Reply to Early Stages Autism Classification

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]PPs: Please list the good private preschiools for kids with language delays (severe enough to be mistaken for autism) that cost $10K a year. I've looked and the only one I found was LEAP at UMD, which the OP should definitely consider (call them now to begin the eval process, OP.) Please post if you know of others.

I went through this process with my own child and I wish there had been someone to explain it to me, without charging me for it like the advocates do. So that's what I'm trying to do below, please excuse the long post. I hope it helps the OP, or someone else.

27.5 hours a week of out-of-the-classroom instruction in DCPS will mean a self-contained (i.e., only special ed children in the class) classroom. Theoretically, determinations for classroom placement  should be individualized for each child's needs. Generally, DCPS and charter schools with self contained classes usually push kids into those classrooms if they have more than 16 hours of out-of-classroom education in their IEP.

If you got a preschool slot in the lottery, you can go to that school, describe your son's needs/strengths, and tell them you'd like to re-write the IEP to place your child in a general ed classroom with whatever supports you and the school agree are appropriate. The school may go along with that, or they may balk and say that they cannot appropriately educate your child (based on what they know if him from his current IEP) and encourage you to take the CES placement Early Stages found for you. You won't know until you have met with the school's Special Education Coordinator. Call the school now to try to get a meeting with that person before school gets out for the summer.

If the school you've lotteried into balks and you feel strongly opposed to the Early Stages placement, I would either a) find an advocate and get ready to fight for a spot in the gen ed classroom at that school, or b) place your child in a different school which agrees to a general ed placement with whatever supports you think are needed. Generally, charters without self contained classrooms are going to be the most amenable to putting your child in their gen ed classroom with supports, because the only other option for them is suggesting a private placement. Check on myschooldc to see if any charters acceptable to you have a small waitlist, and add those schools to your list (you can do this without giving up the spot you already have gotten through the lottery. Call myschool dc if you have questions on how to do this.) You can call any school before you put them on your lottery list and ask if they have self contained classrooms for preschoolers with IEPs. Most don't. (We considered this option at Friendship Armstrong a year ago -- at that time they had a short PK waitlist, no self contained rooms, and a nice preschool program. There are likely other similar charters, but they may not be convenient to you.) Once you are offered a spot at such a charter, contact the Special Ed Coordinator to discuss your child, the IEP, and how they will meet his needs. At that meeting, express your preference for the general education classroom with whatever supports you think are necessary.

Note that Bridges is likely not going to be a good school for you for two reasons:
1) you have to get a seat in the general ed classroom through the lottery, and they already have a long waitlist for preschool gen ed seats, and
2) Bridges has self-contained preschool classrooms and will likely try to push your child into one of those.

Also note that most private preschools will not offer your child any supports, and by law, they don't have to. There are some private "general ed" preschools offer some supports for kids with certain levels of special needs. St. Columba's and NCRC come to mind. But they cost quite a bit more than $10/year, and NCRC isn't even full day. (And they don't offer speech therapy, so you'll have to pay for that out of pocket. And they are already full for next year anyway.) Various Community Based Organizations ("CBOs") in DC also have inclusion preschool programs, but it's hard to go that route without an extended IFSP through Strong Start. (I'm assuming that because Early Stages was evaluating your child for an IEP that you have already signed away your rights to an extended IFSP. You can call your Strong Start case manager to find out if you're not sure.) I can share info I have on various CBOs if you want, let me know if so.

Again, I'd love to hear about options other than LEAP for under $10K a year, because I haven't found them. The closest I found were part time coop preschools, mostly affiliated with synagogues, which offer no support and fill up quickly. (The ones we applied to are all full now, but it doesn't hurt to call coops convenient to you if you're OK with the part time/coop model, can do all your therapies privately, and your child will be OK without any support in the classroom.)

Also OP: please get your child evaluated by a developmental pediatrician, so you have a second professional opinion about their needs/strengths. Right now all you have is your own (unprofessional and likely biased) opinion, and Early Stages' opinion (which could arguably fall short of being "professional", but still . . . ) You need some guidance about your son's needs from a professional you can trust. If you can afford it, I'd recommend starting private speech therapy with someone the developmental pediatrician recommends asap. (Ask the Dev. Ped. for multiple recommendations.) Occupational therapy too, if your child has handwriting issues (I can't recall if it was the OP who said that, or another poster).

Good luck!

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Not OP, but THANK YOU for the informative, excellent advice!  This is what this board should be for.

A few questions.  Can the IB/lottery school refuse the gen ed placement?  Can they make you chose between no supports and self-contained, or can you "bargain" for the level of services? Everything I have heard indicates that it's REALLY hard to get a 1:1 aid in a DCPS, so it seems really tough to get the level of needed service in general ed when the recommendation is 20+ hours.

Why are the inclusion classrooms limited to kids transitioning from Strong Start?  There aren't any inclusion classrooms available through Early Stages placements?

thanks again!

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