Advice needed re Montgomery County ASD & Preschool resources

[Anonymous]

Hi. I'm new to all this. My 3.5 yo was just diagnosed with high functioning ASD (either PDD-NOS or Aspergers, still TBD, but includes some motor planning and sensory issues. His language skills appear strong though), and I need all the help I can get.

He is currently in a Montessori program that is a terrible fit, but we will take him out in January. Doc suggested intensive therapy and social skills groups for spring/summer, and then a more appropriate preschool for his 4 year old year in the fall. Unfortunately since he was diagnosed at Kennedy-Krieger, they didn't have a perfect sense of local resources. I have a lot of work to do. I need to find an OT, developmental psych, social skills group, and preschool for fall. We are in Bethesda.

I am worried about timing and that we won't find space for him.

Through research I have found TLC and Floortime as possibilities for social skills groups. Any others out there? Am I correct that insurance will likely not cover any of this cost?

Childfind: How long will an eval take? What about the IEP process? Will they get the ball rolling with just the KKI diagnosis or should I expect a major delay? Will we have enough time to get into possible special ed preschool through the county by the fall? If so, do ASD kids to the PEP program, or something else? Would this be at Ashburton or Montgomery Knolls?

Private preschools: If we can't get into PEP, or it's not a good fit, what are the private preschools to look at for high functioning ASD kids? Is that Maddux or Ivymount? Diener? Any others? If we wanted Lab School, is there a "feeder" pre-K for that? I'm not even sure if Lab is appropriate for high functioning ASD, just guessing. Any others to think about? Also, are these schools uber-competititive with long wait lists and not worth the stress of applying? Do regular people get in?

and finally, are there other message boards or listservs I can turn to with all these questions? I am feeling overwhelmed, and having a hard time piecing together all the resources.

Thanks in advance, DCUM community.

[Anonymous]

Maddux, maddux, maddux. Call and see about it. The preschool class is really small this year and maybe they could take him midyear? Also Lucy Cohen and Andrea mullins may have some good advice for you in other areas. Plus their approach is all about the social and pragmatics, so that might obviate the need for social skills groups.

If youre looking for OT we are delighted with ITS.

I can feel your sense of urgency and anxiety. We've been there. Please feel free to email me if you need to. [e-mail]

good luck.

[Anonymous]

OP - Hi. Sorry for your situation, but glad that you were able to get into KK and get some answers.

We have different issues than you have (e.g., sensory issues (feeding)). With that caveat, we are currently using Colette Silver an OT affiliated with Teri Kozlowski at Integrated Therapy Services - Developmental Therapy Services (ITS-DTS) located in Kensington, MD. We have heard good things about many therapists there. We have only been going a few months but I like what I see.

It will take a little while to get an intake evaluation and for them to develop a therapy plan. So, if you want to use them my advice would be to call and get an appointment.

Best of luck and when you get your team assembled please post back again. It is useful to hear how other parents assemble their experts and who they go to for what (services, advice, diagnosis). This world is very complicated.

[Anonymous]

TLC has a program (interaction program??) that teaches kids interaction skills through OT and play. I can't remember the exact name of the program but I believe they have a 2 or 3 day option. This would give your child the basics in a program that has a smalll ratio of students

[rblumgart]

Hi. I'm new to all this as well. Although my DS does not have a diagnosis as this point (we're trying to find a dev. pediatrician) we are trying to find a good preschool. He was in a Montessori program which was an awful fit so now he is in a play-based program. Has only been there for 2 days and I'm not sure if it's a good fit either. On another forum/post someone mentioned Karasik preschool. Here's the link. Could be helpful. I called and had a nice conversation with the program director.

http://thearcofmontgomerycounty.com/program-services/children/karasik-child-care-center.html