Re: Special Needs Preschool & Preparing for the IEP Meeting

[Guest guest]

We put our son in Head Start for two years. It's one of the best decisions we made for him!Sent from my iPhoneOn Jan 5, 2011, at 4:13 PM, "" <tracyjohnson70@...> wrote:

Hi There,

I have a 3-1/2 year old son with aspergers. We just got his evaluation with the county (we are in Cobb County in Georgia). Luckily, they all agreed with the diagnosis from our doctor and will most likely recommend our son go in a special needs preschool. We'll get their official reports in the next month or so, but that's what we discussed. This is something my husband and I have been struggling with. We don't know if he should in special needs preschool or would he better off in a regular school with extra support. Our son is very high functioning, but definitely needs help with social skills and behavior. I'm starting to think the special needs preschool may be good for him to work on those things, but I guess our concern is academics and making sure he is prepared for kindergarten. Our OT and behavioral therapist think he belongs in a typical classroom with support, but I'm honestly not so sure.

We just got his diagnosis in October. We are very new to this process and just want to make sure he is getting the help he needs and can thrive in the classroom. I'm worried about the IEP meeting and wondering if we should take a class or something to prepare for it. I just want to make sure we know all our options available to help our son. I know there's really no right answer to this, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the special needs preschool and preparing for the IEP meeting.

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

My son is about the same age as yours. We are actually going for an ADOS test

this week; his current dx is sensory processing disorder. You asked if it would

be a good idea to attend a class about IEPs before your meeting, and the answer

is definitely! There are also some excellent books which will help you prepare,

such as those by Lawrence Seigel and slaw (they also have a great

website). All states have a PTI (parent training and information center) and

they sponsor free training sessions about IEPS, advocacy, and educational

issues. This is the website for your Georgia PTI: http://www.p2pga.org/. Also,

get a copy of your son's report from the school district BEFORE the IEP meeting

so you have time to review it thoroughly and make sure you agree with everything

in it.

I would not worry about your son being academically ready for kindergarten as

much as socially prepared to handle both the peer interactions and the long

school day (too much sitting is expected of kindergartners these days, imho). He

can learn his letters and numbers from you at home, but the independent care

skills and social stuff that he will learn in any good preschool is what he

really needs to be kindergarten ready. I am a big believer in preschools that

emphasize play and life skills over worksheets and academic drills at a young

age.

As to whether he would be better off in a special needs preschool or a different

setting with support, that I cannot answer. Have you had a chance to visit the

special needs preschool in your area and observe the classes firsthand? How

would his daily schedule compare there to a regular school? Would he be getting

more therapy there? It sounds like you are already getting private OT and

behavioral therapy, so would he be able to continue with that (or get services

through the school district at a private preschool) if you opted for a regular

school?

My son attends a regular preschool where is he fortunate enough to have very

compassionate teachers. If his teachers did not understand that the origins of

most of his inappropriate behavior are not just a matter of being " bad " or

acting out, however, we would be in serious trouble! I searched long and hard

before picking a preschool, because I knew that my son would need more

" management " (his teachers' term!) than the other children.

I also have several friends whose children (not with AS) attend the special

needs preschools, and I think they are happy enough with their schools. One of

my friends does say that the OT her daughter gets in school is not enough and

that she needs to supplement it with private OT anyway. It would be a good idea

to speak with other parents whose kids are in the special needs preschool as

well (maybe your PTI or local chapter of the autism society could help you

connect with other parents).

Good luck to you and your son with whatever you decide!

Bridget

>

> Hi There,

>

> I have a 3-1/2 year old son with aspergers. We just got his evaluation with

the county (we are in Cobb County in Georgia). Luckily, they all agreed with

the diagnosis from our doctor and will most likely recommend our son go in a

special needs preschool. We'll get their official reports in the next month or

so, but that's what we discussed. This is something my husband and I have been

struggling with. We don't know if he should in special needs preschool or would

he better off in a regular school with extra support. Our son is very high

functioning, but definitely needs help with social skills and behavior. I'm

starting to think the special needs preschool may be good for him to work on

those things, but I guess our concern is academics and making sure he is

prepared for kindergarten. Our OT and behavioral therapist think he belongs in

a typical classroom with support, but I'm honestly not so sure.

>

> We just got his diagnosis in October. We are very new to this process and

just want to make sure he is getting the help he needs and can thrive in the

classroom. I'm worried about the IEP meeting and wondering if we should take a

class or something to prepare for it. I just want to make sure we know all our

options available to help our son. I know there's really no right answer to

this, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the special needs preschool and

preparing for the IEP meeting.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Our daughter went to the special needs preschool for 1.5 years before

Kindergarten. This was the only option available for her to receive special

education. It worked out quite well. Her teachers said she got to play with

other children who had better play skills, even if their language skills were

poorer. She did well when she went to 1/2 day regular Kindergarten.

I would suggest you ask to visit the special education preschool, so you can see

what type of class your child might be placed in.

As for the IEP, read as much as you can, consider getting an autism consultant

to go with you if you want.

[Guest guest]

My son attended both a regular preschool and an integrated preschool. We used

the regular preschool mainly as daycare but got a taste of what it would been

like if he was there full time. Plus he was there full time in the summers.

Preschool concentrates mainly on introducing kids to stuff like circle time, the

school environment - more social and behavioral stuff than academics. For us the

integrated school was far better for my son. Not only were the teacher student

ratios lower but they had access to better tools. My son participated in the

integrated preschool - much more in his second yr than his first. At the regular

preschool I would often be saddened by seeing my son off playing by himself in a

corner when I went to pick him up. My son was not dx'ed with AS until he was 12.

He had a severe speech disorder which qualified him for the integrated

preschool.

My advice would be to choose the integrated preschool if that's an option. Our

preschool was integrated 3 days/wk and spec ed only 2 days/wk. This set up

worked well for my son. I doubt that you will be offered a regular preschool

class with support. It's not typically done in preschool. When your son starts

elementary school then you may want to request regular ed with support. That's

what we did and continue to do.

At the IEP meeting make sure that you clarify what services your son will be

provided, how often they will be provided and where they will be provided. All

services should appear on the service grid of your IEP. If they are not on the

service grid then the school doesn't have to legally provide them. (I learned

this the hard way with our first IEP.) If they offer " classroom therapy " don't

accept it. It's a way some schools set up large group therapy and it's basically

useless. All preschools claim to be a language based classroom so it's nothing

special. If they present you with completed IEP at the meeting then don't be

afraid to request changes and don't sign it at the meeting. You should take your

time reviewing the IEP to make sure everything is covered. I'd also advise

setting up a meeting in a month or two to review how your son is doing. I still

do this at the beginning of every academic year.

Caroline

>

> Hi There,

>

> I have a 3-1/2 year old son with aspergers. We just got his evaluation with

the county (we are in Cobb County in Georgia). Luckily, they all agreed with

the diagnosis from our doctor and will most likely recommend our son go in a

special needs preschool. We'll get their official reports in the next month or

so, but that's what we discussed. This is something my husband and I have been

struggling with. We don't know if he should in special needs preschool or would

he better off in a regular school with extra support. Our son is very high

functioning, but definitely needs help with social skills and behavior. I'm

starting to think the special needs preschool may be good for him to work on

those things, but I guess our concern is academics and making sure he is

prepared for kindergarten. Our OT and behavioral therapist think he belongs in

a typical classroom with support, but I'm honestly not so sure.

>

> We just got his diagnosis in October. We are very new to this process and

just want to make sure he is getting the help he needs and can thrive in the

classroom. I'm worried about the IEP meeting and wondering if we should take a

class or something to prepare for it. I just want to make sure we know all our

options available to help our son. I know there's really no right answer to

this, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the special needs preschool and

preparing for the IEP meeting.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Caroline.  I appreciate the advice.  We will definitely keep our options open.  While we're figuring this out I'm going to put him in the Mom's Morning Out program a couple days a week at our local Y.  The director in charge of the program has a special education background and they will allow our behavioral therapist to come with him.  So we'll see how that goes.

 On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 9:24 PM, Catcelia <c2cats@...> wrote:

 

My son attended both a regular preschool and an integrated preschool. We used the regular preschool mainly as daycare but got a taste of what it would been like if he was there full time. Plus he was there full time in the summers. Preschool concentrates mainly on introducing kids to stuff like circle time, the school environment - more social and behavioral stuff than academics. For us the integrated school was far better for my son. Not only were the teacher student ratios lower but they had access to better tools. My son participated in the integrated preschool - much more in his second yr than his first. At the regular preschool I would often be saddened by seeing my son off playing by himself in a corner when I went to pick him up. My son was not dx'ed with AS until he was 12. He had a severe speech disorder which qualified him for the integrated preschool.

My advice would be to choose the integrated preschool if that's an option. Our preschool was integrated 3 days/wk and spec ed only 2 days/wk. This set up worked well for my son. I doubt that you will be offered a regular preschool class with support. It's not typically done in preschool. When your son starts elementary school then you may want to request regular ed with support. That's what we did and continue to do.

At the IEP meeting make sure that you clarify what services your son will be provided, how often they will be provided and where they will be provided. All services should appear on the service grid of your IEP. If they are not on the service grid then the school doesn't have to legally provide them. (I learned this the hard way with our first IEP.) If they offer " classroom therapy " don't accept it. It's a way some schools set up large group therapy and it's basically useless. All preschools claim to be a language based classroom so it's nothing special. If they present you with completed IEP at the meeting then don't be afraid to request changes and don't sign it at the meeting. You should take your time reviewing the IEP to make sure everything is covered. I'd also advise setting up a meeting in a month or two to review how your son is doing. I still do this at the beginning of every academic year.

Caroline

>

> Hi There,

>

> I have a 3-1/2 year old son with aspergers. We just got his evaluation with the county (we are in Cobb County in Georgia). Luckily, they all agreed with the diagnosis from our doctor and will most likely recommend our son go in a special needs preschool. We'll get their official reports in the next month or so, but that's what we discussed. This is something my husband and I have been struggling with. We don't know if he should in special needs preschool or would he better off in a regular school with extra support. Our son is very high functioning, but definitely needs help with social skills and behavior. I'm starting to think the special needs preschool may be good for him to work on those things, but I guess our concern is academics and making sure he is prepared for kindergarten. Our OT and behavioral therapist think he belongs in a typical classroom with support, but I'm honestly not so sure.

>

> We just got his diagnosis in October. We are very new to this process and just want to make sure he is getting the help he needs and can thrive in the classroom. I'm worried about the IEP meeting and wondering if we should take a class or something to prepare for it. I just want to make sure we know all our options available to help our son. I know there's really no right answer to this, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the special needs preschool and preparing for the IEP meeting.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks .  I appreciate the the advice.  We're going to do a tour of the school and spend a few hours observing.  If we don't like the school I wonder if we can request another school nearby if they have space available?  I find this whole process very stressful because you just want the best for your child and you just hope you're making the right decision.

 On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 9:01 PM, jdarawi <jenniferdarawi@...> wrote:

 

Hi ,

Our daughter went to the special needs preschool for 1.5 years before Kindergarten. This was the only option available for her to receive special education. It worked out quite well. Her teachers said she got to play with other children who had better play skills, even if their language skills were poorer. She did well when she went to 1/2 day regular Kindergarten.

I would suggest you ask to visit the special education preschool, so you can see what type of class your child might be placed in.

As for the IEP, read as much as you can, consider getting an autism consultant to go with you if you want.