Need some help and opinions...for CPSE meeting (kinda long...sorry)

My ds is in a 1/2 day 5 day a week specialized program now for a severe speech delay. He gets speech 2 x a week for 30 mins there. So far he is doing well and I'm happy so far with his progress.

He was recently re-evaluated and I have his CPSE meeting the end of April for next year. I haven't received his scores yet, but I know they are on their way. I spoke with the school psychologist and she mentioned that she wanted to recommend to the board that my ds go full day next year for the extra help and thought it would benefit him. I do think this would be a good idea as he has done very well and with the extra help might improve more.

Do you think if he gets approved for a full day (it would be 9-2pm) do you think I should ask for more speech as well? Right now he is just starting to say a few words. His receptive language has gone way up and his expressive is slowly following. I think if he is going to be there for longer periods another speech session might be helpful. Thoughts on this?

Also, I wanted to possibly put him in a summer program to continue his speech through the summer, does anyone know of anything that I can look into and then present it to the CPSE for approval?

Thanks

Re: Need some help and opinions...for CPSE meeting (kinda long...sorry)

I think asking for more is warranted. If you feel that two times is not enough, then go ahead and ask for more. I would try to bring someone from his program with you to the meeting for support and that way they can vouch for you son.

My DS is in a preschool everyday from 11:30 - 3:30 and receives speech 3 times per week for 30 minutes. His speech delay was also severe, but he is really coming along. I think that you will see a difference as well with the full day.

As for the summer program, my son's school (DDI in Ronkonkoma, but they have other locations in Suffolk) offer a program for reasonable rates. I plan to enroll him so he doesn't regress over the summer.

Re: Need some help and opinions...for CPSE meeting (kinda long...sorry)

You can absolutely request more speech. Is he currently receiving any more therapies, like OT or PT? The school I worked for had a six week summer program that most, but not all, children qualified for, although it was more likely that children in full day classes were approved. I would stress at his CPSE that you are very concerned about regression. Good luck!

Re: Need some help and opinions...for CPSE meeting (kinda long...sorry)

CPSE can give summer services. there are schools with summer programs. where are you located? nassau or suffolk? if you do get approved for full day in fall, likelihood is you will get approved for summer as well. (they don't like to let the kids regress over the summer) however that being said, summer sessions are only 6 weeks. and some places evne if its full day during the year only do half day in summer. i would start calling some of the local schools that do CPSE and get your name on the waiting list if your meeting isn't until april. getting summer spots is harder because they have fewer classes during the summer.

my son was in an EI preschool class 1/2 day 5 days a week. when we transitioned to CPSE he got full day. but becuse of the timing and him not being able to stay in the EI class for the summer, we had to find summer through CPSE. we got lucky, he was on waiting lists at 3 schools for summer. one of them came through and it was the one we wanted him in in the fall as well. so he started 6 week half day summer, and then full day in the fall. and it worked out great.

Re: Need some help and opinions...for CPSE meeting (kinda long...sorry)

Thanks so much for the info. We are in Nassau, Levittown.. Do you have some names of places I can call to start off with for the summer. Thanks.

Re: Need some help and opinions...for CPSE meeting (kinda long...sorry)

i just typed in a huge message and lost it... so the condensed version...

call Boces, Early childhood center. (ECC) they are in levittown. specialize in kids who need speech. (they don't offer OT or PT on site... so if you need multiple services it might not be the best place) but they have a set up where two classes are always combined into one room. the big advantage to this... a speech teacher and a special ed teaching in the room all day. (no pull out speech) and hte classes are big... a 10-1-2 in there would actually be 20 kids, 2 teachers and 4 aides. good for peer role models actually. (my son went there for 2 years and 2 summers) it was a great program, and he was full mainstreamed when he left there.

if you are looking just speech, and half day, there is dutch lane in hicksville. its only half day though.

there is also North Shore (AKA Barbara K Wilson preschool) in Syossett. they do mostly full day, a couple half days classes. specialize in kids with Apraxia. but take everyone depending on the make up of kids in each class.

you have little village in seaford. getting in there is hard... i wouldn't hold my breath on it. we went there for EI and never got a spot for CPSE.

there are a few more, but they're aren't as close. i would probably start by calling North shore and boces and see about getting your name in there someplace. north shore is harder to get into because it is smaller and a "private" preschool. boces, since its state controlled, has the ability to open new classes if they run out of space, so while they don't do it often, you have a better chance of getitng into boces.

if you have any questions feel free to fm me.

Re: Need some help and opinions...for CPSE meeting (kinda long...sorry)

Thanks so much...I will definitly start calling tomorrow....

My district did say at the last meeting that my ds was "not a levittown boces kid"...not sure what they meant by that. I think they were referring to his overall scores not being low enough, but if they offer speech based, that's what my son needs. I'll definitly have to question that at the meeting.

Our EI slp was from LIttle Village and I do know the odds of getting there are slim to none.

Thanks so much again.

Re: Need some help and opinions...for CPSE meeting (kinda long...sorry)

interesting that they said not a levittown boces kid. i know ECC is mainly speech delays, mild PDD, attention issues. (they also have a hearing speciality for kids who have cochlear implants, or are deaf/ hard of hearing)

there is also the Boces in north bellmore on jeruslalem ave. they focus more on the PDD kids, but more severe delays. much lower functioning.

the thing is, ECC in levittown is a full day program. they don't offer half day except in the summer. and if the district wants full day, it should be one of the option. did hte district mention which schools they were interested in? i know some districts tell you where they want to send your paperwork, and others let you pick completely on your own. (keep in mind, if they don't suggest a school and you want your paperwork sent there, they have no choice but to send it... just keep after them, they drag their feet on the stuff alot if they don't want to do it)

Re: Need some help and opinions...for CPSE meeting (kinda long...sorry)

When we went last year they only offered a half day for him that is what he is in now in Plainview.

When I asked about the Levittown Boces (I figured especially since we're right here), they told me he scored to high in other areas to go there. I'm not sure if they changed the program at that school or not. THe funny thing was when I called the place myself last year, they told me they couldn't talk to me unless my paperwork was sent over, which it wasn't. They did a bit of both in terms of suggesting some places and letting me request a few.

They did send us to Hicksville (Dutch Lane) but when my dh and I went to go see we both felt that our ds needed a little more than what they were offering.

Now that I know Boces offers half summer I'm going to push for that and then if they want to have him go full time maybe he can "transfer" there.

My daughter's kindergarten teacher warned me that they are starting to try and declassify kids earlier then they need to be before they enter kindergarten b/c of budget issues, so that is something else I'm on the look out for the following year.

I'm going to call Levittown boces again today and see what they say.

Thanks again for all your help.