Re: Starting Preschool--Tips??

[Guest guest]

Most special needs pre schools are used to doing Communication Books daily to

help parents know how their kids day went, since most of them arent able to tell

us how on their own. Its also a way communicate with therapists that see our

kids there. If its a typical kids prek, they may not be used to writing in a

book each day or a couple times a week how things went. is it a special needs

prek or regular? thats the only wall you may hit. having a meeting with the

teacher before school starts is a great idea. in the special needs prek that my

daughter went to six years ago, she was communicating mostly by sign. They told

me that they understand all her signs and would communicate with her and would

not pretend to not understand her, but they would not teach her more sign. the

goal was to have her talk. they started a picture system in her class and she

did start speaking in K a lot more. Let us know how your meeting goes.

Maureen

[Guest guest]

Oh, I wish I could take credit for the idea of Communication books! It started

here with our Early Intervention Therapists--all four of them! they had me keep

one here so they could " talk " to each other about her progress in their

respective areas. Now, its something I can look back on with dates and all to

see what she was doing back than! We've been out of EI for six years. So when

she transitioned to special needs prek, I was all ready for the idea behind

communication books. Get a composition book that does not fall apart easy!

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> AWESOME idea with the commuication book....

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[Guest guest]

I have a page about this up at our http://www.apraxia.org group

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=115029735601 & topic=9304 and there's also

info about the communication book in The Late Talker book. If writing into the

communication book daily is not written into your child's IEP or dealing with a

different type situation Barbara's suggestions is wonderful -but also keep in

mind that you can request and advocate to have written into your child's IEP

that all professionals that work with your child in the school write into the

communication book.

Also there is so much in the archives on first day of preschool tips which I

thought it's best if I go there rather than by memory as my son just started 8th

grade today But there appears to be a search issue with today. Stay

tuned -hope to get more info to you soon! But one thing...for sure in general

if apraxic given the choice of a regular preschool or special needs one -in

almost ALL cases the special needs one is the one to choose. The goal is to get

the child up to speed by kindergarten -mainstream from K to 12- little to nobody

cares if your child is in a special needs preschool -but you want them in the

least restrictive environment which of course means appropriate placement- which

includes as well appropriate therapies needed. Lots of research to show that

even though the brain may stay malleable -don't underestimate the power of early

intervention.

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[Guest guest]

, no disrespect intended but while I agree getting our preschoolers up to

speed in speech is the critical task, I have certainly read in some research

that the best placement for an Apraxic child is in a typical developing

classroom with a typical teacher AND speech support. Best placement if not

clear cut. We all have to make the decision based on our specific child and the

specific programs available in our area. Our area is not as flexible as I wish

and we will be sending our daughter to both a private preschool of typical

children and the special needs classroom. Not my ideal choice but at some point

the fighting got to be too much.

>

> I have a page about this up at our http://www.apraxia.org group

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=115029735601 & topic=9304 and there's also

info about the communication book in The Late Talker book. If writing into the

communication book daily is not written into your child's IEP or dealing with a

different type situation Barbara's suggestions is wonderful -but also keep in

mind that you can request and advocate to have written into your child's IEP

that all professionals that work with your child in the school write into the

communication book.

>

> Also there is so much in the archives on first day of preschool tips which I

thought it's best if I go there rather than by memory as my son just started 8th

grade today But there appears to be a search issue with today. Stay

tuned -hope to get more info to you soon! But one thing...for sure in general

if apraxic given the choice of a regular preschool or special needs one -in

almost ALL cases the special needs one is the one to choose. The goal is to get

the child up to speed by kindergarten -mainstream from K to 12- little to nobody

cares if your child is in a special needs preschool -but you want them in the

least restrictive environment which of course means appropriate placement- which

includes as well appropriate therapies needed. Lots of research to show that

even though the brain may stay malleable -don't underestimate the power of early

intervention.

>

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[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I would love to see the study that found that putting children with severe

impairments with speech such as apraxia into a typical preschool without putting

them into a special needs placement as well was found to be best. I'd love to

know what number of children were used, what was the diagnosis, and who funded

this study. I love that with the lack of funding for just about all research

recently that somehow there is a stat that our apraxic children will do better

in a regular preschool and I have to wonder if there is a vested interest behind

this if this was an actual study. Apraxia is a very expensive impairment to

deal with for both the school as well as the parents. A typical preschool would

be the cheap way to go...in the short run not the long run for most. But cost

isn't even the issue for us as parents if your child isn't ready for mainstream

kindergarten when the time comes, isn't able to remain and thrive in the

mainstream K through 12. And if this was found for apraxia and those children

with more severe impairments are they changing the thoughts as well for hearing

and visually impaired students...from what I know they get their own schools for

preschool to bring them up to speed so that they can thrive in the mainstream.

I know because...my son Tanner attended 'out of district preschool placement'

paid for through Tanner's IEP through the public preschool disabled program as

that was deemed not appropriate for him. Tanner attended for preschool the

Summit Speech School for the hearing impaired in New Providence NJ

http://www.summitspeech.com/ and then went on to be a top student -mainstreamed

since preschool, kindergarten on - and now in 8th grade (second day of school

today!)

If you check this group's archive the children that have done best K to 12 are

those that have parents that advocated for appropriate placement and intensive

therapies for preschool years. And yes for some a typical preschool would be

appropriate -but I'm speaking for most who have a child with apraxia which is

considered a severe motor planning disorder. Some of the ASHA research

ridiculously is hard to access unless you are an SLP with your 3 Cs today but

when my son Tanner was first diagnosed it was open for all which is should have

stayed as they were providing a service to help the verbal disabled as Pubmed

does with their open access to papers. They may have something on this topic

for the SLPs in this group to check for us.

To me the goal isn't mainstream preschool -it's mainstream K to 12 and what's is

going to provide the best possible probability to get your child up there. Are

you in the US and are you talking with an IEP? Are you talking about a public

school paying for out of district placement at a local typical preschool/daycare

center (like one I pass called Apple Seeds or something) that doesn't have an

SLP and OT on staff and then you provide those therapies on the side after your

child plays at preschool? Perhaps I'm not clear...I have known parents to get

schools to pay for typical preschool programs like say camp during the summer

when there was nothing else available for the extended school year-but for the

school year?!!

I personally have found in our group with children I have known, have read about

it numerous times, that in some instances exposing preschool aged children with

severe impairments of speech to groups of normal developing children has led to

cases of behavioral / frustration issues (ie: hitting or withdrawing) No matter

how many typical developing children you expose an apraxic child to anyway isn't

going to help them learn how to talk! And even with a special needs preschool

placement -most everyone I know also takes their child to " normal " activities

-the park, mommy and me classes etc. and in addition almost all I know

supplement the therapy they get in their special needs preschool placement with

private ST, OT and other alternative therapies as well.

I love that we today believe kids NEED preschool to learn how to be social.

It's amazing I guess that our grandparents who didn't attend preschool actually

made it through life and learned how to get along with others huh.

I again can't access the archives right now here at as they are down and

BigTent cuts all the archives short so will have to wait till these are up -but

I can share story after story once they are back up. Typically it's the dad who

wants the child in the typical developing preschool but typically it's the mom

that does the research- and again would love to see research that states

otherwise for preschool years where all the EI research is- a wealth of it.

Just want to state for those that do go the typical preschool route that if the

professionals that work with your child and you and your husband agree that for

your child a typical developing preschool is appropriate- that's what you do and

that's what appropriate for your child. I'm speaking for the majority of those

who have children with apraxia which is again a severe motor planning impairment

of speech. I 100 percent agree that for a child with a developmental delay in

speech a typical preschool is fine- but in the same light to throw this out

there if your child has a simple delay in speech no preschool at all would be

fine too. He'll talk -just a bit later-exposure to other children and/or simple

speech therapy may stimulate a child with a simple developmental delay in speech

to speak a bit sooner -but no biggie either way. Again that's not the type of

child I'm talking about in regards to getting them up to speed for K to 12

mainstream -I'm talking those with moderate to severe impairments of speech.

And just to throw this out there as is sending me her neurologist

report from Kent University regarding her child on NV.. I know like her son NV

has created a paradigm shift in that we now have kids going from a diagnosis of

profound apraxia to mild/moderate apraxia in months on NV -but the majority

don't have their kids on NV and I'd still be nervous to have a child with

anything but a mild impairment in a typical preschool -not special needs based

on what I've seen. You can always throw a child into a typical preschool if

thriving -they are all over the place and a dime a dozen -appropriate placement

however isn't always easy to find for preschool.

I'd love to hear from parents of older children who have children now in 4th

grade or above thriving there who started them in a typical developing preschool

with speech therapy on the side. 3rd grade is one of the toughest years as it's

the first year the child is expected to be reading and writing off the

blackboard independently -so the goal isn't mainstream kindergarten either -it's

to remain in the mainstream thriving there as at least a normal student.

In conclusion: Special ed vs the regular preschool and which is best depends

on a number of things such as what the schools are like, but even more

important, if your child is a child with a simple delay in speech (then either

preschool is probably fine) vs. a child with a severe impairment in speech

(special ed placement will surround your child with all appropriate therapies

and needs -or it should while regular preschool will provide...?)

And again if there is research saying that a typical preschool is better for an

apraxic- I need to see that to believe it!!!! (no disrespect intended for you

-but to whomever published that study unless I can see what this study

was based on -because I want to deal in reality and what's best in the long run

for our children to make sure they all have a chance to thrive)

Actually no this is conclusion -I probably push WAY more for mainstream K to 12

than I see most parents today...and I'm on the phone with LOTS of you -so

perhaps this is the new trend...mainstream preschool and then special ed K

through 12...that wasn't my choice or if you check the archives the choice of

most of us here. This group has an incredible success ratio of mainstream K

through 12 and that to me is most important.

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