Early Intervention Pre-school | Autism PDD

Hi all -

Went for assessment through out school district for early pe-school for 3 year old DS. Before we went, they said they have strict standards on who they take.

Well, they pretty much told me DS will qualify for services. I guess I have a few options....to do pre-school 4 days a week for 2 1/2 hours...or do speech therapy and Ot 2x a week at home.

We are already doing ST and OT so I was thinking a good balance would be the pre-school... Im hesistant about sending him to pre-school - it will be hard for me, but I think it may be best for him to be in the school enviornment.

What do you all think and have you struggled with deciding as well?

have you seen good progress from your kids going to pre-school?

thanks

edited - deleted. Sorry tried (unsuccessfully to use the qoute feature)

JJ Dad39341.3569212963

My son is in a similar set-up (sp. ed. preschool and extra ABA) and he does well with it. I would just add that often your instincts are the best course to follow and that seems to be the case here.

Best of luck!

[/QUOTE] Both of my kids went to EC preschool starting when they turned 3. We found the program beneficial. Also, both kids enjoyed it.My son also went to early childhood preschool with our school district. It's been helping him alot especially with his speech. He also goes Monday-Friday 2 1/2 hours a day :)mishy39341.3025115741My son went as well and really has been excelling ever since. I was a mess making the decision, since it was 5 days a week, all half days. Seemed like so much, but he loves it, and I do too.I highly recommend it. It's great for social skills.I wish I could have sent my daughter to special ed pre-school. I think it is important to learn about the school environment and routine before kindergarten.

Send him!!! We started pre-school at age 3 1/2 and that's when we saw an explosion of progress. In addition to the SpEd preschool, we did private speech and OT 1x/week each. When C started preschool he had a limited vocabulary, no social skills, was barely toilet trained and was melting down multiple times per day. But he hopped on that bus every day with his backpack and lunchbox like a little champ. I think the preschool was the best thing for him. We did 2 years before he started kindergarten. (We had 5 days week, 8:00 - 2:00, with door to door transportation.)

One reason why I think preschool is so important is it gives you 2 years of data for how your child performs in a school environment before you have to make a placement decision for kindergarten. Kids learn some really key things in preschool - stuff that sounds trivial but is so critical for success in kindergarten. I'm talking about stuff like how to line up and keep their place in line. How to take turns. How to "pretzel up" on the carpet for a story. How to share. How to raise their hand when they need to go to the washroom. How to hang up their own backpack and tend to their own things. How to take direction from someone other than mommy or daddy. How to transition from one activity to another. How to eat lunch at school. It's a HUGE step in independence. Speech and OT can always be done privately 1:1, but there is nothing you can do at home to replicate the richness of the preschool environment.

I'd highly recommend the preschool.

I am in the same boat - but I think I will send him anyway i sent my son at the age of 3 to pre school and it helped him so much.

Thank you all so much for your replies!!!!

It was so nice to hear all the success stories and how much your kids enjoyed it.

I think my little one will just love it! He really enjoyed being in the classroom for the evaluation so this could be exactly what he needs!!!

I will keep you all posted and thanks again!!!!

DO THE PRESCHOOL. Take advantage of the services. Yes, it is hard at first - very hard I might say to both of you - emotionally and physically - but in the long run you will see much improvement.

I agree whole heartedly with the previous posts. Our dd is 4 1/2 and started preschool three weeks ago. She loves going. I was worried about it being such a long day (five days a week 7:30 - 2:00. ) but the schedule is broken up into many small increment activities that it works perfectly for the younger age group.

Good Luck!

ttfn

I too think that you should send him to the preschool. My son is in his second year at the district's special needs (with typical peers) preschool. I think that it's really good for him to have peer interaction and it's good for the district to get to know him (and to know what they're in for ;-)) They've worked a lot with him and have given me a lot of good input and ideas.My son loves preschool and I think it is great for him. I really feel it is important to send our kiddos to preschol. There is a lot ASD kids can learn that will help them understand the rules and stucture of a school setting. Our dd is having a hard time with her transition to preschool--but she
has always had major issues w/ transitions & with new people/places. I
would (as per her therapists!) consider her reactions even outside the
'norm' for autism. Even with the struggle we are currently having, I am
VERY thankful she is going. It dawned on me a couple of weeks ago that
we have this year, then the next...and then it's kindergarten time!! I'm
not sure if she'll be in mainstream kindergarten (of course that's the
goal), but at least by then this will be a lot more routine & she should do
well. She'll be familiar w/ the school, what school is, etc. Also, having
these 2 early years of IEP's & school meetings and getting to know
everyone at the school is helping prepare me & dh for the many years to
come.

So, I say yes, go for it!! I know our dd will LOVE it once she gets used to
it. Her classroom & teacher are amazing...I will tell you, the first project I
saw (handprints), I had tears in my eyes! From what I hear from so many
parents, the transformation over the year is amazing. All the other
parents I spoke to whose children were in preschool at 3, the speech &
social skills improved, and the kids really had a blast.

Keep us posted!!

I think you should send him!!! We sent my son when he was 3. He even went on the bus. I was so nervous to let him go but he loved it from the 1st day. That was when we saw a lot of progress. Now I'm sending my second son. He just turned three. He has a speech delay so he qualified. He starts Tuesday and I can't wait. While it's hard to send them at that age I know it's the best thing for him.

Laurie

My son is THRIVING in his pre-school setting. He gets pull-out services
on campus while he's there. he just stated his second year and it is
AMAZING how much progress he has made. He is a totally different kid.
Last year he required a teacher to sit directly behind him at all times to
participate in group activities. This year he is "helping" show the new
kids how to participate!!

I don't know how he would go to kindergarten without these two years of
learning how to navigate and learn how to function in a classroom. Plus-
he just LOVES the structure of the day provided at school.

Even typical kids cry and have trouble when they first start pre-school.
It's harder for the moms than it is for the kids. Truly. It will be great for
both of you. Your child will be supported and you will get a little break
each day. It's good all around.

We all had the same concerns as you when it first came time to send our
kiddos off to something new. It happens every year, with every new
experience (my son went to DAY CAMP this summer!!-for mild to
moderate ASD's--but still yikes!!!) I'm sure i will worry with every grade,
for years to come

.

I say send him to school. I think you will be amazed at how well he does!
If you run into any problems, you have a whole board of wonderful
parents here to help you through the next hurdle!

Keep us posted!!! MamaKat39341.9361458333
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