Guest guest Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Hi , My daughter is 3 1/2 and will be starting PreK next month. I am kind of nervous because she has never been away from me at all, but that is my only real concern. She has CP and can say about 10 words, that mostly her family can understand. She also uses a lot of sign, and some of her signs are unique to her because of her motor problems. I asked all her therapists, and got advice from dozens of Moms on the CP lists that I am on, and not one person thought she would be better off in a special peschool. I had wanted to send her to a " regular " school, but I thought maybe I was being unrealistic. All of her therapists felt that she would be challenged more and learn better behaviors in a regular school. She is very bright and I think she will figure out more ways to communicate and fit in. She sounds a lot like your daughter, and I would think she would be able to handle a regular preK program. My daughter's speeech therapist was very definitely in favor of a regular preK for her. Bachman <susan3959@...> wrote: Hi All I plan on sending Callie to pre-school in Sept. 2005. I decided not to start her this sept. because she is currently getting 5 days wk of speech & 2 days OT via the EI program. I felt it might be to much for her, & she goes to a couple of classes during the week ( music etc.. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Hi , You have brought back so many memories of when my son was 3 years old. My choice at the time was the district's preschool disabled program only b/c he was not potty trained. By the time he was 4, he was potty trained, but I enrolled him in a 3 year old regular preschool plus he went to the disabled program to receive support in speech and OT. The director was very understanding and reassured me that most 3 year olds and some 4 year olds have difficult time communicating, but there is so much more to being with your peers (socialization, separation anxiety, playing, sharing, storytime, creative imagination, role playing)etc. My son is now 8 years old and thriving in a regular parochial school 2nd grade classroom. He still gets support in speech and ot, both through school and privately. I can admit my hesitancy in children bullying my son, but it ended up most kids were similar to him. By kindergarten, my son was known as SHY. Only the professionals could pick up on some of his disabilities. Yes, children can be very mean, but choosing the proper environment (private, parochial) will enable your child to grow emotionally and educationally. I have found sending my children to parochial school allows the teachers and staff to discipline children in a moral way. Most children are taught the same behavior at home - To love thy neighbor and to treat people as you would want to be treated. My personal opinion, but speak to the director from the regular preschool and get her feeling of how children may react to your daughter. Good luck. Joanne Mulholland ---------------------------------------------------- This mailbox protected from junk email by MailFrontier Desktop from MailFrontier, Inc. http://info.mailfrontier.com [ ] pre-school help > > Hi All > > I plan on sending Callie to pre-school in Sept. 2005. > I decided not to start her this sept. because she is > currently getting 5 days wk of speech & 2 days OT via > the EI program. I felt it might be to much for her, & > she goes to a couple of classes during the week ( > music etc.. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 If you can find a special needs preschool that has a peer intervention program, that would be the best of both worlds. I signed up for such a (private) school this fall as I felt she needed to be around verbal peers, but was not ready to be in a typical preschool as she'd need an aide to do so. This special needs preschool has both special needs children and typical (verbal with no disabilities)children attending together. Jill - 's Mom > Hi All > > I plan on sending Callie to pre-school in Sept. 2005. > I decided not to start her this sept. because she is > currently getting 5 days wk of speech & 2 days OT via > the EI program. I felt it might be to much for her, & > she goes to a couple of classes during the week ( > music etc.. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2004 Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 When my daughters were little, their SLP also recommended a private regular ed preschool supplemented by speech therapy for many of the same reasons that your SLP made her recommendations. I ignored her advice and sent to a special day class. hated it. She was separated from her twin sister. The teachers were trying to force to talk. The other kids had more issues than or were older than her. After a few months I pulled her out. The following year we put her in a regular ed private preschool. She loved it. She made friends. She was not made fun of. Lots of other kids didn't talk (too shy). The preschool never forced to talk, but they did provide a stimulating environment. They had lots of music (which loved). They had painting, story time, recess, cooking, and all the other normal preschool activities. participated in everything. At the end of the year, they put on a little musical. Several little boys refused to participate. participated. She sang what words she could. She did her best with finger plays. She was very proud of herself. was always good at following instructions, and she had a long attention span. She sat well for story time and she liked doing arts and crafts projects. She didn't need a lot of help doing things. Good luck with your decision. > Hi All > > I plan on sending Callie to pre-school in Sept. 2005. > I decided not to start her this sept. because she is > currently getting 5 days wk of speech & 2 days OT via > the EI program. I felt it might be to much for her, & > she goes to a couple of classes during the week ( > music etc.. ) > > I need to get going as far as getting her a spot for > Sept. 05 ( crazy, one school told me that I'm too late > but they would put me on the wait list ) > > Okay, the question is this. I was leaning towards a > special ed pre-school, Callie has moderate oral > apraxia, severe verbal apraxia & sensory integration > issues. In chatting today w/ her primary SLP, she > begged me not to enroll her in a spec ed program, but > rather in a regular pre school program. Her reasoning > being that Callie excels in her receptive language, is > very bright & social. She seems to think that Callie > needs to be in a " verbal " environment to supplement > her therapy. My thoughts being, in an ideal world that > would be great, but I don't want her feeling " less > than " As she gets older, I am assuming she will > understand more & more the differences between her & > her peers regarding speech. She is 2.5 yrs old now & > is doing great. She communicates via signing, > gesturing, some words & approximations and does manage > to get her point across 90 % of the time. I don't want > to be over protective of her, I want her to find her > way out there in the big bad world, but my job is to > make that as easy & painless as possible, isn't it? > I would welcome any all input. Am I wrong? Am I being > overly protective? She will be 3 3/4 at the beginning > of school. > > Will she thrive in a regular pre-school? How about the > other kids, will they accept her or make fun of her, > why can't Callie talk & other asst. comments. > > Thanks for any insight you can give me.. > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2004 Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 An interesting thread. My son was in daycare until age 2 and then a regular pre-school 2X a week until age 3. He then entered the special- ed pre-school program where he stayed until he started kindergarten. At the regular pre-school, he just kind of fell into the background. It was a nurturing environment but the teachers did not know what to do for him to draw him out. He was quiet, tantrum free and never created waves. " Perfect student " In the special ed class he excelled. Within the first month he was attending to task, sitting for circle time and was verbalizing within 3 months. It really all depends on the class. In his class he started and was the least verbal. The activities were geared toward fine and gross motor activities, language building, etc... By the time he was 5 he was very vocal and was at the top of the class. Other factors to consider are your child's personality. Will he just sit back, can he handle the stimulation does she need to be redirected, etc.. I do think that ideally the mixed class can work but the proper supports have to be in place. Really a personal decision but I wouldn't make the decision without first observing the special ed class. In our case it worked out great and he did fantastic in kindergarten. He was reading at the top of the class, writing fantastic and unless someone knew would never think he was classified. They would just think he needed speech. Proud Mom to age 6 and a great kid with verbal apraxia and age 4 and a very typical girl (who will make me gray;) > Hi All > > I plan on sending Callie to pre-school in Sept. 2005. > I decided not to start her this sept. because she is > currently getting 5 days wk of speech & 2 days OT via > the EI program. I felt it might be to much for her, & > she goes to a couple of classes during the week ( > music etc.. ) > > I need to get going as far as getting her a spot for > Sept. 05 ( crazy, one school told me that I'm too late > but they would put me on the wait list ) > > Okay, the question is this. I was leaning towards a > special ed pre-school, Callie has moderate oral > apraxia, severe verbal apraxia & sensory integration > issues. In chatting today w/ her primary SLP, she > begged me not to enroll her in a spec ed program, but > rather in a regular pre school program. Her reasoning > being that Callie excels in her receptive language, is > very bright & social. She seems to think that Callie > needs to be in a " verbal " environment to supplement > her therapy. My thoughts being, in an ideal world that > would be great, but I don't want her feeling " less > than " As she gets older, I am assuming she will > understand more & more the differences between her & > her peers regarding speech. She is 2.5 yrs old now & > is doing great. She communicates via signing, > gesturing, some words & approximations and does manage > to get her point across 90 % of the time. I don't want > to be over protective of her, I want her to find her > way out there in the big bad world, but my job is to > make that as easy & painless as possible, isn't it? > I would welcome any all input. Am I wrong? Am I being > overly protective? She will be 3 3/4 at the beginning > of school. > > Will she thrive in a regular pre-school? How about the > other kids, will they accept her or make fun of her, > why can't Callie talk & other asst. comments. > > Thanks for any insight you can give me.. > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2004 Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 , Programs vary so much from school to school, teacher to teacher. All i can say is that it all depends on the teacher. I woudl highly recommend observing both classes. Ask yourself where you see her fitting best. I know that I tend to lower the bar with my son (expect less from him); I am really working on this! I was pushed to expect more from him by his teacher this last year and WOW he really amazed me and had his best year of growth. This teacher " raised the bar " while encouraging him. She never criticized. She treated my son with respect so the other children did also. She only expected him to try everything but not necessarily to perform well. Anyway, go observe both classes. i woudl also ask the rest of the therapists (in private meetings) what they think is the best placement. You woudl be surprised what teachers and therapists *aren't* allowed to say at IEP meetings. Also, what are the ages of the kids in this typical preschool? Tricia Morin North Carolina wrote: Hi All I plan on sending Callie to pre-school in Sept. 2005. I decided not to start her this sept. because she is currently getting 5 days wk of speech & 2 days OT via the EI program. I felt it might be to much for her, & she goes to a couple of classes during the week ( music etc.. ) I need to get going as far as getting her a spot for Sept. 05 ( crazy, one school told me that I'm too late but they would put me on the wait list ) Okay, the question is this. I was leaning towards a special ed pre-school, Callie has moderate oral apraxia, severe verbal apraxia & sensory integration issues. In chatting today w/ her primary SLP, she begged me not to enroll her in a spec ed program, but rather in a regular pre school program. Her reasoning being that Callie excels in her receptive language, is very bright & social. She seems to think that Callie needs to be in a " verbal " environment to supplement her therapy. My thoughts being, in an ideal world that would be great, but I don't want her feeling " less than " As she gets older, I am assuming she will understand more & more the differences between her & her peers regarding speech. She is 2.5 yrs old now & is doing great. She communicates via signing, gesturing, some words & approximations and does manage to get her point across 90 % of the time. I don't want to be over protective of her, I want her to find her way out there in the big bad world, but my job is to make that as easy & painless as possible, isn't it? I would welcome any all input. Am I wrong? Am I being overly protective? She will be 3 3/4 at the beginning of school. Will she thrive in a regular pre-school? How about the other kids, will they accept her or make fun of her, why can't Callie talk & other asst. comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 19, 2004 Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 you must be so proud of how far he has come! (you know this is NOT typical, lol).... I agree that the correct school and services make all the difference. I wish Jordan was, two years ago, where he is now. My decision to hold him back a year most likely wouldn't be an issue. And yep, girls will make ya gray :-) ~k wrote: An interesting thread. My son was in daycare until age 2 and then a regular pre-school 2X a week until age 3. He then entered the special- ed pre-school program where he stayed until he started kindergarten. At the regular pre-school, he just kind of fell into the background. It was a nurturing environment but the teachers did not know what to do for him to draw him out. He was quiet, tantrum free and never created waves. " Perfect student " In the special ed class he excelled. Within the first month he was attending to task, sitting for circle time and was verbalizing within 3 months. It really all depends on the class. In his class he started and was the least verbal. The activities were geared toward fine and gross motor activities, language building, etc... By the time he was 5 he was very vocal and was at the top of the class. Other factors to consider are your child's personality. Will he just sit back, can he handle the stimulation does she need to be redirected, etc.. I do think that ideally the mixed class can work but the proper supports have to be in place. Really a personal decision but I wouldn't make the decision without first observing the special ed class. In our case it worked out great and he did fantastic in kindergarten. He was reading at the top of the class, writing fantastic and unless someone knew would never think he was classified. They would just think he needed speech. Proud Mom to age 6 and a great kid with verbal apraxia and age 4 and a very typical girl (who will make me gray;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2004 Report Share Posted August 21, 2004 My then 3 year old son who was intelligible less than 50% of the time went to a regular preschool and did fine. Most of the time he was in his own orbit (as were most of the boys in his class); however, he enjoyed the projects, field trips, etc. There was a wide variety of language skills among all of the kids and he has never recognized that people didn't understand him for a long time (he just got louder thinking they couldn't hear). When he was four, he went to a different regular preschool and his speech therapy was increased. Over the course of a year, he became much more understandable and the kids in general communicated with each other in many different ways. I did notice that all of his preschool teachers were very understanding and sometimes felt badly they didn't understand him but everyone tried hard. My belief is the right teacher is key. Also, the second preschool he attended emphasized learning by doing and exploring rather than so many letter based intellectual activities. This was a lot more fun for him personally (regardless of any speech problems) so you might determine if the preschools that are available fit your child's personality. His older brother also had speech delays and reacted to his delays, not by getting louder but by getting aggressive. Regular preschool was harder for him but he still enjoyed it. I am not getting ready to send my 3rd child with speech issues to a regular preschool hoping it will wear out all of his energy! The other kids have always been very accepting--again, the right teachers are key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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