Stay in EI or transition to CPSE early?

My son has been getting ABA thru EI for 7 months now (he is diagnosed with PDD-NOS, but his therapist say he is high functioning). He turns 3 in April and we had our CPSE meeting last month and will qualify to go to a school (integrated class 6:1:3.5 program?). Thru CPSE he qualifies for Speech, OT and PT. (I'm confused though if he will still be getting ABA if it is integrated?)

Right now he is in full time daycare since we have to work full time. So he has 4 therapist and 15 hours of services. All the sessions (but 3) are done at school (mainly done in the class, occassionally pull him out). The remaining 3 are done at home.

We recently had his IEP reviewed in Suffolk County and they are suggesting we transition to CPSE early so he can get his PT, OT and speech which they are not giving thru EI. We are looking at either DDI in Huntington or Building Blocks in Commack.

I am really confused and torn on what to do. We were planning to transition him in Sept. but DDI may not have a spot (we still have to tour the 2 schools). So they (Suffolk county and DDI) are telling us we should transition him now if there is a spot.

He works great with his therapist (although I wonder sometimes how much he gets if the therapist stays in the classroom with him rather than work 1x1). Will he benefit more thru CPSE since it is an integrated class? It will be a 4 hours class. Or should I let him stay in EI till Sept. and then risk not having an open spot?

And anyone have reviews on either school... DDI or Building Blocks?

I am just worried I will be making the wrong choice for my child. :(

Re: Stay in EI or transition to CPSE early?

HI! I am in the field (ABA) and i usually do not suggest transitioning out early unless you really want him in a full time program for social skills and exposure to other kids. It sounds like he may be getting this already in daycare? The intensity of ABA and the 1:1 he is getting now, he will definitely not get in a center. Good luck with your decision!

ETA: Why isn't he getting his related services through EI and he qualifies in CPSE? Usually the services stingier in Cpse.

Message edited 1/22/2014 7:47:02 PM.

Re: Stay in EI or transition to CPSE early?

Personally, if he needs OT,PT & Speech I would get him those services ASAP. I would tour the preschools you are interested in and ask questions about their 6:1:3:5 programs and find out how they are run. They probably do some ABA with the classified students at some point during the school day. The only advantage to staying in EI is that services can be provided 365 days per year. Preschool services follow a school calendar. Did your EIOD refuse OT, PT & Speech services for your DS because he/she said those areas can be addressed through his SEIT/ABA provider or did they discover he required those services during the transition Eval? If EI won't provide your DS with OT, PT & Speech. I would transition him sooner rather then later. Also he will probably thrive in a structured school setting vs a daycare setting. Kids usually make a ton of progress just by entering school.

Re: Stay in EI or transition to CPSE early?

Message edited 1/23/2014 12:48:32 PM.

Re: Stay in EI or transition to CPSE early?

I can see transitioning early if it will GUARANTEE you a full day spot at a school you want your child in, but I would ask a few questions first.

Since he has updated evals that show he is eligible for services he isn't currently receiving, he should be getting them now. When will EI set that up? (this should be regardless of whether or not you transition him sooner). FYI, generally EI sessions for speech, OT and PT are 45 minutes each, CPSE sessions are 30 minutes each. So although he may be getting PT twice a week in either EI or CPSE, he will be getting 30 minutes more per week in EI because the sessions are longer.

If you transition him to preschool, is the district going to continue home services for you? In our case, once DS started a full day program, we no longer received ABA at home. At the time he transitioned, we felt that was OK for him, but you may want more time with the therapists in the home environment and if the district is not offering that, you will have to fight hard to get it.

As someone else pointed out - will the district give him a summer program or summer services and what will that consist of? June to September is a long time to do without the class and/or home services. The possibility of that would make me nervous. Also know that CPSE services stop over summer breaks, even if you get home services, so those 4 weeks or so in between school year and summer, DS will get no services at all. EI still provides services during those breaks.

I am a little unclear about the setting of the class. You are saying it's a 6, but also saying it's an integrated class. The class size of integrated classes is usually 12 or 15. A 6 is generally a self contained class and is considered lower functioning. I don't know your DS, but based on the amount of ABA hours a week he is getting, my guess is that it's a self contained 6:1:3, not an integrated class. You should clarify that.

If you take the spot now, are they guaranteeing that you will have the spot for the fall? If not, I would wait to transition for sure.

It's a tough decision for sure. My DS got ABA at daycare and at home when he was first diagnosed. For him, I thought the combination of daycare and a half day EI school program was the best combination because he had typical kids as role models at daycare. For us, it worked out better to transition him later, but he has a late birthday, so it was a different scenario than the one you have.

Message edited 1/23/2014 1:09:23 PM.

Re: Stay in EI or transition to CPSE early?

I am a Preschool Psychologist in NYC - so no sure if it differs from LI. In NY you can date an IEP beginning in Sept and continue with EI if your child still meets eligibility based on needs and birthday until 8/31. There will need to be 2 separate cpse meetings. To draft th IEP and one to finalize over the summer. That is how the children get into the preschools for the upcoming school year. If you choose to keep your child in EI for now, try and request a new meeting and use the updated reports requesting related services. I know cpse accepts ei evals but i do not think ei accepts cpse evals. In my experience, services more so depend on the administrator - more than if its EI or CPSE. Good luck!

Message edited 2/27/2014 8:52:24 PM.