I am one of those who like to do research and ask questions and then make decisions.
Andy is three and his IEP is Tuesday. I want him fully included in regular preschool. I know they are going to off special ed preschool.
I want regular ed at this school I have been looking into because a he seems to enjoy it I took him to visit the place, they have swimming, and his desire to imitate and act like others. I know in my life if I was put in special ed and I was three years that I did not want out I got extra help I did have to do so much work as others. I know he is three but I swear I am raising the male version of me. When his desire and attraction to others I feel he would want to be and imitate the other kids. He has had so much one on one interaction learning to be part of group is what he needs. He loved play time and class time at the school.
What if special ed in away holds him back? What if he is never ready to be mainstream develops a desire to stay where he is at? I know he is three but he does not like the place special ed is at the school. If its the wrong placement for him and I agree?
What expereinces have you had with regualar preschool or special day class? Why did you make your decisions? What should one consider when making this decision? I want his placement in the right place. Maybe it is special day class maybe its not?
I have a strong feeling if I do not place him in what they give me a option I will not be able to get the st and ot he needs. CAn you get those and still have regular preschool? I can not afford nor have the insurance to get speech therapy and occupational therapy for him on my own.
The other consideration I have is if he is fully included at the school I want I can hold a part time job when he is in school. If he is at the special ed preschool the hours are so short it would hinder me holding a job. I am a few dollars from being broke and I just applied for welfare and social security for my son. While the best placement is important the best place to place in considering that is one that would give me four hour period to work a day! Without we will be in financial trouble very very shortly.
Once I get past tuesday! I will not have so much questions
The regular school I want to put my son in is on a site where they do rehabiliation for people of all ages. If my school district would pay for it he could get speech therapy right there and occupational therapy right there.
I am taping the meeting. The school psychologist told me if I did not agree to the full time program I would not in her opinion be able to get services like speech therapy. She said she is confident they are going to offer me the special ed preschool. She also said she was my advocate. . .I kind of laughed. . .That would be a conflict of interest as she does get paid from the school district.
I have a strong feeling if I do not place him in what they give me a option I will not be able to get the st and ot he needs. CAn you get those and still have regular preschool?
You can in my school district.
I put my higher functioning son in a special ed preschool, but it was an integrated preschool, half typical kids and half special needs kids. This class was run like a regular preschool with special attention paid to language. Plus, he had speech and OT there, and there was a teacher and 2 aids in the room with 15 kids.
If I only had the choice of a total special needs class vs. a total typical class, I would have put him in the typical class and asked the school district for speech and OT. That particular son learned a TON from the other kids that were typical. His twin brother, who is severely autistic, didn't learn anything from the typical children, they were both in the same class for a while. The more severe son got moved to a self contained class (all special needs) because he needs one on one to learn everything. He simply can't learn in a group setting.
The school district has to provide what your child needs, remember that. If they don't have a program that is appropriate for him, then they should pay for outside help. Go into your meeting with all your questions, write them all down and ask them. Use that meeting as an information gathering session. You can always have other meetings, it's not like everything must be set in stone in one meeting. If at the end of the meeting you are not comfortable with what they are saying, tell them so. You just say "I'm not comfortable making a decision about this right now. I need more time to think about it, gather information, etc." Don't let them intimidate you. They have been doing this a long time, and know a lot of things you don't know, it's okay to ask questions and learn. You don't have to get mad, just keep your mind on the goal, which is getting the best services for your son.