Preschool Concerns and about to contact school system

[Lotusa]

My 4.5 year old son has over a year until he will start Kindergarten in the fall of 2021. Our school district offers an early learning center for preschoolers with disabilities and behavioral problems and I think this learning center may be a good fit for him so I plan on reaching out to them soon. We don't have an official diagnosis (yet) but are 99% sure he has ADHD and possibly even ODD (too early for that?).

What can I expect from the school system and what should I know before I call them to discuss if he belongs in the Early Learning Center? I will call them soon, just want to understand the journey we are about to start and get any advance advice I can. Do I wait until his evaluation is done before I call? We are scheduled for a series of evaluation appointments this summer per recommendation of our pediatrician.

Thanks so much. So glad I found CHADD!!

[Hidden]

Give the district a call now I would say. My son was evaluated by the school district at 18mo. old and began intervention services that are for children before entering the special education preschool program. Once the child is preschool age, I don’t know if they will still do an evaluation to determine eligibility, or if they will ask for an outside evaluation. Just let them know you’ve got your appointments scheduled.

The school district will be able to guide you.

[Campos03]

Call the school get it started. My son is 3 and the we had therapy through ECI (early childhood intervention) here where I live. So they finished when he turned 3. We contacted the school about PPCD. If he qualifies he is in that program for 2 full years this coming school year.

My son got diagnosed with ADHD and severe anxiety this past Monday.

[Onthemove1971]

Welcome to this community! We are here to support you.

My 1st recommendation is always put things in writing!!

2nd recommendation is there is no rush right now, but if your child gets an official diagnosis, ask them for a letter for the schools requesting accommodations and modifications in the schools.

Once you have a diagnosis, write a simple letter date and request that he be evaluated for services

The reason I would wait is that most medical professionals can give you advice about what he will need in school. This will help you determine if you need need to request an IEP ( has goals with staff assigned) or a 504 educational plan, just accommodations ( extra time on test, turn in assignments with extra time, etc)

Once you turn in this paperwork ( you can also call but there is no guarantee you get to the right people. They will have so many days to respond and once you sign the assessment plan they have 60 days to do all assessments. This is better done once he has adjusted to the school setting a bit and gets comfortable with the teachers.

Hope this helps, we are here to help you on the journey.

[Cjkchamp]

My son was evaluated by the district and turned away. I was told if he had a speech problem they would take him and it would be free, but their services weren’t necessary for his behavior. I ended up having him evaluated by a neurologist who recommended a neuropsychological to see if he was on the spectrum. The evaluator diagnosed ADHD. I took that evaluation to the district and they accepted him. They put a plan in place which developed into an IEP prior to kindergarten beginning.

[Hopesmommy]

I reached out to our school district at about the same age and my daughter did have an adhd diagnosis. I have learned so much since then, my daughter is now going into second grade and does have an iep. I did ask for an evaluation originally through the school. They gave me a typical response “wait and see” I found out thats one of the worst things you can do. Start researching iep rights and other adhd areas, join groups on Facebook for parents and continue educating yourself. I did get the diagnosis myself through Boston children’s hospital

[Hopesmommy]

Also I read other comments - if it’s not in writing, it didn’t happen. Always have everything documented, even with emails. If the school calls you, follow it up with an email. Document everything..