Both my twins were dx with pdd-nos at age 16 mths & after intense EI they have made huge improvements & now (at age 4 yrs) only one qualify for special ed, the other did not inspite of me trying twice with the school district but everytime the same story of "he's doing academically good & no issues in preschool classroom". I am happy that my son is smart & enjoying school but at the same time i am spending sleepless nights on wondering if he needs some services . The issues he has at home is visual stimming with trains, at school SOMETIMES very sensitive (cries if some kid refuses share toys)-cannot stand up for himself, but overall the teacher has no complains. They go to the head start program & also attended 2 preschools b4 & had no issues.
I know that my son would be the smartest and less impaired of all of children in a special ed class, which I think would not be fair to him, given his ability to participate on a regular class and eventually learn social skills (hopefully) from NTs . But at the same time i am wondering what holds for him in future at school for which i need to make him ready with therapy???????? should I wait for problems to arise & then seek help.. I am SOOOOOOOO confused.
My kids also have medical needs so i am very much stressed & sometimes donno which needs to focus on:(
Parents Helping Parents in San Jose gives regular IEP trainings. www.php.com
Also, for students who don't qualify for IEPs they can sometimes get classroom accommodations with a "504"
both PHP and this "great schools" web site can get you more into.
http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/legal-right...
PHP also has support groups so you can meet other parents.
Please find a way to relax and stop worrying. Schooling is a process. I think it's great that he can start in a regular classroom. Kids his age, without a pdd diagnosis can also be very sensitive and exhibit the same issues you describe. I recommend that you approach school with the idea that he will succeed in a regular classroom. This is the best for him. Support his activities in the classroom. Expect that it won't go smoothly all of the time. It doesn't for typical kids either.
If a regular classroom turns out to be too much he can be reassigned to special ed. I'd be so glad that he qualifies for the regular classroom.
My 7 yo grandson has several issues going against his being in a regular classroom. I've been visiting his special ed classroom and see that he's bored academically. I wish that he could be put into a regular classroom and given one on one assistance to learn how to succeed in that setting. He's angry now, doesn't want to go to school, and fights with the teacher and aides. He's stuck in special ed with no one at this point knowing how to help him.
Praise both of your boys for where they're at and feel good about them and how well they are doing. As my mother would say, "don't borrow trouble."
It sounds like your son would qualify for speech therapy for pragmatics/social skills. I suggest that you ask (in writing) for a speech therapy evaluation for "speech only" services.
As a special education teacher, I wanted to make sure you know that a child can have a Special Education IEP and still be in the general/regular classroom. Your child could begin Kindergarten in a general education room with no IEP and begin to have difficulties. If so, you can ask for a reevaluation of his eligibility for Special Education. I have seen many young students having PDD-NOS who are in a general education (regular class) setting but have IEPs detailing services such as speech or accommodations that need to be provided in the general education room. Or a child may be in a pull-out resource program and just go to a Special Education room for a small portion of a day/week.
So, you should know that a child can have Special Education services without necessarily being in a Special Education class. It just depends on what level of support the child needs.
My children aren't in school yet but I did counseling with a boy who was previously diagnosed with the same diagnosis. He did special ed for pre-K and was able to go into a regular kindergarten class and did fine there. He had outgrown most of the behaviors that led to his diagnosis in the first place (over the course of about 2 years). I'd say see how it goes and keep in close contact with the teacher. On the other hand I have another friend who is really struggling to get the school to provide services for her son (similar age and diagnosis). In that case he has some significant communication issues that get in his way in a classroom setting. Have you had a fairly recent independent evaluation for your son with a developmental pediatrician or other specialist? If so, they usually recommend services. If there are areas where he needs services and the school doesn't provide them see if you can get them in some other way.
That's wonderful that your boys have made such huge improvements with early intervention! My son Andrew is 9 and was diagnosed with "severe autism" at age 20 months. With early, intense intervention, his diagnosis was later changed to "mild autism" around age 5-6. He has done great in regular education classrooms every year, beginning with preschool at age 4. He has always had a one-on-one aide assigned to him, which has been key to his success. Another thing that has made a big difference, is that I have been very pro-active in anticipating potential problems before they appear, and taking steps to prevent them. For example, children with autism tend to be misunderstood and therefore bullied or excluded by their peers. So at the beginning of every school year, I meet with the school staff that will be involved with my son (teacher, aide, principal, speech therapist, OT, resource specialist, etc.) to express my concerns and ask them to watch his interactions and let me know how things are going. They are always very willing to do so, you just have to approach it like you are asking them for a favor and that you are so thankful to them for their help, and not like you "expect" it. I always offer to help out at the school as well (making copies, helping with art projects, in the lunchroom, wherever help is needed) which makes the staff much more willing to watch out for my son and be a second set of eyes for me to watch out for him. Every year I also give my son's teacher a book called "My Friend with Autism" by Beverly Bishop for them to share with the class. It really helps the other children understand (at their age level) what autism is, and why my son acts different sometimes, and it also points out that everyone is good at some things and not-so-good at some things. My personal experience is that my son has not been bullied, and has been 100% accepted and included with his typical peers, both in a private Christian school and at our neighborhood public school. He actually is one of the more popular kids, and over the years, 6 or 7 moms have told me that their daughters have cried when they have started a new school year and Andrew wasn't in the same class as them! I go to school at least once a week (to volunteer, but really it's so I can "spy" on my son!) and I always am very pleased with what I see as far as how he is functioning at school. It might ease your mind a little bit if you can be there often and see for yourself how he is doing (I'm sure the staff will have something they can use your help with, so your son won't know you're there to watch him). If you aren't happy with something that you see, you can often times take care of it yourself (along with the staff's help) without needing to have an intervention put into his IEP. Sometimes, it's more serious and you need to get more help for him, but it sounds from what you wrote that he (like my son) is doing really well, and you can just monitor the situation to make sure no behaviors or other issues come up.
Good luck with your boys, and best wishes to you!
A.
Has he been evaluated by a developmental pediatrician? Also-is there a way he can get services outside of school? It sounds like he might need Occupational therapy-is using insurance to pay for him to see an OT an option?
My twins are 3 (former 29 week preemies) and both had motor delays early on, then speech delays. Neither was diagnosed on the spectrum. When they graduated from EI, one qualified for services and the other did not. They are now attending the same preschool program, with my now "typical" kid as a peer model. Even though he isn't getting services, he is getting HUGE benefits from the program! Also, they can keep an eye on him because of his history of delays and let me know if he needs to be referred for services later. His speech is probably "low average" for his age, but he seems to be going through a huge surge right now. My twin with delays has suspected apraxia along with fine motor and social delays. He is also doing great in the program.
It is such a double edged sword. You don't want your kids to be "labeled" but in order to get enough services they often have to be. Are you sure your son would even meet the criteria for PDD-NOS now? He may not.
It is quite likely your son without the IEP might qualify for services down the road. Right now, see if you can get him some private therapy if you haven't already. If your insurance doesn't cover it, check your local university. Here in Seattle the University of Washington's Speech and Hearing Clinic offers low-cost therapy with SLP interns. They might have something similar for OT in your area.
MddddD, As the parent of 5 2 with special needs, and being an advocate for special education for 30 years I wanted to give my 2 cents. It sounds like you are putting things onto your children that is in your mind and thoughts but not seen by the many people you have named that doesn't percieve a problems. If at age 4 they are emotional then They are doing normal kids things. I have a son who says "mom, 4 year olds are 2 year olds with a mouth"! It is all emotions becasue they are in the inbetween stage of toddler hood to being a big kid at 5. Don't worry so much about his 4th grade results but ENJOY THE MOMENT AND TODAY. I have learned by personal experiance that as this start then address them there is no way you can address an issue that is not there right now. I have been to many IEP's and have worked with many parents from all over the state and have learned this is almost a fear that the parents will put onto the child from thier own fears. Enjoy them and enjoy the fruit of joy that they can give you and know that each child will be different and grow at different levals . My daughter inlaw is a twin, I have 2yo twins next door whic are like night and day in learning styles and one will be adventours and one hold back for 5 months and then take off with things. By the way the Special Ed. department in your school district is very compassionet and want the best for the children. Good Luck
1. Get yourself educated about your children's right and issues.
www.nolo.com
www.wrightslaw.com
http://www.matrixparents.org/2-services/events.php
2. Move to a school district that has the resources to provide services to kids like you sons if you need to send them to public schools. Some schools can do better for your kids because they can and they know how.
3. Use independent measurable results and experts to determine what help your kids need. "Good", "Satisfied", "A"s and "B"s that show up on the teachers' reports are not independent measurable results. What is your sons' psycho-educational assessments say? If your sons are old enough to take the state's standardized tests, do they perform at or above the mean score of the school. Are you sons' state test score dropping from year to year? That is a sign that they cannot rely on their god gifted raw talent to carry them further as the academic requirements get more complicated and challenging. How is your sons interacts with stranger kids at the parks?
4. Keep a journal.
Good luck.
E. Idea
Mother of two very gifted kids who have a lot of health issues
Have you signed an IEP with "no services"? It is always hard to add services if there is not an open IEP. At the very least, the school should offer a 1/2 hour per week special ed. consult to make sure he transitions without issues. You may want to speak to local advocates that can help. There are several good books for OT at home activities that I would recommend - Sensational Kids and Starting Sensory Integration Therapy. Good luck,
C.
