Preschools for Kids with Special Needs
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Preschools for Kids with Special Needs
Nov 2012
My son is 3 and has some speech and language delays for which he receives private
speech therapy.
He is in a lovely preschool, but I feel like the teachers don't have specific skills
related to supporting his speech development, and I am reassessing what we might do
next fall.
Are there any preschools in Berkeley, Albany, or Oakland that have teachers with a
speech pathology background or who are particularly talented at supporting language
development in a speech-delayed child? It's not just about developing articulation
skills (although that is high priority), but also the skill set in assisting our son
in developing age appropriate social and learning skills despite his language delay.
It takes more effort and patience to understand him, and to help him verbalize his
thoughts, and I think he needs a teacher and an environment that knows more
specially how to do that.
I'm open to any suggestions from parents who have had similar issues with their own
child.
What else might be out there?
We live in the Lafayette School District and they have an Early Intervention
Preschool located at Burton Valley Elementary School (it's called Penguins). I
realize you don't live in this school district, but perhaps your district has
one as well. Here's the link to the one in Lafayette:
https://sites.google.com/site/spfskdevelopment/early-intervention-preschool/screening
Lafayette Mama
Our 3 year old son attends Berkeley's King CDC
where he is in a mixed classroom (both
general ed and special needs). I cannot tell you how wonderful this has been this
year for him. There are 15 spots (I think 5 are special needs in this classroom) in
the class, and the teacher, speech therapist, occupational therapist, and assistants
have been amazing. We visited extensively ahead of time and chose this particular
classroom because we were so impressed by the teacher (and it seems all the other
parents agree). I'm not sure why this is not more utilized by Berkeley parents, but
we couldn't be happier. I'd be happier to give more information if you want.
Mary
April 2011
Hi BPN,
I am the mother of a beautiful almost 4 year old boy who
has sensory processing disorder and may have ASD. I will
not go into my reasons as why I don't think he has ASD, and
no it is not denial as I am a pediatric physical therapist
and have worked with children all over the spectrum. We
live in the WCCUSD and have been in disagreement with them
since he turned three as I refuse to put him in a robotic
program with one hour of exposure to typically developing
children per week. He was doing very well at a private
Montessori program in Orinda, but we are about to lose that
placement as they do not think he is ready for the 3.5 to 5
year old classroom but physically too big (he is 3 foot 4)
for the younger prep class. He recieves OT 2 x per week at
Suma Kids and Easter Seals denver floor time therapy 3 x per
week. So with that summary and the rug pulled out from
under us regarding his school placement today one week prior
to May here is what I am asking my fellow BPNers.
1) Advice for a new preschool, or what is the best school
district to get an interdistrict transfer to? (we have a
good chance because school district is a year out of
compliance regarding our son).
2) A good sensory integration trained speech therapist. We
did not have good experience with Faltz and Associates or
Herrick Alta Bates.
Please PBNers I am so frustrated. Children need to be
treated for their individual impairments, not the ''diagnosis
label'' Hoping for some good resources, all the best,
Mother of Bear
Sorry I can't help with the preschool question, but the speech therapists at
Communication Works in Oakland are extremely knowledgeable about sensory issues
and deal with it in creative and beneficial ways. As a parent, I have learned
a great deal about different methodologies and approaches I can take with my
child, as they make sure to include the parents in the learning process. You
can reach them at (510) 639-2929.
Best of luck to you.
Regardless of the specific diagnosis, it sounds like you are taking the
concerns seriously - we also have easter seals for my son - and he is six and
has hf autism. When he was in preschool, we had him in a typical preschool with
a push in aide for several years. This worked well until the last year when the
day was too unstructured for him. We moved him to the Lafayette early
intervention program preschool penguins --excellent. I had reservations about
lack of exposure to typical kids (you have to qualify to get in to the program)
but there was a wide range of children in the classes - some that were socially
advanced but had physical disability, some on the spectrum, some were just a
little too shy. The teachers are incredible and they use a floortime approach.
My son blossomed and is now in mainstream K. you can email me if you want more
information. best of luck.
JJ
Sorry, I don't have any recommendations yet on a preschool but I was curious
about your son's issue. Our son has a language disorder (MERLD - mixed
expressive receptive language disorder) that gets misdiagnosed as autism (or
ASD) all the time, though it's not ASD at all. In trying to find out what was
the issue with my son, I found an online community of parents that have seen it
all when it comes to language disorders and other disorders that sometimes
accompany the language issues (sensory processing disorder, auditory processing
disorder, dyspraxia, apraxia, etc) and they've been a wealth of advice and
support for me in the last year (http://www.naturallatetalkers.com). They
really help, too, with advice on navigating school districts, IEPs, bad
schools, etc. We just moved to this area and started the process of getting our
son evaluated by the school district for special needs and into a good
preschool so I don't have much to report in that way yet. Please do take a look
at the Natural Late Talkers forum. For many of us, it's the only guiding light
and sane voice through this journey.
CanRelate
Sept 2009
HI,
My son was supposed to start a Waldorf preschool in the Fall.
But, after observing him in a mini-day and talking to our OT
they decided that it was not the right place for him. My 3 1/2
year old son really wants to go to school and make friends, but
he has mild to moderate SPD that can be very challenging. I am
currently waiting to get a new eval from our school district,
but I would love to find a good preschool for him. I think that
at this point we need a school that specializes in children
with special needs. We live in Marin, but I am willing to
travel for the right school. Please Help! I feel so sad and
frustrated for him!
SP
We just went through this with my son, who just turned 4. He's on
his fourth preschool--in part because we moved and had to switch
schools, but also because we had trouble finding the right
situation for him after we moved. I know SPD runs the gamut of
behaviors and symptoms, so this might not apply to your kid, but
we found that the most important things were: low teacher ratio,
class size (not too large but also not so small that they don't
get the opportunity for socialization), structure, and the
willingness of the staff to tailor their approach to our child
and be extra nurturing. I love the waldorf approach but I think
it's a bit too loosey-goosey for an SPD kid. Our son did well at
his first preschool, which was Montessori--the philosophy
emphasizes working at the child's developmental pace, so they
were very kind about dealing with his particular issues. His
current school is not Montessori, but has a very low teacher
ratio, and the communication is very good with the staff. We sat
down for a conference with the entire staff before he started and
shared his IEP with them. Finding a school where the staff is
comfortable working with the OT is also a plus. Good luck! It's
definitely a stressful experience, but finding the right fit is
pretty magical.
mom to SPD kid
I was told my son had SPD at 3 y.o. It was bad. He couldn't do
many things. We did brushing, compressions, etc. He was always
getting thrown out of prescholos. We stopped all the sensory
tactics and kept him with me. Now he is 5 y.o. and he does'nt
have 99% of those issues. If it is an option I would keep him
home with you and till he out grows this things.
-Jill
June 2008
I'm interested in finding a pre-K program my 4 year-old can
attend next fall that provides language and communication
support. He's a bright and generally happy guy, but he
struggles with language and we want to do everything possible
to get him up to speed so he can attend our local kindergarten
the following year. I've heard great things about Happy
Talkers, but it's in Dublin which is quite a drive. Does
anyone know of any other similar programs closer to the
Berkeley/Oakland area?
anon
We've been going to the CSU East Bay Speech and Language Clinic
for my son's speech/language delay. He goes twice per week for
a one-hour, one-on-one session. Our clinician is terrific,
relates extremely well to our three-year old and his speech has
improved over the past two months as a result. My little guy
loves to see his ''friend'' Ashleigh, aka the clinician.
I've heard that it can be difficult to get into the program,
but if you're able to the cost is much more reasonable than
private speech therapy @ $300 for a nine-week quarter (18
sessions). There's a summer session coming up that could be
ideal since so many families take it off due to vacations,
etc. It's more of drive than Berkeley/Oakland, but we've found
it very worthwhile overall.
Here's the link...
http://class.csueastbay.edu/commsci/abclinic.htm
MB
Tilden Elementary School
in Oakland is great for children with
language delays. I have personally seen the positive effects
it has had on my friends daughter.
http://tilden.ousd.k12.ca.us/
Sara
If your son has a true language delay, he is eligible for free
preschool (special education) through your local school district.
If you live in Oakland, you can call the Diagnostic Center at
879-3070 for an assessment. If he meets the criteria (is delayed
enough) you will be offered a preschool placement. It's a good
program and early intervention is important. Good luck!
anon
Sept. 2004
I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for a preschool
for our 2 1/2 year old son for the 2005 school year. He has a
language delay with expressive being more delayed than receptive
but I don't want to put him in a school specifically for delays
since he's making such great progress. But I would like a
school that has some kind of experience dealing with his kind of
delay. We're new to the area and have learned that the
application process begins soon for schools! Any advice would
be appreciated!
Amy
recommended:
Tilden School
June 2006
My son is currently seeing a speech therapist through Early
Intervention for expressive speech delay (he's behind in his
speech, but his comprehension is developmentally right on
schedule). He will be 3 in August (graduating out of EI), and
recently was evaluated by Preschool Assessment Services (Mt
Diablo School District), and the folks there are recommending he
attend a special ed preschool for children with language delay at
Gregory Gardens Elementary. Pros - it's down the street from us,
it's free, and it's supposed to be just like a regular preschool
class except for it is taught by speech therapists and consists
of children with speech issues. Our conundrum - we already had
signed our son up with a co-op preschool that we are really
jazzed about, which would start in the fall. We're going to
observe the special ed preschool next week to see what we think,
but I'm finding myself confused at to what would be best. Do any
parents out there have experience with Gregory Gardens Preschool,
or with preschool classes specifically for language delay? Were
you satisfied with the experience your child had? I'm bummed
about the possibility of not doing the co-op school, as parent
participation is something I would love to do (I have the
opportunity to be a SAHM right now, and would love to get
involved in my son's school experience). Did anyone with speech
delayed children put their kids in a non-specialized preschool
program, and how did that go? (Particularly if it was a co-op).
Any words of experience from folks would be greatly appreciated
by a mom who is just trying to figure out what will be best for
her son.
Confused about preschools
Don't know Gregory Gardens but my son (now 6) went through 2
years of preschool, K and is finishing up 1st, through OUSD, in a
'communicatively handicapped' special day class with wonderful
teachers. The supplies and arts enrichment were lacking compared
to the private preschool my daughter attended and others we
looked at, but my son really benefitted from the language/speech
support. Having all questions and instruction rephrased for some
auditory processing and memory issues, and being able to
accommodate his speech delays were key for us. Additionally, we
really needed all the (free) SPT, OT and PT we received through
the district. He's finishing up 1st grade at a different school
with a CH program and will mainstream next fall at our local
public school (repeating 1st grade). Definitely go observe the
public school classes, and also talk to the co-op preschool about
how they specifically would support your son's special needs.
Good luck
Glad We Stayed in Spec. Ed.
My little girl started an early intervention preschool when she
was three. She also had other issues besides speech difficulty
(hers was dues to fluid in her ears and she needed tubes) She was
also very small for her age. She received PT. OT and speech
therapy but her comprehension of speech was always fairly good.
By the time she was four she had quite a good vocabulary and was
able to express her needs and she started going to a Montessori 2
days a week and the
special ed preschool the pther 3 days a week. Her birthday is in
January - by the time she was 5 the decided she didn't need
speech therapy again until sometime later in Kindergarten, Right
now our main concerns are with fine motor skills. I think it is
very important that if a child can participate at least part
time in a ''regular'' preschool - usually a privatly paid for
school, that
he be allowed to do so. I think that they learn a lot socially
from their peers as well as they want to do the fine motor adn
gross motor things that their peers can do. Unfortunately,
the otnly way most of our special needs children can get speech
therapy, OT, etc. is to go to the public school program where the
services are administered. I suggest starting your child out in
Gregory Gardens as I am told it is a good program and delay
putting him into the coop program until you evaulate how he is
doing and then have his IEP rewritten so that he goes to the
special ed preschool only on the days he gets speech therapy and
the coop school on the other days. By that time he may be three
and a half or more and he will have some time in the co-op before
heading off the kindergarten. Good luck!
turtlesrus
Hi,
I can sure understand your concerns about your child. My
daughter had a speech delay and attended a communication
preschool at Alta Bates. We did go and look at GG-it came very
highly recommended to us and although it was over 10 years ago
that we visted I think they have a awesome program and would
welcome your parental involvement.
I would get as much intense speech help for your son while he
is young. This is such a important time in his life to work on
his speech skills and not to be taken lightly.I would go for a
speech based school! GG would love to have you involved!
Another mom of speech delayed child
My daughter's audiologist recommended Gregory Gardens. I don't
know if it is private or public school. My experience is that
the public schools have a lot to offer especially in special
education. We've been the private route and found it to vary
so much by the kids in the class and the teacher. It has been
a real disaster. I am glad we are now in the public school
system in West Contra Costa. If you live in West Contra Costa,
they have Cameron School Early Childhood intervention that is
great and it's part of the public school system
parent of hard of hearing speach delayed child
July 2003
Since the previous answers to this question seem to mention
mostly North Berkeley pre-schools I thought i'd ask again for
the Rockridge area or nearby. I'm looking for a pre-school for
my two year old son who has some develomental delays so he
would do best in a small classroom. He's a normal kid, very
social but learns better if he's taught things and receives
attention rather than left to play on his own. I'm open to a
co-op also. Thank you!
It's frustrating, isn't it? When we were in a similar situation,
the response to our son's delays was eye-opening!
Preschools that purported to be ''tailored to each child's
individual needs'' or that supposedly allowed kids to ''learn
at their own pace'' either told us point-blank that they couldn't
give our son the individual attention he needed, or else
they couched their rejection by saying ''it wouldn't be the right
fit.'' The only preschool specifically for special-needs kids
(aside from early invervention programs like P.I.P. at
Children's, which is only a few hours per week) that I found
at the time was First Step, at Fairmount & 29th in Oakland,
238-0880. We never investigated, because we found an
awesome nanny with special needs experience, so I'm only
passing on the info, not necessarily recommending them.
--Mom of Delayed Preschooler
July 2003
What do wealthy parents do for their special-needs
preschoolers?
We have a 4-year-old boy who is developmentally delayed.
His speech has improved to the point that he no longer
qualifies for special-ed preschool in the Oakland Unified
School District. However, he is ill-suited to most private
preschools because he needs constant direction,
enthusiasm, involvement, and attention from the teachers.
(Although he is cognitively at age level, he has sensory
integration issues in addition to gross motor delays and a
smattering of behavior problems.) I have unfortunately found
that many preschools in Oakland and Berkeley either will
not take on such a kid or are unable to provide
knowledgable and appropriate support.
But...we have MONEY! We could hire a one-on-one therapist
or a babysitter with special needs training, but my husband
and I really want our son to be with typically developing
preschoolers for socialization and peer learning. Any
suggestions? Is there such a thing as a pricey, integrated
exceptional-needs preschool in the East Bay?
Signed,
Will Pay for the Right Preschool
Recommendations received:
Montessori Family School
Other advice:
Check out some of the Montessori Schools in your area. Montessori
method is very adapatable to the needs of the individual child.
Good luck.
Helene
When our son was young, we also looked at Beacon
School which claimed to have an interest in special children,
but they weren't interested in our son at all.
A special needs parent
I suggest that you use your money to hire an aide who will
provide for all of your child's specific needs in a preschool
setting. Many preschools will allow a special needs child to
join their school if that child has an experienced helper who
can help the child assimilate into the environment. Many
schools shy away from a special needs child because they do not
have the staff to spend so much time with one child, and they
also feel their staff may not be knowledgeable about e.g.,
sensory integration issues and how to address them. Students at
local universities who might have an interest in special
education might be particularly suitable aides. Just a thought...
Kathy R
There are many options available to you in the community. First, I
would recommend getting an independent evaluation outside of the school
district. The district can and should pay for that, but if you are
willing, you can seek this out. My experience shows that different
evaluations will have different conclusions and while I am sure you are
thrilled to know that your son has improved so much that he no longer
qualifies, if it is borderline and you have an independent eval that
qualifies him for services, you might still want him to have the
advantage of the interventions (through OUSD) that will secure his
forward direction. There are many excellent dev. Peds. in the area
and/or therapists who will perform this type of evaluation and can
forward the results to your district. Legally, the district will need
to consider that evaluation and you can then make a case for services
from that point. I can direct you further if you like. Additionally,
you might look into multi-handicapped qualifications for your son in
addressing his SI dysfunction and behavioral issues. This might qualify
him for services in order to again achieve that intervention to be
secure. We have our son in both a special needs environment as well as
a typically developing pre-school. Just as you have probably found, our
son will most likely be in a typically developing environment for
elementary education and we need for him to see/observe/participate in a
typically developing environment as a pre-schooler. There is one
program I know of that is particularly sensitive to integration of
special needs/typically developing integration and that is Step One,
although I am pretty sure there's a wait to get in. My son's
pre-school, however, has been incredibly understanding and supportive.
They have allowed us to have our son attend as long as we provide an
Aide/shadow for him while he's at school. Again, I would be happy to
address this in more detail if you would like to contact me. There are
many wonderful pre-school programs in the area that I would guess would
be willing to work with and understand your son's situation if you
explained and provided any safeguards they might require. Best of luck
to you and your family. This can be a challenging road, but it is a
workable one.
January 2002
My baby (12 months old) is somewhat delayed and is being seen by Early
Intervention. I am gathering information on preschools and child care who will take special needs babies/toddlers. She has a wide range of different delays -from several months (mostly truncal and upper body hypotonia) to a few weeks (she is very close to age in language development). She may well "catch up" in the next year but I am collecting data anyway as I suspect most places will have a waiting list. Thanks! Cindy
Recommendations received:
Cameron Preschool
Dandelion Coop Preschool
Hopkins Street Preschool
Step One Preschool
this page was last updated: Nov 18, 2012
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