PEP C and napping

[Anonymous]

My child is being recommended for PEP and our IT service coordinator has
indicated (although I realize she can only recommend, not place him) that the
team thinks PEP C is the right placement for him. The other suitable placement
would be PEP Classic. I understand that in PEP C 3 year olds do not get a nap.
With 5 hours of instruction and bus transportation that means at least a 6 hour
day. My kid has some low grade medical issues, one of the symptoms of which is
fatigue. He takes at least a two hour (if not longer) nap every day. What kind
of accommodations do they have to make for us? I don't think he can physically
sustain 5 hours of instruction, 5 days a week for the long term. Has anyone
else dealt with this?

Also, I originally posted this to an SN list I'm on and one mom said that they will let her kid use a cot if needed.
It seems unhealthy to me to ask a kid who truly needs sleep to go without it. I wonder about asking the system
to make scheduling changes. Ideally, I'd like my kid to have more instruction that Pep classic (4 days a week for 2.5 hours)
and less than C (5 days, 5 hours).

[Anonymous]

I could have written your post when my child was about to turn 3. (DC has just turned six and is in kindergarten, still napping every day). It's going to work out.

If your child needs to sleep during PEP C, he will do so. On the floor mat, on a cot, in a quiet corner. But you will find that he makes a transition to the day's schedule. He may sleep on the bus coming home or take a nap there. He will get used to it and if he needs to sleep, he will. It's going to work out. It's not "five hours of instruction." It's pre-school. If he needs to rest, he rests.

[Anonymous]

I'm in the same boat. My DD will be going into CAPP, which is a 6 hour day for5 days/ week. She is just turning 3 and takes a 2 hour nap every day. I was told by the program director that there is no nap time, but if DD actually falls asleep then they'll let her close her eyes for 10 mins. The coordinator said that if I'm worried about the nap then perhaps this isn't the right placement for DD. Well, DD was DXed with autism and this is the only MCPS SN program to offer ABA. Therefore, I say MCPS has it all wrong! CAPP is the most appropriate placement for DD, but MCPS really should offer the same programs three year olds with a shorter day than the 4 year olds. Sure DD will adjust, but I feel that sleep is VERY important for development so we shouldn't be denying our SN kids of their naps.

[Anonymous]

20:00, have you had your IEP meeting yet? Those coordinators can say lots of things but can't really implement anything, as I understand it. Given that we have a diagnosis for a fatigue-causing disorder I am wondering what we can ask for. You hear all the time how important sleep is to well-being and the maintenance of good health. The whole notion of "they'll just have to get through it" is very poorly thought out when it comes to a child's developing brain. I want my kid to get something out of the pep program but if he's constantly exhausted I have no idea how learning will take place.