Schools | Autism PDD

Ditto to what MosesJr-Mommy said. Early intervention can be a very key
part in helping our kids & it is important. For us, we started w/ private
therapy while we waited for EI. Then did a mix of private PT, EI OT &
ST...then went completely private for all therapies...then back to EI for OT,
behavioral therapy and private ST & PT. It had a lot to do with the
therapist's personalities & also the dedication & progress we saw in the
private sector. Our dd now attends spec ed preschool, and the teacher/
staff are all amazing! So, trust your gut when it comes to the
professionals in your child's life--switch until you find the ones that you
click with and your child does well with.

Your child is VERY young & that is great with regard to early intervention,
but please be aware that all the therapy in the world may not help your
child completely overcome those PDD signs you see. There are a lot of
variables for our children, they are all individuals and what works for one
may not help another at all. Follow your heart & remember, your child is
your child, a diagnosis of autism doesn't change that. Be sure to read the
poem entitled "I Wonder" by Laceyone...I think under HangOut with
Friends. Great for those who are just getting on this journey. You are in
good company, that's for sure!!

Welcome to this forum, you'll find LOADS of support here!!!early intervention evaluates your child and gives st and ot at home and any other services you might need. after she ages out they give you a list of schools to visit. Where would you send your child if you had unlimited resources. I am in search of a school for my 22 month old which will help her overcome the verbal communications/signs of PDD she is showing. I know intervention is the key, but where? Has anyone heard of a premeire school that has had measurable success? Please help.You have to talk with your daughter's pediatrician. She can refer you for an evaluation and take it from there. Thats how i started. At 2 my son kinda frozed, had terrible tantrums, would get angry when he couldnt express what he wanted or needed. He recived ST at home for 5 months before he aged out, since his doctor thought he was just a late bloomer. When they came to evaluate at home, they all saw he was in need of ST and that it would help him. Anyways, then he was evaluated for special ed. because there he could continue his ST and they added OT as well. I chosed from a list of school ,visit them, saw what they offered until i got to the one he is in right now. He is 4 in pre-k and he has done so well that he is going mainstream next year. So talk to her ped. and she will refer you.

The honest truth is that teachers in the public sector get paid about twice what teachers in the private sector get paid. Of course, they are sometimes hamstrung by public school "policies," but they are also required to have the best and most thorough educations, especially now that the law requires that public school teachers be "highly qualified." I don't want to open a can of worms about public v private, because there are MANY factors besides teacher qualifications that influence where a child will get the BEST intervention, but pay/qualifications is one thing we should not be blind to.

That said, your child won't qualify for actual schooling until age 3. Right now, under EI, the rules differ state to state. For example, in NY, where I live, EI is administered through the Dept. of Health, not the Dept. of Ed. Ed. takes over with 3-5 services.

Now, to answer your question with my personal opinion. For a 22 month old, I'd contact EI to get whatever services your state gives (many states charge on a sliding scale until age 3, so these services are not free, which means you must decide, based on what info you get, whether they're worth it or not). THEN, I'd get access to ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) for at least 20 hours per week, VB (Verbal Behavior) for speech/language issues and RDI (Relationship Development Intervention) for social issues. I'd also learn as much as I could about sensory integration dysfunction and positive behavioral supports. I'd try to access an in-person support group and make friends with those moms (Of course, this is in addition to coming here, where you can also make "friends" and get support.) Not only will going to a live support group give you a sanity-saving network of friends, it will also help form a more "typical" social network for your child, since these parents will likely have both ASD and NT kids. I'd start taking my child out into the community into age-appropriate situations (Gymboree, McDonald's, the playground) with some of those moms and their kids. Those situations will be difficult, but BOTH you and your child will need to learn to negotiate them, so the earlier you start, the better. Also, include your child's father in this as much as you can. My son is 16 and my husband and I have learned to survive autism by "tag-team" parenting. Plus, kids learn different things from the different genders. If mom is always the one to be the "expert." not only does dad feel left out, but the child suffers. Especially if the divide gets so great, the marriage is in jeopardy. That's another thing -- take good care of your marriage. Seek counseling, if necessary. The only thing worse than a family facing autism is having to face it alone.

Of course, this is all just MHO.

tzoya39346.1330324074

Jeremy has no speech at 22 months. Autism is autism, but the Autism traits differ and change over the yrs for some- but not for others.....hard to say where any of these kids will be in 2, 5, or even 10 yrs.

He is 11 and fully,fully verbal now.

He has autism- BUT- with early intervention has done well.

No school is perfect- there are probably many good schools out there.

Ny and NJ are good....So many places out there....

Good luck

nice, Tzoya.......

We lived in New Jersey when Nick was diagnosed with infantile autism. But we got free services through EI (ABA (20 hours) speech, OT) before he was diagnosed. He gained eye contact, started talking again, less tantruming.
Then we moved to Boulder, Colorado-services went from great to 2 hours a week. Luckily he was almost three. When looking at preschools, we knew we had to move. We moved to a different county within 6 mos. to get him in a special autism preschool.
I have to say to move to get the services your child needs because early intervention helps. My child went from severe to high functioning within three years. We still have a long, long way to go, but we can communicate and bond and that is great