Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks so much for the explanation. PP, do you know any good ABA therapists? I don't yet know much about it and will research it, but in the interim, I'd greatly appreciate any advice. FWIW, dev ped is not 100% sure she has PDD and wants to reevaluate her in 3-6 months. Somedays I don't think she does - she will walk up to people, make eye contact, wave, smile, etc. She carries around a cellphone and pretends to talk and she's got a cribful of stuffed toys she calls her friends. She's always been very outgoing in our family. Other days, she turns away when someone looks at her (as she did when she was with the doctor who we saw for other issues). I'm very confused, but I also know that the earlier the therapy begins the better (she's already doing OT and language).

I would think before I automatically did ABA. Read up about it, especially parents' experiences. It's not for every kid.

Also, since NOT EVEN your Developmental Ped is sure about PDD-NOS, I'd just focus on the areas she needs help. There's no "magic window" that snaps shut when a child hits 3, 4, 5 or even 10. My son has severe MERLD, and his greatest gains have come at around 8 or 9 years old (most kids with MERLD are caught up by 3rd grade.) I have another good friend who was told her language delayed child was "on the spectrum" -- and by 5, no one could tell he even had a language delay.

So do your homework, and know that the PDD-NOS label is only as good at the person doing the Dxing. It's basically their best guess when a child is very young like yours is. A lack of desire for social communication is SUPPOSED to be at the heart of autism, but now that it's morphed into a "spectrum" disorder, the standards and the DXing have gotten to be just all over the place.

I find it interesting one of the PP assumed needing an aide meant behavior problems. People use an aide for so many reasons with a kid that young. I haven't heard of it used in a private special ed setting, but an aide is sometimes used with a child on the spectrum in a regular preschool setting to help a child process language, follow directions and function well in a regular size class.

Now that you have provided more info, my first choice would be an inclusive preschool or one with an aide. We found several church preschools near us open to inclusion even though they didn't have a formal program. I would start preschool as soon as possible. I think the more exposure to typically developing kids the better. You can always do other interventions before and/or after preschool and on days when your child doesn't have preschool.

If a traditional and/or inclusive preschool doesn't work out or isn't enough then you might look into the more specialized preschools mentioned. They are expensive and the cost may be prohibitive, but if it isn't you get a very small class size where every teacher has special education training. People don't need aides for processing there because the school personnel are well trained and the class size is so small. Re:behavior issues-even if that is the case, your child is still in the 2s and you are getting intervention so it is hard to know what will go away with OT and ST, what is age appropriate, etc.

One last piece of advice if you go the private route-do a search on here and/or talk to a developmental ped or school consultant. At some schools it is better to describe the child's strengths and weaknesses in detail, but omit an autism label even if what you describe is an ASD. We found regular preschools very open to the word autism, but we were told with some private SPED preschools the word autism scares people even though there are kids on the spectrum thriving there.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks so much for the explanation. PP, do you know any good ABA therapists? I don't yet know much about it and will research it, but in the interim, I'd greatly appreciate any advice. FWIW, dev ped is not 100% sure she has PDD and wants to reevaluate her in 3-6 months. Somedays I don't think she does - she will walk up to people, make eye contact, wave, smile, etc. She carries around a cellphone and pretends to talk and she's got a cribful of stuffed toys she calls her friends. She's always been very outgoing in our family. Other days, she turns away when someone looks at her (as she did when she was with the doctor who we saw for other issues). I'm very confused, but I also know that the earlier the therapy begins the better (she's already doing OT and language).

Unfortunately, I have moved out of the area so I can't recommend an ABA therapist where you live. Maybe your dev ped can recommend someone? By the way, my child also has PPD-NOS and also makes great eye contact, smiles a lot, loves to be around people, is very social...etc. That does not mean that he does not have serious issues in other areas, for example he is very behind in speech. ABA therapy helps with a variety of issues including language delays. I would strongly recommend you look into it. As you know, the sooner you start therapy, the better the prognosis. My child also does OT and speech therapy in addition to ABA. Best of luck.

OP here. Thanks so much for the explanation. PP, do you know any good ABA therapists? I don't yet know much about it and will research it, but in the interim, I'd greatly appreciate any advice. FWIW, dev ped is not 100% sure she has PDD and wants to reevaluate her in 3-6 months. Somedays I don't think she does - she will walk up to people, make eye contact, wave, smile, etc. She carries around a cellphone and pretends to talk and she's got a cribful of stuffed toys she calls her friends. She's always been very outgoing in our family. Other days, she turns away when someone looks at her (as she did when she was with the doctor who we saw for other issues). I'm very confused, but I also know that the earlier the therapy begins the better (she's already doing OT and language).

No, it is not crucial that she attends school, especially if it is not a school that provides therapy. School does not in any way replace therapy. What your child needs is not school, but therapy. Have you looked into ABA therapy? Usually, when people talk about "intensive therapy" what they actually mean is ABA therapy b/c that is the kind of therapy that requires many hours of therapy. Whereas OT or speech are typically only once or twice a week, ABA therapy is typically 10-20 hours or more a week. So when people tell you their ASD kid does 20 hours of therapy, usually it is because the kid is getting ABA therapy.

2.8 would probably be too young for Maddux this year for an immediate placement perhaps start going to open houses etc for next year. Also I guess question for any school is if your child really needs an aide certain schools would not work. Some preschools are okay with it, but just have to call around. If your child does not, then probably have more options. Don't think maddux allows aides, and although they have great clasif size, may not be a good option if a child requires too much one on one attention. Ostensibly, They are not a school for asd as the ivy mount school is there for that population. They have a regular Ed program, but they do serve kids who have some needs. Some of the needs they serve and milder spectrum issues do of course intersect, so there are probably children there with various diagnoses, or no diagnoses at all. They are willing to observe the child on a playdate and look at reports etc. I think they are pretty thoughtful about if they can help your child and will be upfront about it. Well worth checking out.

I believe Children's Learning Center (clc) and the Treatment and Learning Center TLC may also have specialized preschool programs. The LEAP program at the University of Maryland is also a fantastic preschool focused on speech but is also good with other issues. However, they do not usually take children on the spectrum or with more difficult behavior issues. They often haveva wait list, but openings do come up. Might be worthwhile to call them and ask if they would be at least willing to take a look. In terms of other schools, Dolley Madison Preschool in McLean has a long established inclusion program in terms of speech therapy. It's a regular preschool but they are usually welcoming of children with needs. They are close to the gw parkway and chain bridge in McLean so not too far from dc. They start at 2.5 years old.

Good luck to you with your little one. There are alot of good options in the area to treat your child component issues regardless of the diagnosis.

OP here. Thank you all so much. What I am confused about is if it is crucial that she attend nursery school asap. She's actually 2 years 8 months and I remember reading somewhere that kids on the spectrum need at least 20 hours a week of intensive treatment as young as possible. Right now, she will be getting about 5 - a combination of OT, language and social class. Does this mean that she has to begin nursery school soon?

Also, I couldn't find out how much Maddux is a year? Anyone know their fees? And, pp, I love Bridges - so glad ot hear you are happy - but I'm not holding my breath that I'll get in via the lottery. I'm never that lucky!

you should look into bridges PCS. i have a ASD child enrolled and absolutely LOVE it there!

I second the Maddux rec and also suggest taking a look at Katherine Thomas. Both schools deal with young children who have sensory issues quite well. They have small classes and well trained personnel who have plenty of experience with mild autism spectrum related stuff. NCRC is also an impressive place that is welcoming of a child with spectrum related issues and it's inclusive meaning you have mostly typically developing kids with just a few slots for those with SN; however, it's nearly impossible to get a SN slot as others have mentioned or at least it was when we looked at it.

You may also want to look into the Maddux School, and read the threads on this forum about it.

In terms of BTDT, try and not panic and obsess, which is what I do(!).

Use this forum as a stepping off point to research your questions. The parents on this thread are, on the whole, more respectful and understanding, as we all know how overwhelming and exhausting the therapies and educational choices we make for our children are. There is a wealth of info on this site and forum, from Developmental Doctors, Evaluations, Therapies and Therapists...just lots of help here.

OP here. Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Honestly, the diagnosis is new and my head is still reeling, so I'm not exactly sure what I want. I think it would be best for her to be in an inclusion environment, but with someone who could use specific therapeutic techniques. Does that make sense? It may mean one of the schools mentioned above, but with an aid. I just can't imagine her in a classroom with other kids and only two teachers. I think she would drain their energy, unless they are specifically trained to deal with kids on the spectrum. However, it's entirely possible I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. Piecing together all the "expert" opinions has been challenging. I would gladly accept advice from BTDT parents.

Anonymous wrote:st. Columbas is not a good choice if you expect the teachers to actually implement any suggestions. They will let in your special needs child but do nothing therapeutic. NCRC is a better choice.

I found this not to be the case at St. Columba's. My child's teachers worked with our speech therapist. They were very good. NCRC has very few spots for their special needs section. If you don't make it into the special needs group, you don't receive therapeutic teaching. I think these two schools are providing a mainstream preschool experience while acknowledging children with special needs. If you are looking for a therapeutic preschool experience then you need to look at another program (The River School). OP, you need to decide what you want an iclusion program or a therapeutic program.

st. Columbas is not a good choice if you expect the teachers to actually implement any suggestions. They will let in your special needs child but do nothing therapeutic. NCRC is a better choice.

Try St Columba's and NCRC, they might be a good fit. My son has DD-NOS and Pragmatic Speech Issues, he's currently at CCPC and is very happy.

We are looking for nursery schools near NWDC that can accommodate a three year old with sensory, language and social delays (we are willing to travel for a good school). We're hopeful that dd won't need an aid, but not positive. TIA