Early Childhood Care Question

[Medlin]

Hi. I haven't posted in awhile but I had a question for any of you who have used the early childhood care offered by the public school system. My daughter Zoe has a robpi yet she functions very well. I am concerned that she is going to be too smart to get into this program. She really needs the OT the school would offer, but mentally she is considered advanced. Has anyone faced this problem, and if so is there a way to fight any decisions made? If she isn't accepted into this program we won't be able to continue with her OT as our insurance won't pay for it and we can't afford it out of pocket. I am very frustrated right now, and any advice or comments will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Zoe's mom

[admin]

Our daughter is 19mo. now. She goes to PT/OT and now speech 3x's a week. When the doctors ask how much therapy is she getting, the answer is about 3-4 hours a day. We do A LOT at home. It's a challenge, yet her four brothers have been conditioned to not interfere with us when I am working one on one with her. I make up things for them to do along with us as well. I know this is going to go on for years...poss. ever... but I also know that her recovery is up to me. I think I've always known that. I learn all that I can from all kinds of sources, invent things, rig things, whatever it takes.

[Cara]

My dughter is 4yr old and is in the early childhood program. She is very bright and was testing above age for verbal and cognitive skills. She had deficits in fine and gross motor skills which allowed her to qualify for the program. Last year she went to a preschool 2 days a week and got OT services. Because she was functioning above age level they decided to place her in a community based preschool. She was with other children who did not have developmental delays. Transportation and the cost of the program was covered by the school system. we moved to another state over the summer. She is now in aprgram where she is in a regular ed. preschool room 4 days a week (that is all that is offered by the school) and goes to a special ed class on Fridays. She still recieves OT services at school and transportation. When you into the IEP meeting be ready to explain how BPI keeps your child from learning/performing age appropriate tasks. I focused on self care, playground safety, phys. ed. and art. Sometimes it is hard to get people to understand that fair and approriate education includes more than cognitive development.

[Tanya in NY]

Cara,

Hello. My name is Tanya and I have a 2 year old daughter named Amber with ROBPI. We are currently getting ready to transition from the Early Intervention program into the 3-5 year program that is supported by our school district. You said that you need to go to the IEP meeting ready to explain how BPI keeps your child from learning/performing age appropriate tasks. You said you focused on self-care, playground safety, phys. ed, art. Can you explain more specifically what you said or presented as evidence during your meeting to make the CPSE chair understand? Our chairperson isn't very giving when it comes to programs (as I've found out with my older child) and I would like all the information I can gather to bring to our meeting down the road. Thanks in advance.

Tanya in NY

[Cara]

Rosalynn had a lot of issues with balance initially, she would fall easily and could not catch herself. also steadying herself on stairs was an issue. Holdign herself upright on a swing and climbing a ladder for a slide of playground toy where concerns. HEr lack of supination in combination with other issues meant difficulty using a soap dispenser or paper towel dispenser when washing her hands. Uh-oh, I'm about to loose my connection, server is going down. I'll post more later.