PEP vs Maddux
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Anonymous
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When you say "Center for Autism" do you mean David Black's shop, CAAT? If so, Dr. Black has worked with plenty of families at Maddux and everywhere else, and could give you good advice about where would be a good fit. "Mild" and "moderate" labels are tough, because all of our kids have strengths and weaknesses that are hugely diverse and vary not just by situation but also from one day to the next. And our society is so judgmental about social differences that no form of autism is a mild problem, really, in the sense that a physical limitation or stutter might be. Nobody uproots their family and spends $30k+ for a special needs preschool for a problem that is actually mild.
It's possible that buried in one of your reports is a reference to a "level" between 1 and 3, which is how the DSM-V classifies the severity of autism. Those descriptions are here: https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/diagnosis/dsm-5-diagnostic-criteria There's a lot of diversity at Maddux, including kids whose issues are language or anxiety based, kids who have some challenges but don't really fit a diagnosis, and even typically developing siblings. I think you would describe the kids who have ASD as L1 generally, although I think that almost any usually-L1 kid can look like the L2 description on a bad day or in a bad moment. The best way to get a sense for fit is to go visit. They have tours and open houses this time of year, and I suspect that just walking around you'll get a sense of whether you can see your child there. Best of luck. |
Anonymous
| Most of the kids we saw at Maddux had asd. They will say no but they clearly did, in mild forms. It's not a place for ADHD with behaviors. |
Anonymous
| This is 17:32 and I agree that the profile that 20-05 describes is the kind of kid Maddux serves best. I should add that we did two years of five day PEP and one was fine and one was great with the quality of instruction and communication being really top notch. Are you coming out of I&T? As you make this decision you should have a case manager arranging visits to the various PEP programs in the spring. Seeing those will help you make a decision. An advocate can also help you decide on placement. You can also access speech and special education services through the county even if you are enrolled in private school or get a payment to help pay for private services if you forego the county SLP. |
Anonymous
That's just not true. There are definitely kids with ASD there, but I know many former students and some current ones who have don't have autism. It's a mixed bag. For the parent who thought PEP would be so much better, you list of complaints about Maddux pales in comparison with the complaints I had about PEP. |
Anonymous
| I'm glad you're having a good experience but for our tuition dollars and the small class that she had, it would have been nice if my kid's lead teacher actually gave a crap about his success or him in general. |
Anonymous
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You should definitely tour. Maddux is very upfront about whether they think they can serve your child. But, for a kid with the profile you describe, I imagine PEP would be a half-day offering with a mix of NT kids in the class. Personally, I think it's just not enough support and the full-day pre-k in a supportive environment is best. As discussed, "mild" ASD can still be tough.
To the PP who didn't feel like the school cared about her kid... that is really not the Maddux I have come to know. |
Anonymous
Ok.cool. -are there kids with ADHD and behaviors? I saw a bunch of kids with serious social issues. I was told this was the case. Let's not hide in corners. |
Anonymous
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Pep is amazing. Truly.
/'c |
Anonymous
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I have no idea about Maddux but have kids in PEP - PEP Pilot is just 5 hrs/week with NT and SN kids - It is not enough. I haven't seen DC achieve any of the goals in the IEP.
Pep Classic is 4 days (for 3 yr olds) with 2 1/2 hrs/day. Kids in this class are all SN kids and be warned that they pick up each others behaviors - appropriate and not appropriate. If you go with this Classic class, I suggest that you also supplement with typical peer interaction at a private Pre-K if your child is on the higher end of the spectrum. The teachers are wonderful but overwhelmed in the PEP Classic class. |
Anonymous
| We were at Maddux but not PEP. I'd say half the kids had a mild ASD diagnosis and virtually all had ADHD, us included. Some kids definitely had more intense behaviors and those parents felt the stress of that. For us, it was a great experience, but after a point we needed a more mainstream environment. They were less helpful with the transition out, but that's to be expected given the money aspect. |
Anonymous
Hmmm. In Virginia there is integrated half iep kids half non for four year olds and it's five days a week. They don't do that in D.C. Or md? |
Anonymous
| In MD there is a version of that in PEP, PEP Collaboration but it is only available in select schools. My guess is that it's because it's more expensive to hire both a gen ed and sped teacher for the same group of kids. |
Anonymous
| From OP's description, I don't think her kid would qualify for Pep Collaborative. Sounds like s/he would get the less intensive 2 day/week program. So, comparing the options between the 5 hours week from PEP and a full day at Maddux, and cost not being prohibitive, I would choose Maddux. |
Anonymous
| OP here. My child is in PEP Classic which meets 4 mornings a week. We just haven't seen her learning/progressing as we would like and feel she is instead picking up some bad behaviors she didn't have prior to starting PEP. That is why we are considering Maddux for preK. We do feel she needs the supports of a special needs preschool but with less behavior issues. |
Anonymous
No one's hiding, PP--whatever that means. Wow, get over the fact that your kid didn't get in. |