Help with school planning....

My DS is 4.5yo & was diagnosed this spring with AS and severe phonological disorder (severe problems with speech articulation); also he was receiving OT for SI but I don't know if he was ever "officially" diagnosed. At the time DS was diagnosed he was receiving speech through our school system. I immediately contacted the school district so that we could start putting a plan together for next year. (DS is eligible for preschool through the district due to his birthdate with or without SE needs.) To this date, the school district has basically refused to acknowledge the dx. The dx was made through a respected, specialized clinic in our area. It was a 3-day process including a behavioral pediatrician & psychologist. The school dist's first step was to give him another test "to determine his functional level"-- the test in question is specifically for classically autistic children. The response I received after this was that DS was a perfect example of a non-autistic child (imagine that...). I also contacted ds's speech teacher to get her thoughts-- her suggestion was that I just put him into the school dist. preschool program & if he doesn't do well "then just pull him out"-- this is the woman that was supposed to be his case worker!! (So much for watching out for the student!) Also, when the school year ended I was never contacted to attempt to put together a new IEP for next year, I did receive a progress report that indicated that ds had made "adequate progress", but had not reached his "goals".

Today, I contacted the local PACER center to see about them helping me fight the school for SOMETHING.

Here's my questions specifically, I know that the dist will continue to provide speech-- but what amount of time should I expect?? (They will automatically offer .5hr 2x/wk-- I don't feel that's enough-- he made minimal progress with 1hr 2x/wk) Also, I really don't want him in a classroom with 18-21 other kids & 1/3-1/2 of the day being self-directed time-- so what do I ask for?? Can I reasonably expect OT to be available??

I know that these are difficult questions since every child is different, but I guess what I really need to hear is what has worked well for others?? Should I push for montessori school(there is a dist school), or spec ed class or what??

Any advice, suggestions, success/failure stories would be greatly appreciated. I am fighting a school district that has been been hit very severely in the last 2 years by budget chrunches-- I know that I will have to fight tooth & nail for every little thing... my goal is for my son to succeed in school without ending up with further emotional or self-esteem problems. (My ped keeps asking if moving is an option to get him better services, it isn't...)

Thanks in advance.

Vicki