Kicked out of preschool

[Anonymous]

My ADHD/mood disorder 4 year old just got kicked out of his preschool. I can't blame them since they can't handle him- he is aggressive toward other students and staff- so it is definitely not a good fit. We are working hard with a behaviorist and numerous doctors and he is making great progress (which the school knows...) BUT I have no idea what to do now. Without him beign in school we can't really work on the skills (he is not aggressive outside of school), but there is a very short window of time before schools are out for the summer. BTW, he does not have an IEP- we are in the screening process.

My question- does anyone know of any school that would take a child on for just a month or two or should we just leave him out of school?

We live in MOCO.

Thanks for any suggestions and help!

[Anonymous]

Has he been evaluated by the county?

[Anonymous]

We have started the evaluation process, but he currently does not have a 504 or IEP. We are delayed becuase although there were signs of trouble, the bigger aggression piece did not start until late January.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Call Montgomery County special needs preschool office and explain the situation-they might let him start without having an official IEP.

[Anonymous]

It is unlikely that another private preschool will take him on unless you agree to shadow him or hire a shadow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call Montgomery County special needs preschool office and explain the situation-they might let him start without having an official IEP.

This. Otherwise, I would keep him at home. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

The Maddux school might be a fit but I don't think they would take him on just for a month.

Auburn School

[Anonymous]

Private schools even SN ones will not take kids who are aggressive. The OP's best bet is public school.

[Anonymous]

Also, if you talk to MoCo schools, mention to them it would be advantageous for the preschool teachers to get a feel for his issues this year before recommending a (public) preschool plan for next year (I'm assuming he has one more year of preschool before K).

[Anonymous]

I agree with the pp's to try to get him into a special ed preschool and if you can't, keep him home. I would intensify the therapy if you can afford it. I would also ask your behaviorist if he/she has any suggestions for schools that may be a good fit. Good luck, op, this is a tough situation.

[Anonymous]

I second the recommendation to hire a shadow or facilitator to help him at school. Just make sure you get an experienced one who is trained in dealing with behaviors.

Is your child on medication? Did anything happen in January that may have provoked the aggressive behavior?

[Anonymous]

OP, my nephew was kicked out of a private preschool for aggression. The school, like your son's, had no idea how to handle him and what was just "challenging" behavior at home turned into "aggressive" while at school. My sister did what you're doing - called the public school and arranged for an eval. Eval came back as sensory seeking but otherwise fine - just needed really, really predictable, structured environment. My nephew entered a preschool that would work with their town's services and behavioral plans, and he did outstandingly well. He is in 4th grade now, in a public school, doing amazingly well academically, and mostly well behaviorally. When he has problems with his behavior, it's always when things are unpredictable or a teacher is very loosy-goosy and unstructured. The school psych knows how to work with him and is a great interventionist in his behalf.

It really makes sense to get your child into a good, supportive, hands-on environment. Often a child like yours or my nephew who is "high energy" or "spirited" can become aggressive in a bad situation but that will go away in the right environment. Do not let anyone label your child as "aggressive" -- he is aggressive in bad settings for him. The challenge now (and the county hopefully will help) is to find what a "good" situation is for him.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP- he has had a shadow since early February, but even with the shadow the preschool feels that he is too much for them. He is not aggressive with other kdis at this point, but he has still had some issues with the teachers (much less frequently) which other kids are picking up on and starting to copy. Again, I don't blame the preschool- they are not equipped to handle him and it is clearly not the right environment. My issue is more with timing. He is slated to start kindergarten this Fall, so I would only be using the new preschool for a couple of months. I would love to get him into a special needs preschool- but without an IEP they have said no. How do I get him to keep moving in the right direction without a school? SHould I beg the county for more immediate help?

In answer to a few questions- nothing happened in January that we know of, though he did have a fever that some feel might have impacted him. We have been (cautiously) playing with medications, and he has calmed down and is clearly improving, but not at the rate that the school needed. We have also been working closely with a developmental pediatrician, therapist, psychologist,a nd behaviorist. We are trying...

To the poster who had a similar situation- thank you- I needed to hear that there could be positive outcomes!

[Anonymous]

Beg the county. Tell him he was kicked out of private preschool and you can't enroll him in another one. Tell them he will definitely qualify for an IEP but that it still in process. Tell them it will benefit them greatly to have a handle on his classroom behavior and social skills before K placement, and his IEP will be in place by then. The school calendar runs until mid-June and there is still a lot of calendar year left.

[Anonymous]

11:31 again. My son was in PEP and got a new child to his class - one who would remain in the same class the following year, with the same teacher (lucky him!) - in May the year he was in the 4 yr old class. So definitely try, OP. GL!