MCPS PEP -- does anything exist to supplement PEP Pilot?

[Anonymous]

I made specific recs on your other thread and then you posted again. Sorry, but you just sound really whiny. Hire a consultant if you want more help. I am the first person to criticize MoCo but there are only a limited number of options.

[Anonymous]

Op, continue to post here. You also may want to join and post questions on mcneeds.org. I think that what you are looking for may not exist (I am not sure b/c my dc went to pep equivalent in another state). Unfortunately, you may just have to work with the programs that exist, even if they aren't ideal to your situation. As I said, I am not familiar with the pep programs here. But when my dc went to the special ed preschool in the other state, she got her speech and occupational therapy in the program. However, the following year, I put her in a "typical" preschool and she was able to get itinerant services through the school district. A child could not get itinerant services and a special needs preschool. Again, this was in another state but I have a feeling that it is either/or here too -- you do pep or you do itinerant services. Another poster can correct me if I am wrong.

Another question is whether there is a different pep collaborative classroom that you could observe to see if it would be a better fit (if I recall from your post, the pep collaborative is the program with nt peers). Each classroom is different b/c of the kids and the teachers. Press to look at a couple of others (not sure how many there are in the county).

Finally, I will say that when my dc was in preschool, I, too, was very concerned about exposing her to nt peers, especially for the social language piece (hence the move to the "typical" preschool). Looking back, she got more out of being with children like her and practicing the back and forth with experienced special education teachers. Just my two cents on that.

Good luck, op. It sounds like you have a lot going on.

[Anonymous]

She wouldn't get speech 2x a week at a typical public preschool. Kids who need speech more than once a wk are placed into PEP collaborative. OP has the option of getting services privately too.

It looks like she agreed to PEP Pilot but now feels the services it provides isn't enough while she thinks PEP collaborative is "wrong" for her DD. Well, those are the free public options. If she wants something that will suit her child better, she should go to a private SN school. I'm sure her experts can make suggestions.

[Anonymous]

So why didn't your child fit into PEP Classic? She could spend the other half of the day in a daycare with typical students. Then you get half and half.

[Anonymous]

In her first thread OP explained that Classic didn't work because DC was the highest functioning kid. It's not the program she has a problem with it's the particular classroom. This is why she is getting jumped on. No parent in public school can pick specific classrooms.

[Anonymous]

OP again: listen, I really had a simple question - I was looking for information as to whether there is something one can add to PEP pilot that I didn't know about. We have been in this system for two months and know nothineg. The IEP team has told us that Classic and Collaboration aren't appropriate placements and I wondered if I am missing something. I am not a "whiner" nor am I a "racist" - I was simpy posting (albeit repetitive) background information I thought might be better than posting the simple question because I thought my post might reach different people than the first post. I'm not sure why I feel the need to defend myself here, but apparently the anonymity of this forum gives people the freedom to be cruel. At least that's my hope, as opposed to the possibility that those who have been so critical would do so if I was a member of your community (if we shared a SN class and I came to you for help, etc.). I won't post again on this thread. In fact, if anyone knows how I can delete it, I'd prefer to not look at it again!!!

[Anonymous]

Why not go to typical preschool and go for itinerant services for speech. Would that work? Can't you call a meeting of the IEP people and ask about that. Pep Pilot is only 5 yours a week, so it is not like you are giving up a whole lot. Just go full time to typical preschool and get itinerant services. She will not be the highest functioning in her typical preschool. Maybe you need a smaller size classroom for typical preschool. So maybe a different typical preschool.