble

processing things as fast as the others, etc. " so she seems to be great

and willing to make sure our son gets the extra attention he would need

there....but it still is just a daycare, so I have to worry how much

attention he could get with the larger ratios....we have him registered

for summer camp for June and July...

Option 3....another private preschool/school which specializes in

PDD/autism...I was hesitant to look at this school before, because I was

worried that he might pick up behaviors, etc....but am not so sure

now....he dosent exactly have " normal " role models where he is....but it

was really nice to go to their fundraiser this evening and listen to

parents openly discussing PDD.....

Any suggestions.....

It is scary to leave what is familiar, and our current school is a very

difficult school to get into, if we leave we would not be able to return

this year, as the wait list is long. Though I am standing firm that he

will not return to repeat his current class.. they will look at him

again in two weeks to decide if he can move up.....

While I think Option 2 is wonderful....I am of course worried about

whether he will really get the prompting, etc he needs....though this is

somewhat outweighed by the fact that he would have all of these " normal "

role models...

Then there is the school for PDD kids.....sounds great.....but will he

get the modelling he needs? Just like option #1, will he learn to speak

better when he is with kids that have issues as well....

I know this is rambling, and thank you for reading this....but I am

really seeking some direction and opinions of others who have been

there.....

Please respond personally to jaggers@...

Thank you all so much!

Jaggers