Special needs preschool ( PDD-NOS ) or homeschool?

Question

I suspect my 3 yr old son has a very mild PDD-NOS or Aspergers . He is well above average in academic skills but low in social skills . He is verbal and has 4-5 words sentences . He has only a few signs of PDD-NOS and his behavior is like a normal 3 yr old. However the school evaluation gave him an IQ of only 80 ( almost retarded) , the language specialist said he needs a lot of speech therapy because she didn't even get two words sentence . That's because he is very shy and he doesn't answers to people he doesn't know , the same for the IQ test . I feel that they will place him with these low functioning kids that are not even in the autistic spectrum , they are Down Syndrome and other speech delayed disabilities . I feel that he will not be treated at his level there and the teacher doesn't seem to be trained in autistic disorders . I wonder if he would benefit more if I homeschool him ? does he really need to go to a special needs preschool ?

Answer 1

Personally I think homeschooling would be wonderful for any child.  I do want to note though that special needs preschools usually give the kids more attention and are more stimulating than mainstream preschools, so your son could benefit from either environment.  As far as the more severe cases, you could view it as a chance for him to learn to be tolerant of those who are less capable in certain areas, and besides, many downs syndrome kids are only very slightly mentally disadvantaged.

However, don't let anyone convince you that homeschool would be a bad idea, it would be wonderful.  You would be able to always know he is being appropriately challenged, not frustrated but not bored.  

The choice is yours, and there are good points to either solution.

Answer 2

he will definitely be better off in a social environment, socialability is one of the most important aspects in child development. if youre not satisfied try looking at some other special needs schools, and there should be some kind of special programs available in the regular school system (it depends where you live). he needs to socialize with his peers and homeschooling will make it harder for him to do this once he is out in the real world. gl!

Answer 3

No, he doesn't.  I have a son with Asperger's.  The first thing you need to do is get in with a good Neurologist and have him properly diagnosed.  Without a correct diagnosis, you can't get him the proper help.  If you're unsure of the school system being able to meet his needs, you should definitely home school him, other wise it could set him back and you don't want that.  You might want to consider contacting the C.A.R.D Center to help you and steer you in the right direction.  They help all types of disabilities like Autism, PDD, Ect.  It would be a good place to start.  Good Luck

Answer 4

NO he does not need to go to a special needs preschool.  Don't let anyone tell you that.  If my son went to get some sort of IQ test he'd test low too because he hates those types of things and would fail it on purpose.  *grin*

My son has AS.  We didn't get a dx until he was in grade 5.  I sure wish we'd known earlier.   My son went to preschool and was so overwhelmed that he spent his time in the corner watching everything and hating it all.

He then went to kindergarten where he got a great teacher and did well thankfully.    First and second grade were nightmares.  We had to change schools in second grade and got a better fit but that's when the bullies started up.

Kids with AS/PDD are 2-3 years behind their peers socially so school is a place for them to be bullied and they don't often get what's going on till they are older.  My son sat by himself often during recess/lunches.  When they did talk to/play with him it was on their terms and their terms weren't nice ones.

We finally brought all the kids home to homeschool  and it's been great.  He's been able to mature without the bullying and peer pressure.  He's now almost on par with his peers.  He still needs prodding with hygiene but that's about it.   The growth has been amazing!  He just got his learner's permit the other day and none of his friends have theirs.  :)

Academically, he's doing well too.  He can work as fast as he wants to.   He can also work without the sensory overload he was getting in school.  The florescent lights drove him crazy but we didn't know it back then because he didn't have the proper words (ways) to tell us.

Answer 5

My son was born with other conditions that caused a mental and developmental delay. The condition didn't cause them but I think a certain treatment did. My son was on ECMO for 10 days and the Dr told us we are lucky because it could have caused him to be completely disabled Mentally and physically. His major issue right now is speech the rest is catching up as time goes on. We do speech with the hospital once a week. Our state Medicaid program pays for it. We home school him not because of those issues but b/c the teacher wanted him on ADD meds to calm him down. He has the attention span of a child a year or so younger. I've realized that he was just not ready for the school environment and may never really be ready to be put in a class of kids his age.

With home school he can't be classified as troublesome, or delayed, or put in any other box that teachers use to describe our children. His education isn't the same everyday. I can tailor it to his needs for the day. His attention isn't with me that's fine he can play. If his attention is totally there GREAT! I can teach him something wonderful! On those days we find something great to learn! We do an art project!

The wonderful part of home school for kids w/ special needs is that you can make it work according to the day!

As for the condition have his Dr look at him. Get the diagnosis from him not the school or your suspicion. After all if there is a problem the Dr can find it and may be more able to help with Ideas that would be best for him. We are only strangers with opinions! Mine happens to be that home school can benefit any child more than public schools simply because it can be made to fit each child!

Good Luck and God Bless!

Answer 6

I homeschool several kids with disAbilities. Someone asked what harm it could do, and I have answers for you. My severely disabled child was bullied, not only by other kids but by the assistants as well. She was punished when she was caught retaliating, because she had trouble talking, she couldn't defend herself. My high functioning aspie also had trouble with bullies, but also with all the paperwork and details of school. He could do the work, and in fact was grades ahead and bored in school, but no one was willing to teach him HOW to turn in homework, HOW to write papers, HOW to be around people. They were both very depressed, my nonverbal kids was self mutilating, and my high functioning kid was suicidal. that's with me struggling every day within the school to get better supports, and struggling at home to counter those affects and teach them.

Yeah, public schools have therapists and programs, but you can't guarantee that quality or the training of those people, and in fact, even with it written into an IEP you aren't guaranteed to get those services on a dependable basis.

Homeschooling has been wonderful for us. We have friends who also homeschool, and our kids get plenty of social practice there. In fact, it's more appropriate because there are adults who are involved and can step in right away and say this or that is not appropriate, or lead them by saying This is a more appropriate way to handle this situation. In public schools, those social skills are not taught in the moment, and so many opportunities are lost because there is NO way one teacher can keep up with twenty kids and be able to help your son. Social skill classes outside of the moment help some, but there is so much reinforcement of negative behaviors BEFORE that happens.

Answer 7

If you have the time and patience to homeschool him, you should. Your main concern is to build his social skills right now. Plan play dates. Take him to a daycare a couple of times a week. Just make sure he is around people a lot. It may just be that you are sheltering him too much. There are many small things you could do. Example: your cooking dinner for a couple friends.. he wants your attention, but your busy, send a friend to go keep him company. Just try to get him involved in many activities, he will be more open to people once he feels comfortable.

Answer 8

Please call with any problem, Anytime:

Girls and Boys Town National Hotline

Phone: [phone]

[e-mail]

Answer 9

He will benefit more from homeschooling if you truly dedicate yourself to it. The evaluation they have given him will negatively label him until (if) they do another evaluation that proves otherwise. I'm meeting a growing number of homeschooling parents who had their Asperger/autistic kids in school and pulled them out and who regretted waiting so long to start homeschooling. There's nothing like the one-on-one he would get from you, the guidance he'd get in social skills, etc.

He likely does not need to go to a special needs preschool. However, he might not fit into a regular preschool. You really don't need to send a child to preschool at all.

ADDED: Homeschooling will NOT make it hard for him to deal with the "real world" if you approach it in the right way. By giving him a gradual increase in situations and guiding him appropriately, he will have a distinct advantage over all those who have been "thrown in with the sharks", so to speak, and expected to learn to swim on their own. I wish people would stop thinking that homeschooling means being home all the time--or that being surrounded by a large number of people for 13 years of your life is actually necessary.

Answer 10

My son is on the PDD scale, though not diagnosed with Aspergers or any other specific disorder.  He spent two years in a public special needs preschool and I thought their program was wonderful.  He was in a class of 10 kids with a teacher and 2 aides, so the staff/student ratio was very low.  They were able to interact very closely with each of the students according to their individual needs.  Several of the kids had social problems, but play and interaction was very directed by staff and my son felt comfortable there.

Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists were brought in 1-2 times per week each to work one on one with kids who needed it.  They play with the kids and if you watch them work, you wouldn't necessarily know the kids were in "therapy" since they were having fun.  The best part for me was that since it was funded through the public school, I didn't have to pay for any of these services.

Now my son is in a regular kindergarten class and is very overwhelmed.  I want to remove him and start homeschooling because I feel the school is no longer providing for his needs.  I am glad he was able to go to the special needs preschool because they were able to do so much for him that I literally couldn't at home since I didn't have the same resources.  If he had stayed home with me, he would have ended up further behind.  This may not be the case with you, but I just wanted to share a positive personal experience with a special needs pre-school.

Answer 11

My foster son is in a very similar situation.  He is only 4 and in a special needs preschool.  The school is testing and trying to label with all sorts of things mostly because he isnt cooperatng with the testing.  Some of the labels they have thrown out are ADHD, mildly retarded, autism, aspergers, and I am positive none of these labels apply.   Socially, he is not getting his needs met in school due to the fact that he is functioning at a much higher level than the other children.   He is the only child in his class who is verbal, toilet trained, etc.   His IEP goals are a joke, I do preschool with him at home and then send him to school because the state says I have to.  We attend a local homeschool group, he takes swim lessons, attends a preschool storytime at the library, and a music class at our local art and science center, all these activities provide socialization.  If I was given the option, I definitely would homeschool, avoid the labels, teach him the way he learns best, not the way the teacher teaches best.

Answer 12

If you are able to homeschool, then do it. A lot of times you can go thru a Charter School so you are not on your own.  Regards to socializing, just remember who he will be socializing with at school. Not all kids will be setting a good example for him. He may get bullied when he gets older.  Also, if your son is behind in an area such as math or reading your teachers are not able to slow down for him or speed up if he gets it and is ready to move on.

Find other more constructive social situations for him, such as Mommy & Me or maybe a parent participation preschool. When he gets older he can join someting like cub scouts and many homeschool programs have regular fieldtrips or shared classes.

Answer 13

I would try out the preschool first. What could it possibly hurt? If it doesn't work out then you can home school him. Once your son gets used to the teachers after awhile, maybe he will do very well.