New HFA diagnosis, pull out from current preschool & consider special-need preschool?

[Anonymous]

My 3 year old boy has global developmental delay (expressive & receptive language, cognitive delay, and minor social-emotional delay) since he was 2 year old, and I have put him in a regular preschool for six months already. He is friendly & loves to play with adults/kids, willing to participate in every classroom activities, but sometimes has some disruptive behaviors (e.g. not sitting at circle time, fight toys with other kids, doing his own things as a weirdo, eat really slow at mealtime etc). Good thing that the preschool teacher (non special-need trained) & director have been accommodating & we have been trying to work on those behaviors as goals. He is happy being there, and he is talking a little bit more and playing more interactively with other kids in his classroom. He is also in PEP program that school bus come pick him up/drop him off from this preschool, and we also supplement him with outside private speech therapies.

Here is the question, he is just recently diagnosed with HFA a week ago, and I have notified his current preschool already. They are fine with it because my boy's behavior is not too disruptive, and the director/his teachers are also surprised with the diagnosis too. My boy greet them every day when he sees them at school with hug & words like "Hi!", "Bye", "I love you"!. He is a sweet boy. They say he acts like a normal kids just on the naughty side sometimes, and with language delay. However, I have been suspicious of him autistic long time ago because he has some repetitive behaviors, loves abc/numbers, and speech delay. I am surprised with HFA diagnosis because I thought HFA kids have no language delay problem.

With HFA diagnosis, does that mean I should consider putting him at a special-need preschool with more supports, eg. Karasik, Ivymount etc because they have more expertise & supports? He is learning in current preschool, and he loves it. Even he is learning at his own rate (slower than other average kids), but I see progress over time, trying to catching up a bit. I hesitate to change his preschool because he loves it there & I am satisfied with the current preschool, but I am also concerned that maybe special-need preschool may help/support him more even though I hear mixed reviews about those special-need preschool (strict enrollment, some teachers/directors are not that nice/accommodating, and many kids with different special needs are sometimes put in the same classroom). What factors should I consider? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Tour some other schools and see what you think and ask these questions of any other schools you tour.

But PEP and his current school may well be a great combination for now.

[Anonymous]

If he is being relatively successful in his preschool and is making progress, I would continue with the PEP/typical preschool combination. Sounds like it is working for him.

[Anonymous]

There are pros and cons to each environment. But it seems like he is getting along very well. For me, my child was diagnosed as ASD Level 1 at age 3.5. We kept him in this type of set-up. 1/2 day at regular pre-k and 1/2 day at PEP.

The good part is that your child is benefiting from a lot of typical peer interaction. The bad part, from my perspective, is that my child was losing a bit of self-confidence and not getting the social supports that he really needed.

Here's the thing: I also found that most schools were "fine" with my child being there. But it was not until we went to a SN school that he was really loved for being there. You feel the difference in how your child is accepted. I found most "regular" pre-schools tolerated my child, while the SN school really got him and loved him for himself. That allowed him to really flourish.

BUT SN schools are seriously expensive.

[Anonymous]

No, I would not move him if he's doing well and they like him!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 3 year old boy has global developmental delay (expressive & receptive language, cognitive delay, and minor social-emotional delay) since he was 2 year old, and I have put him in a regular preschool for six months already. He is friendly & loves to play with adults/kids, willing to participate in every classroom activities, but sometimes has some disruptive behaviors (e.g. not sitting at circle time, fight toys with other kids, doing his own things as a weirdo, eat really slow at mealtime etc). Good thing that the preschool teacher (non special-need trained) & director have been accommodating & we have been trying to work on those behaviors as goals. He is happy being there, and he is talking a little bit more and playing more interactively with other kids in his classroom. He is also in PEP program that school bus come pick him up/drop him off from this preschool, and we also supplement him with outside private speech therapies.

Here is the question, he is just recently diagnosed with HFA a week ago, and I have notified his current preschool already. They are fine with it because my boy's behavior is not too disruptive, and the director/his teachers are also surprised with the diagnosis too. My boy greet them every day when he sees them at school with hug & words like "Hi!", "Bye", "I love you"!. He is a sweet boy. They say he acts like a normal kids just on the naughty side sometimes, and with language delay. However, I have been suspicious of him autistic long time ago because he has some repetitive behaviors, loves abc/numbers, and speech delay. I am surprised with HFA diagnosis because I thought HFA kids have no language delay problem.

With HFA diagnosis, does that mean I should consider putting him at a special-need preschool with more supports, eg. Karasik, Ivymount etc because they have more expertise & supports? He is learning in current preschool, and he loves it. Even he is learning at his own rate (slower than other average kids), but I see progress over time, trying to catching up a bit. I hesitate to change his preschool because he loves it there & I am satisfied with the current preschool, but I am also concerned that maybe special-need preschool may help/support him more even though I hear mixed reviews about those special-need preschool (strict enrollment, some teachers/directors are not that nice/accommodating, and many kids with different special needs are sometimes put in the same classroom). What factors should I consider? Thanks!

As the parent of a child who had global delays, I'd be wary of this diagnosis and proceed cautiously.

I'd keep him in the preschool he's happy in for now, and I'd get a better handle on what's available. For my son, I did a special ed preschool through the public schools half of the day, and a regular preschool he liked the other half days.

Also, I'd look at the testing results and find out if they did a non-verbal IQ test, and what my child's receptive language level is. It's hard for a child with little receptive language to participate fully. They simply don't understand the instructions.

My DC did much better being around peers. He learned by watching others, and you don't get those peer models in a segregated classroom.

Most every study says children do better in an inclusive setting.

[Anonymous]

We did PEP and ABA shadow at preschool. That might be an option to help him develop skills in mainstream school setting.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for all responses. It is true that my son has difficulty to communicate with teachers/other kids in this current preschool, and I don't think he understands fully the instructions & what they teach, but so far lucky that he seems not feeling less confident so far. He also tries his best to communicate with his limited words & body language to convey his ideas. But his preschool teacher keeps telling me that he understands more than he can talk, and he loves to be the teacher's little helper.

Even though he does not learn as much/fast as other kids, he is happy everyday from this current preschool. There was a few curious kids from his class ask me why he can't talk, I tell them he is working on it, but you guys are still friends. They accept that reason, and do not ask further. Kids are still innocent & simple-minded at his age. I really hope that he will catch up & improve more over time.

I agree with PP, and my son also learns the best when he imitates others. And, also I agree with another PP that I do also agree on some level that current preschool teachers & director are being on the nice side, "tolerate" & try to accommodate my DS's needs. I have never looked into special-need preschool, I'm curious in general how much do they cost per month for a 3 year old full day? We are currently paying $1,800 a month for my 3 year old at this current preschool full day. I think I will do a wait-and-see approach a bit to see how his perform & his progress, and will make a decision if he should stay or go.

[Anonymous]

The difference in price may lead you to keep him where he is and then you can use the savings to pay for supplemental therapies as needed. Teachers who love him and typically-developing peers to serve as role models are worth something, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for all responses. It is true that my son has difficulty to communicate with teachers/other kids in this current preschool, and I don't think he understands fully the instructions & what they teach, but so far lucky that he seems not feeling less confident so far. He also tries his best to communicate with his limited words & body language to convey his ideas. But his preschool teacher keeps telling me that he understands more than he can talk, and he loves to be the teacher's little helper.

Even though he does not learn as much/fast as other kids, he is happy everyday from this current preschool. There was a few curious kids from his class ask me why he can't talk, I tell them he is working on it, but you guys are still friends. They accept that reason, and do not ask further. Kids are still innocent & simple-minded at his age. I really hope that he will catch up & improve more over time.

I agree with PP, and my son also learns the best when he imitates others. And, also I agree with another PP that I do also agree on some level that current preschool teachers & director are being on the nice side, "tolerate" & try to accommodate my DS's needs. I have never looked into special-need preschool, I'm curious in general how much do they cost per month for a 3 year old full day? We are currently paying $1,800 a month for my 3 year old at this current preschool full day. I think I will do a wait-and-see approach a bit to see how his perform & his progress, and will make a decision if he should stay or go.

It sounds like the current school is a good fit, OP! I would NOT change it for now. Your son is happy there, the other kids are nice, and the teachers have bonded with your child and seem to be invested in understanding his development. You don't always have to have an official "special needs" school! One of the best places we had my DS was really nothing fancy at all; they were just relaxed and had a tolerant atmosphere for kids who were at all different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for all responses. It is true that my son has difficulty to communicate with teachers/other kids in this current preschool, and I don't think he understands fully the instructions & what they teach, but so far lucky that he seems not feeling less confident so far. He also tries his best to communicate with his limited words & body language to convey his ideas. But his preschool teacher keeps telling me that he understands more than he can talk, and he loves to be the teacher's little helper.

Even though he does not learn as much/fast as other kids, he is happy everyday from this current preschool. There was a few curious kids from his class ask me why he can't talk, I tell them he is working on it, but you guys are still friends. They accept that reason, and do not ask further. Kids are still innocent & simple-minded at his age. I really hope that he will catch up & improve more over time.

I agree with PP, and my son also learns the best when he imitates others. And, also I agree with another PP that I do also agree on some level that current preschool teachers & director are being on the nice side, "tolerate" & try to accommodate my DS's needs. I have never looked into special-need preschool, I'm curious in general how much do they cost per month for a 3 year old full day? We are currently paying $1,800 a month for my 3 year old at this current preschool full day. I think I will do a wait-and-see approach a bit to see how his perform & his progress, and will make a decision if he should stay or go.

I researched preschools for my similar sounding child last year and these are the ones we ended up seriously considering:

Katherine Thomas, Rockville: DIR approach afternoon preschool, $26K/year, half day, M-F 12:30-3:30pm. Follows MoCo school calendar more or less. ST included in tuition, OT and PT heavily encouraged at around an additional $120/hr. (So tuition ends up being at least $2600/month for the part time program.) 8-9 kids per class, 3 teachers/adults; kid/teacher ratio is 2:1.

LEAP, UMD (College Park) for children with speech delays. Sessions mostly follow a college calendar: Sept-Dec, Feb-May, June-mid July. Morning (9am-12:15) or afternoon (1pm-4:15) session, M,W,F. Much more affordable.

NCRC preschool, 3209 Highland Pl NW (Cleveland Park). 202-363-8777. $17,000/yr for ½ day program. 16 kids, 4 teachers/class. Weekly group OT, inclusive environment.

There is also St. Columba's in DC which I think is similar to NCRC. Both are inclusive preschools, so they accept SN and typical kids and might not be any better than what you have now with PEP and an inclusive class. I have heard and read that inclusion is best if the child can have positive interactions with his peers. It sounds like yours does, so you might not want to change up what you currently have, which does sound like it's working. I'm not sure Ivymount does preschool, but if they do, you'd want to call them and see if their program sounds like a good match for your son (they said it wasn't really for mine). I think their tuition is more than Katherine Thomas. HTH.

[Anonymous]

Keep him there for as long as they are willing to include him. For one, a high functioning autistic diagnosis means both that he’s doing pretty well and that he might grow out of it in time (it might not be accurate). What he needs most is playtime with other kids and tolerance and a willingness to adapt to some of his needs from teachers which is something you seem to have. In a special preschool he might spend more time on preacademics rather than social play which isn’t as good for him developmentally (a public school special ed programs focus is on getting a kid academically ready for school and less on social skills).
Also take him for speech, OT and any special social skills classes that you might find and it seems like you’ll be doing the best for your child now.

Also take him to a developmental pediatrician and run all of this by him or her regularly. They can best advise you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 3 year old boy has global developmental delay (expressive & receptive language, cognitive delay, and minor social-emotional delay) since he was 2 year old, and I have put him in a regular preschool for six months already. He is friendly & loves to play with adults/kids, willing to participate in every classroom activities, but sometimes has some disruptive behaviors (e.g. not sitting at circle time, fight toys with other kids, doing his own things as a weirdo, eat really slow at mealtime etc). Good thing that the preschool teacher (non special-need trained) & director have been accommodating & we have been trying to work on those behaviors as goals. He is happy being there, and he is talking a little bit more and playing more interactively with other kids in his classroom. He is also in PEP program that school bus come pick him up/drop him off from this preschool, and we also supplement him with outside private speech therapies.

Here is the question, he is just recently diagnosed with HFA a week ago, and I have notified his current preschool already. They are fine with it because my boy's behavior is not too disruptive, and the director/his teachers are also surprised with the diagnosis too. My boy greet them every day when he sees them at school with hug & words like "Hi!", "Bye", "I love you"!. He is a sweet boy. They say he acts like a normal kids just on the naughty side sometimes, and with language delay. However, I have been suspicious of him autistic long time ago because he has some repetitive behaviors, loves abc/numbers, and speech delay. I am surprised with HFA diagnosis because I thought HFA kids have no language delay problem.

With HFA diagnosis, does that mean I should consider putting him at a special-need preschool with more supports, eg. Karasik, Ivymount etc because they have more expertise & supports? He is learning in current preschool, and he loves it. Even he is learning at his own rate (slower than other average kids), but I see progress over time, trying to catching up a bit. I hesitate to change his preschool because he loves it there & I am satisfied with the current preschool, but I am also concerned that maybe special-need preschool may help/support him more even though I hear mixed reviews about those special-need preschool (strict enrollment, some teachers/directors are not that nice/accommodating, and many kids with different special needs are sometimes put in the same classroom). What factors should I consider? Thanks!

As the parent of a child who had global delays, I'd be wary of this diagnosis and proceed cautiously.

I'd keep him in the preschool he's happy in for now, and I'd get a better handle on what's available. For my son, I did a special ed preschool through the public schools half of the day, and a regular preschool he liked the other half days.

Also, I'd look at the testing results and find out if they did a non-verbal IQ test, and what my child's receptive language level is. It's hard for a child with little receptive language to participate fully. They simply don't understand the instructions.

My DC did much better being around peers. He learned by watching others, and you don't get those peer models in a segregated classroom.

Most every study says children do better in an inclusive setting.

Yes- this is good advice. However don’t take so much comfort in the testing errors that you don’t reassess later. Our son couldn’t do the testing either when he was little and he seemed bright, but he does in fact have significant cognitive issues that he will not outgrow. Maybe try again around 4 or 5?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for all responses. It is true that my son has difficulty to communicate with teachers/other kids in this current preschool, and I don't think he understands fully the instructions & what they teach, but so far lucky that he seems not feeling less confident so far. He also tries his best to communicate with his limited words & body language to convey his ideas. But his preschool teacher keeps telling me that he understands more than he can talk, and he loves to be the teacher's little helper.

Even though he does not learn as much/fast as other kids, he is happy everyday from this current preschool. There was a few curious kids from his class ask me why he can't talk, I tell them he is working on it, but you guys are still friends. They accept that reason, and do not ask further. Kids are still innocent & simple-minded at his age. I really hope that he will catch up & improve more over time.

I agree with PP, and my son also learns the best when he imitates others. And, also I agree with another PP that I do also agree on some level that current preschool teachers & director are being on the nice side, "tolerate" & try to accommodate my DS's needs. I have never looked into special-need preschool, I'm curious in general how much do they cost per month for a 3 year old full day? We are currently paying $1,800 a month for my 3 year old at this current preschool full day. I think I will do a wait-and-see approach a bit to see how his perform & his progress, and will make a decision if he should stay or go.

You might also find a sign language instructor, in addition to the speech therapy, and see if she can get him using some signs. Then you can have her go to school some and teach the teachers some signs. Ask around at the universities that have sign language degrees such as Towson and Gallaudet.

[Anonymous]

Karasik is not a special needs preschool, but it is fully inclusive of students with special needs. There are usually 1-3 special needs children in a classroom of 12-20 children total and 3 teachers. My HFA child was there for two years and we had a fantastic experience. I think it's the only preschool that could handle our child and our child made significant progress in the program. Karasik provides a highly-structured day from 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM and their staff is highly trained, well-educated, and are expected to maintain very high standards of care. It is also the only private preschool with full-time, on-site MCPS PEP staff.

Additionally, the cost of Karasik is significantly less than what you are paying now.