School for SeptemberI am really on the fence about what to do with ds as far as school next year. I have tons of choices, there are great preschools here that I have to pick from, for which I am ery thanksful!!! My problem lies with the amount of ABA or class size I want. Right now he is in an 8:1:1 with his twin brother. He gets 12.5 hours of ABA at home, speech and OT at school. I can put him in an ABA or a CABAS school next year for half days then get ABA at home, OR I can put him in a "regular" special ed pre-school, and have to choose from an 8:1:1 or a 12:1:2 class ratio. Everyone I talk to has different opinions (different motivations as well). The ABA team seems to think a less restrictive environment with higher level peers (12:1:1) and ABA at home would work the best. His current teacher seems to think an 8:1:1 is still needed (her class). The developmental Ped seems to think that we should push for ABA as much as possible and go with the ABA school and the ABA at home. Ds has shown so much improvement in his language and eye contact since ABA has started (four weeks ago). He needs work on his circle time skills, his interaction with his peers, and generalization isn't as evident in school yet, but it is early. He has great play skills (imaginary) and fine motor tasks come easy to him. He is friendly and playful with his brothers and friends he knows. He needs seem to be more social and I am afraid a full day of one to one ABA / CABAS will not let him learn those skills. But I also want him to get the therapy he needs. I have my CPSE (transition from EI to school district)meeting in two weeks and I can't decide what I want. I don't have to know by that day, but it would help if I was closer to a decision. Thanks if you got this far : We also have 5 hours week ABA at home. We have always had it, but now keep it to make up for the loss of learning in non-ABA environment. My ds never had serious behaviors, so I feel he should have never been put in ABA. However, we were told by everyone that ABA is/was the only PROVEN effective treatment for autism. This is just my experience. I would go with your ABA team's recommendation. This is similar to what we did with my son in his last year of pre-school, and he flourished. Is he's somewhat socially motivated, having him with higher level peers should help. We also enrolled my son in a 1/2 day private pre-school of all NT peers and had an ABA shadow him there to assist with social skill development. My son is now fully mainstreamed without an aide. I credit this to both the ABA he received at home as well as the supported social interaction he received at both schools. I would do as much 1:1 ABA for him that you can and use any free time after school and weekends to put him in social groups or clubs and to generalize his skills taught by ABA..my dd is mainstreamed both kindy and now first grade without an aide and I owe it all to ABA too. I had her in a afternoon playgroup for 2 years and now she is in gymnastics doing awesome. We had no choice but to do it out of pocket..the school dont offer ABA here. She never had aggressive behaviors or stims but she really needed to learn how to attend and listen to others without zoning out....she has no problems with this now and she is also very verbal..she was had less than 5 words a day at 3 years old. She required more 1:1 therapy or else she would totally zone out. Best of luck!Thanks for all the input! So much to think about  . I have talked to them about it, repeatedly and at great length. They always say he is doing great. The ECI people also believe he is doing well. My not seeing the progress I want to see may just be an indication of his limitations, but I don't know how to know that.
Cade's Mommy -- Welcome to the forum. If you don't feel your son's making adequate progress in his ABA program, talk to them about it. As far as studying something goes, learning to be an advocate or occupational therapist would sure be directly useful. Feel free to start your own topic on this and any other questions you might have. mytrine -- I'm assuming that the ABA team knows your son better than the Developmental Pediatrician. If that's the case, I'd go with the ABA team's recommendation. What type of placement is he in now with his twin? Would he be with his twin in any of the proposed placements? I hope kristys sees your question, since she has twins, too. Here are some checklists that you can use to help you evaluate classrooms/schools: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art44663.asp - a good one by an autism mom, with lots of comments. http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13687&am p;am p;am p;KW=special+classes - from New Mexico Early Childhood Transition Initiative (originally found at the following address: http://www.ped.state.nm.us/seo/preschool/90.day.transition.g uidance.doc http://www.paulakluth.com/articles/schoolinclusive.html - is the school really inclusive or full of hot air? http://www.speechteach.co.uk/p_resource/parent/whichschool.h tm - questions to ask to help you decide which school for my child? http://www.spedschools.com/Placementinfo/parentcheck.htm - from Massachusetts Good luck, whatever you decide. My autistic son Cade is 30 months old, has been in therapy since he was 15 months, I've read tons of information, but reading this message board makes me feel like I don't know anything! He's in a 30-hr./wk ABA therapy program, falls asleep as soon as he gets home. I see some progress, but not enough. He says a few words in therapy (verified by ECI therapists) and I get a few approximations at home, but that's it, and nothing really spontaneous.Notime, what would you do if you had it to do over? The spectrum is so broad that I don't know if I can base what I do for my son on what worked for any one person, but I'm worried that ABA may not be all he needs. Research does support ABA, but I don't like that he's no longer getting OT like he did at his former therapy center. He does stim but doesn't tantrum, is very sweet, makes great eye contact on his own terms. He seems intelligent, is good with gears and TV remotes, etc.. I have to decide what to do about keeping him in his current program v. half day there and half day in public school. I had hoped to see more progress by this time and have more to base my decision on. I'm really confused about what to do. I also am trying to decide on a course of study for a Masters degree in something that will benefit him. There's an ABA program sort of close, but it's a horrible commute and I don't know if I want to study that anyway. I want to change careers, help my son, and get a degree I can use to then go into a PhD program in neuropsychology with the goal of teaching and doing autism research. But what should I study first? Thanks for any advice. Nancy Cade's Mommy -- It sounds like maybe you're not on the same page with the team about what the goals should be, or that maybe they're not being specific enough about goals and progress. If you're a paying customer, they want to keep you and don't want you to doubt their program. But the money is a good reason for you to be skeptical and demand solid proof that what they're doing is both meaningful and effective. Has your son undergone testing to identify specific delays? If so, is the ABA training concentrating on those deficits? Maybe if you can post some details, someone with ABA experience can tell you if the goals and the time it takes to achieve them sound reasonable. Good luck with everything. |
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