Preschool Children

I have been on and off the fence with getting DS evaluated, but after having a meeting with EI for my DD, they convinced me why not... Would you get your 4 year old evaluated through your school district if they had any of these issues? He has a bunch of little issues, but I don't want them to become major ones.

He absolutely hates loud noises and will avoid places that have these. He hates getting his clothes wet and if a spot of water or anything else gets on them, he freaks out until he gets changed. He used to hate getting his hands dirty, but I make him play with play doh a lot now and he's over that now. He is also a very hyper child and cannot stop talking. His teacher and his senseis have both said that they have to redirect him in class. He has poor impulse control, but I feel that he has gotten better with that since I got rid of most red dyes he has. He also gets thoughts in his head that he cannot get out of his head. He'll say the same thing over and over throughout the day, even sometimes he'll wake up in the middle of the night and say it. He also had texture issues when he was a baby and would barely eat anything. Right now, he is extremely picky and will only eat about three different things and it has to be exact otherwise he won't eat.

I just feel like he has a touch of everything (sensory issues, OCD - which runs in our family, ADHD...), but nothing major yet. He is extremely smart and I don't want these issues to interfere with that, plus I don't want his other classmates to be affected. Do you think I should have him evaluated? What do they even do for this at that age? I work in special ed with the middle school and high school population, but not sure what they do with 4 year olds...

I think I'm just gonna call the school district and see... Thanks for listening to me ramble!!

Re: Preschool Children

Yes.

I also think there are more kids that have services in place these days, than not. And after speaking last year with some of DS providers, there are probably more children in need of services that don't have them, but probably should.

I think it's good to also have help in place before things become a bigger issue.

If anything, look at all the taxes we pay here on LI towards the school district......at least you would be putting them to good use.

The other kids are not affected by the services. Your DC would have someone working with them 1:1 on areas he needs to improve and the therapists could also give you tips on how to work with him at home. Services could be provided at home and/or at school.

Message edited 9/17/2013 7:10:04 PM.

Re: Preschool Children

P.S. If you are on the fence too, maybe have him evaluated first by a private psychologist out of pocket or through your insurance and go with their recommendation. This is what I did and he advised moving forward with the school district because he felt there were things that needed to be addressed professionally.

Preschool Children

The school can't make a diagnosis. They can only do an evaluation and make a recommendation based on that. You will likely have to go private anyway. He is very young. I personally might give it a year before getting him evaluated, but thats just me. Kids this age have very short attention spans as it is.

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Re: Preschool Children

Good luck!

And I often feel, that just because you may work in the same or similar profession, that does not mean you have all the answers to "fix" your own issues, so to speak.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Re: Preschool Children

It sounds like your ds has a mix of both hypo-sensory and hyper-sensory issues. The non stop talking, or overly active behavior is a way for his neurological system to stay "awake". Repeating the same phrases over and over is soothing because it's rhythmic. It's a constant need to be "alert". The over reaction to noise, or water, or a visual difference on clothing is perhaps "too much' for the system to handle, and then regulate itself quickly to adapt. There are many strategies for handling this, exactly how you desensitized your ds with play doh. So many of these issues have to do with the vestibular system. (even talking).

I highly encourage you to read everything you can on sensory processing disorder. It's rather fascinating how our sensory system plays a role in 'everything' we do. Knowing how to regulate ourselves in all types of situations is something even as adults we struggle with, so young children with immature neurological systems struggle even more since they don't always have coping strategies. Even small things like carrying a favorite toy, or soothing piece of material, crunching on pretzels can insist in regulation, and change behaviors. Since they can calm down the system.

Personally, I would ask the school to evaluate your ds because nowadays it's extremely important to get as much support out of the school system as possible. It's incredible how many children have IEPs, or 504 plans. As a special educator you know how powerful those documents are for the child. It's much more difficult as a child ages to get support services. Schools focus on 'budget' not necessarily a child's socio-emotional well being. Chances are your child won't qualify for services if it's just sensory or ocd issues, but showing the district these things were a concern to you, can probably help you down the road get services if they are warranted. (starting a paper trail).

You can also go through your insurance and find an occupational therapist that specializes in the sensory system. (SIPT) If your son doesn't qualify for CPSE services.

Re: Preschool Children

DS goes to preschool special ed program in our town. He qualified for EI at a year and a half and then when evaluated at close to 3 he was accepted into the special ed program at the local preschool/kindergarten. I have seen a huge difference since he started. It's amazing how the teachers work with him. He goes everyday and gets speech everyday and OT once a week. He goes on a bus too.

I say it never hurts to get him evaluated. The sooner the better and if he doesn't qualify they give you good pointers to work with him.
BTW... my DS is also 4. He has sensory issues along with receptive and expressive delays. He doesn't like certain stuffed animals or toys that are loud, but through school and us working with him he has gotten a lot better.
Good luck!

Re: Preschool Children

Posted by sapphire

It sounds like your ds has a mix of both hypo-sensory and hyper-sensory issues. The non stop talking, or overly active behavior is a way for his neurological system to stay "awake". Repeating the same phrases over and over is soothing because it's rhythmic. It's a constant need to be "alert". The over reaction to noise, or water, or a visual difference on clothing is perhaps "too much' for the system to handle, and then regulate itself quickly to adapt. There are many strategies for handling this, exactly how you desensitized your ds with play doh. So many of these issues have to do with the vestibular system. (even talking).

I highly encourage you to read everything you can on sensory processing disorder. It's rather fascinating how our sensory system plays a role in 'everything' we do. Knowing how to regulate ourselves in all types of situations is something even as adults we struggle with, so young children with immature neurological systems struggle even more since they don't always have coping strategies. Even small things like carrying a favorite toy, or soothing piece of material, crunching on pretzels can insist in regulation, and change behaviors. Since they can calm down the system.

Personally, I would ask the school to evaluate your ds because nowadays it's extremely important to get as much support out of the school system as possible. It's incredible how many children have IEPs, or 504 plans. As a special educator you know how powerful those documents are for the child. It's much more difficult as a child ages to get support services. Schools focus on 'budget' not necessarily a child's socio-emotional well being. Chances are your child won't qualify for services if it's just sensory or ocd issues, but showing the district these things were a concern to you, can probably help you down the road get services if they are warranted. (starting a paper trail).

You can also go through your insurance and find an occupational therapist that specializes in the sensory system. (SIPT) If your son doesn't qualify for CPSE services.

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Good for you! It's positive that you are starting the process now, before a lot of providers really start to build up their caseloads.

With us, DS didn't qualify for OT (which helps a lot with sensory stuff) until he had the SEIT (only service he was initially receiving) make a recommendation that she was noticing stuff during their sessions. We were also then affected by Sandy which really increased a lot of issues with DS at the time, since he was out of his home/routine so I wrote a letter to the school explaining that.

We were okay with ending all services at the end of this past school year, but the district decided to only cut the SEIT and give him OT again to see how he does after the summer break and in a new school setting.

Preschool Children

So I met with the district today and they wanted to do an OT and speech eval. Just waiting to hear when that's gonna be. What happens next? The woman was not very informative which didn't help lol

Re: Preschool Children

Is this on LI?
You should be given a list of providers and you can choose which agency you want to complete the evals.

If memory serves, I initially took DS to the agency and he met with the providers there for the evaluation.

Then a meeting is set up to discuss the results.

If services are recommended to continue, a schedule is set up in the community or at the center.

It's also been my experience that if you are initially dealing with the secretary at the school district, they don't know what they are talking about but like to feel important, which leads to delays and misinformation.

Ask for the Director each and every time if you want positive results.

Preschool Children

I would also ask for a special ed evaluation. The district can't give him a diagnosis, but they can classify him as a preschool student with a disability, which would get him services. I think he can benefit a lot from services and I wouldn't wait to get him started. If the district is not helpful, I would look into getting him evaluated privately.

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I believe it's routine to do a speech and psych eval.

They had DS meet with the OT very briefly but he didn't actually get a thorough eval for that until services were in place and his SEIT backed me up that there may be a sensory issue going on.

Preschool Children

So tomorrow I have DS' cpse meeting... The agency does not think he'll qualify because his IQ was in the 130s and his issues are not affecting him at school... What do I say at his meeting?? I know he has a ton of issues and he will definitely benefit if he qualified.. I just don't know what to say there! Do I need to bring anything? I'm nervous lol I've been to a million cses - just none for my own child!!

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Message edited 10/22/2013 5:37:24 AM.

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Re: Preschool Children