Help with school choices
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| Wed, 09-12-2007 - 12:13pm |
Hi, all. My four-year-old, Kyle, will be eligible for kindergarten next school year, but I strongly feel he should be held back a year due to his social/behavioral delays. (We think he has PDD-NOS or Asperger's and maybe ADHD.) His birthday is within 2 months of the deadline and he's also small for his age. BUT, if I hold Kyle back, I think for that year, he will not get services from the school district. Maybe, I can pay to have him in a preschool class there, but I don't know if it can be a special "modeling" class he's been in or just a regular one and if he can also get some services (OT and speech).
The only people who think my son should not be held back are district people. Everyone else - family, friends and a doctor - think he should be held back. The district people say a lot can happen in a year, but they don't understand you have to make plans by Feb. or even sooner. I worry that my son, who is acting more like a 2 or 3 year old most times, will be made fun of by other kids a lot. I think he could really benefit from one more year to mature. And having a younger kid (a 5-month-old baby, Luke), I have that choice to make, as I won't return to work until at the very least the younger one is in school.
I looked into a non-profit early childhood center for Kyle. They have a classroom for ages 5-8. But I didn't get the sense that Kyle would fit very well there. It seems a lot of the kids there were more needy than him, and that the program would actually be a step back rather than one forward. The woman who runs it mentioned how they try to "fit in" social studies and science curriculum - ah, the last time I checked school was all about curriculum! And she said the kids tend to stay in the program, not move on. I want Kyle to move on in a year.
Another choice - probably a very good one - is a private school for kids with average or above intelligence who have sensory issues, ADHD or some other issue that gets in the way of learning. BUT, the school will become very hard to get to come January, when THE major highway here is shut down for TWO YEARS for construction. And I have another kid to consider. Now it's possible that we as a family might have to move closer to that school if my hubby's work situation is really bad due to the highway project. (Worse case: I am a single mom weekdays and my hubby doesn't get to see his kids until weekends, and that just won't do.)
I haven't really found any other good choices for Kyle. I do plan to tour the private school soon to at least see if I think it's a good option. I'd love a program that's either kindergarten at "his level" or even a pre-kindergarten that's in between preschool and kindergarten. Or, do I see if the district will let me put Kyle in a regular preschool class with older kids and give him some services on the side? (Or see if I can get him services on his own? He mostly needs OT, not so much speech.)
Michelle
Mom to Kyle (5-28-03) and Luke (3-28-07)
| Wed, 09-12-2007 - 5:40pm |
