Help me find a great preschool for an autistic 2.5 year old
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Anonymous
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My good friend lives in northern VA with her sweet autistic son who is 2.5. She’s done all of the evaluations to get him into free preschool programming. She had the IEP meeting this week and toured the proposed placement and was extremely disappointed (teachers on phones, kids watching cartoons, etc.).
I would love to help her look at private schools/preschools/daycares that could best serve her kid. Her son is very sweet and social (good eye contact, plays peek a boo, loves to be chased, etc.), but he only has a few words and doesn’t follow simple verbal instructions. I don’t know the full extent of his diagnosis, but these are the parts she’s shared with me—language processing disorder, severe non verbal autism diagnosis. She’s not on DCUM, so I told her that I would post and see if anyone could make recommendations. Her ideal environment for him would be a joyful, language-rich preschool. She lives in northern VA and works in DC so she’s looking in those areas. She’s middle class, so may need the possibility of financial aid (though I have the sense that she’s willing to invest every spare dollar in finding a great school for her son). He’s currently in a daycare, but now that he has a diagnosis, she wants an environment with truly excellent educators who understand autism. If you have ideas for preschools and daycares in the area that are great for autistic kids who need lots of language and stimulation, please provide your suggestions! |
Anonymous
| Autism mom here- preschool is very likely not the best fit for this child yet. Toddlers on the spectrum often do best with the one on one attention provided with ABA, especially if there are language delays. Look into naturalistic, play-based ABA methods. |
Anonymous
+ 1. and privates are very expensive. |
Anonymous
| have her look at this. But if fortunate enough to get in she would have to move.https://www.kennedykrieger.org/patient-care/centers-and-programs/center-for-autism-and-related-disorders/pre-k-program |
Anonymous
| The Diener School in Maryland may be if some help but it doesn't start until K (and expensive) |
Anonymous
| +1 to ABA. I'd find an ABA center close to her home or work. My 4-year-old dayghter is in a great preschool but doesn't require any additional supports. At 2.5 years old she was receive 35 hours of at-home ABA -- and that early intensive intervention is why she can attend a traditional preschool and thrive. |
Anonymous
| Op here. Would love the names of the daycares where you’ve sent your kids. He’s in a daycare that’s fine now, but it’s really not meeting his needs. He does have speech and OT, which help, but it’s bit enough. |
Anonymous
+1 Preschool is not what he needs. Look for a good ABA center. We go to one that is set up like a preschool for part of the day, and my dd is finally making progress. |
Anonymous
| Please don’t pressure a mom whose instincts are saying not to do ABA to ignore those instincts. The majority of people who have experienced ABA experience it as abuse. It also makes kids incredibly vulnerable to sexual abuse as kids are explicitly taught not to protest. |
Anonymous
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Op here. I’m not planning on pressuring her at all, though I appreciate your reminder since suggestions can feel like pressure, particularly when you’re in a crisis.
I’m just trying to support her by helping her with her research. I told her how helpful this forum has been to me for adhd issues and offered to post about her desire to find an excellent setting for her sweet son. She’s already paying for private daycare and engaging in speech/OT (and maybe other services she hasn’t mentioned). While the daycare is fine, it’s really not the best setting for her kid so she’d like to explore moving him. Any suggestions for great daycare settings (or preschool settings for next year) would be appreciated. She’s happy to commute pretty far within DC and northern VA. The suggestion in Baltimore looks amazing but that may be too far (though I’ll send it to her as she might be willing to relocate). Keep the suggestions coming! |
Anonymous
| Karasik in Silver Spring. It is run by the Arc of Montgomery County, and is intentionally inclusive of children with special needs. It is a wonderful place. Our child has flourished in the year he has been there. Since we are MoCo residents we do receive special education services there, so that has made a difference as well. They do not require 3 year olds to be fully toilet trained which was a huge blessing for us. |
Anonymous
She toured a preschool at a public school and the teachers were on the phone and kids were talking watching cartoon? Didn’t know public school teachers were allowed to do that. |
Anonymous
I have a 2.5 year old son who was kicked out of his daycare for noncompliance and biting. He has not been diagnosed but he has a mild speech delay. I posted on here asking whether he should go to a special ed preschool or stay home to have one on one until he’s 3, and everyone said go to the special Ed preschool because he needs EI. But I suppose if there is an autism diagnosis, ABA would be first choice? |
Anonymous
| Dolley Madison in McLean. “We are a structured, play based preschool with a focus on social-emotional development, communication skills, and academic readiness. We also offer inclusive speech and language services for children with communication delays, for a few students in each class.” My kid went there years ago, and it was great and he’s been great…but I kind of wish sometimes that we had sent him to public preschool and saved the money for other interventions later…but I’m not honestly sure it would have made a difference in the long run anyway! |
Anonymous
| If he has a medical diagnosis of autism, I would look at the ABA centers. It should be covered by insurance which, for us, brought the cost down to about the same as an average half day preschool and less expensive than full day preschool/day care. |