DS with IEP -- DCPS Sp. Ed. or Private Pre-K?

[Anonymous]

DS' (just turned 4) preschool teachers raised a concern that he was somewhat disengaged in school and had limited peer interactions and suggested evaluations. A developmental pediatrician at KKI concluded that DS was not on the spectrum but may present with a pragmatic language issue. Early Stages in DC also evaluated him and found that his cognitive and language development was normal. However following a classroom observation, they recommended he be tested to rule out ASD. Early Stages administered the ADOS and concluded that DS was not on the spectrum. However, based on the tests and classroom observations, they determined that DS did present some developmental delay for social/emotional and drafted an IEP. We are still in the dark about exactly what's going on. DS has made some progress and he will engage in free play with other children with prompts but he still remains awkward in social situations. He is hesitant to jump into a group of kids but once he warms up, he will participate. Yet, some part of him seems to hang back. He has no perseverations, special interests, fine or gross motor issues etc.

The goals look pretty modest (initiating communication with peers, greetings, developing understanding of nonverbal cues etc.) and the support is for 2 hours a month for an SLP and 4 hours a month for a Sp. Ed. teacher if we accept placement in the in-boundary DCPS school. Sadly, the school doesn't have a glowing reputation (I know this is PreK) and we are considering whether to keep DS in his current private preschool. Since the goals are largely social/emotional, we are discussing with his current preschool about how they might accomodate him (pairing DS with a buddy for reading/chores etc, visual schedule etc.)

Should we keep him in his current preschool in a familiar setting and work with him in the classroom or switch him to a DCPS preK? How well does DCPS Sp. Ed. handle social/emotional delays? Are the goals and services in the IEP reasonable? Should we ask for more, or tweak the IEP later?

Any thoughts are appreciated. TIA

[Anonymous]

Your DS sounds very similar to my DD, who was recently diagnosed with "probable" AS. For my DD a small class, low student-teacher ratios, and a play-based curriculum (so teachers could focus more on her social growth) are key. I don't have any experience with dcps, but my gut says you'd be more likely to find those things in private. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I would keep him at his current private preK where he's familiar since it looks like they are only providing bare bones in his IEP. What your son really needs is a social skills group preferably at school and caring, knowledgeable, motivated teachers who can facilitate social interactions. See what his current preschool can provide. Our public charter started a social skills group for my mainstreamed AS/ASD son as well as other kids who need it.

Is Dr. Shapiro going to observe your DS at school? From your description, it does not sound like your current preK or the DCPS are a good "fit" for your DS. If I were you, I would look into Bridges, Creative Minds charters or Maddox for K.

[Anonymous]

should read "...DCPS is providing bare bones in his IEP."

[Anonymous]

I would keep your son in his preschool setting and request a conference with his teacher(s) to share the findings and the suggested strategies for drawing him more into the group. From your family perspective try and encourage play dates with other kids on the weekends and over school breaks. Is there a sport he might enjoy trying out with Dad on the weekend such as kiddie t-ball or soccer or going to gym class?

Also, you might consider staying in touch with a developmental as opposed to your local pediatrician to perhaps in a year help you make the decision about whether another year in a preschool setting might be of benefit to him. In this case, you might want to consider then shifting to the local DCPS school he might be attending with the clear goal of continuing to bring his skills in line across all the domains. Again, I do not know his age, size - but in general I would always encourage parents of a boy with any kind of developmental delay to spend an extra year in the early years. Why - because schools are just such a "push" now and in so many ways geared to the educational style of "girls" with sitting for long periods and quiet seat work. And even typical boys are just usually socially behind the girls.....

[Anonymous]

OP here:
14:10 -- We are leaning towards keeping him at his current preschool for pre-K with the understanding that at least some of the recommended interventions in his IEP be implemented. We are looking into
Dr. Shapiro but the wait list is long. The supports recommended by Early Stages are so minimal that we don't think warrants disrupting his daily routine. The teachers will be new and he will have a new
classroom to go to (from the PS-3 to the PK-4). Let's see how it goes.

15:23 -- We have signed him up for dramatics, soccer, swimming etc. and are making the effort to have playdates every week. We do plan to return to KKI next year to see whether they recommed another year of preschool or move on to K. It's just that he's perfectly fine with the structured activities (drawing, writing, craft) but not free play. He has also been reading level 1 books and writing a little this past 3 months. So
it might be hard to not move onto K next year.

Thanks all.

[Anonymous]

Ivymount has an outreach program where people will come and observe and make recommendations. I havent used it, but I've heard great things about it, and I don't think there's a waiting list.

[Anonymous]

13:05 here. Like I said, your child sounds very similar to mine. You might want to look into maddux for k.

[Anonymous]

14:10 again.

I agree with you on not holding your son back. My August birthday boy with AS/ASD turning 5 is going on time for K and there are no advantages to hold back only for social/emotional reasons when your child is on track or advanced academically. My son had "buddies" in his classroom and the fact that he was the youngest helped simply b/c it makes more sense to need help when you are younger. All of his buddies were girls and they doted on him and were very sweet and helpful. I don't think this would have been the case had DS been one of the oldest. 4/5 yr olds are well aware how old their classmates are.

DS also got a social boost b/c he does well academically. He attends an immersion language school and they have weekly contests pitting boys against girls in the target language. When DS participates, the boys win which usually never happens. DS is well liked and even popular in spite of his social deficits.

I really think it's important to play up our kids strengths and simply holding a kid back is pointless.

Good luck, OP!