My son came home recently with a progress report. One of the comments was that he's not yet counting to 20. He's been able to count to 20 since he was 2 years old. When he was screened (3 months before his 3rd birthday) he knew that along with his colors, letters, numbers, shapes and all that fun pre-k stuff. I was told that his test scores placed him at the level of a 3 year old that had had a year of pre-K. And that he was delayed all across the board. No one ever explained to me how both could be true at the same time. They placed him in an early childhood class. I wasn't happy, but I was under the impression that once they realized what he could do that he would be placed in a "normal" classroom. Mainly because it is what I was told. Nope, once you're in that type of class, that is where you stay. He's had exactly one progress report/report card that shows what he's capable of doing and that was at the end of last year. He's now spelling and reading different words, but in class they're learning what sounds letters make. I am at my wit's end. I don't want to pull him out of school, but I don't think that he's performing at the level he could be if he was being challenged. Thanks for letting me vent. Anyone have any ideas or advice?
We went to a kindergarten open house at a private school and I think it is ideal for him. They work with the child from where they are. If they're behind, ahead or exactly where they should be, each child has a curriculum tailored to their needs and abilities. If he still needs his speech IEP, he will continue to receive help in that area. At the school he is now attending, it has been recommended that he see an occupational therapist. He doesn't always write his name from left to right in a straight line, so they're going to have an OT evaluate him. Wish us luck! Thanks for all the great advice, I do appreciate it.
video tape him doing the skills he can do and insist on a conference. Then pull him out of the program.
You've gotten some good feedback from these other mothers. One thing I would ask you is when is your son's birthday? If he is born June - August then he is being compared to other children that may be almost a year older than him yet they are in the same grade. Of course they will be more mature than your son is.
Since the cut off date for school I believe is September 1 or there abouts, a child born in August for example would be compared to kids born in September, October, November who are almost a year older. The summer born kids are expected to perform at the same level as kids who are chronologically much older. Until a child is 12 or so, 9-12 months makes a BIG difference developmentally. In some other countries they separate children into 3 groups all by age. Therefore they are being compared based on a more level playing field.
Also, boys mature at a slower rate than girls. Is his class heavy on girls vs. boys? Check out the birthdays of the other kids. Is your child one of the youngest in the class?
Just something to check. My two boys were the oldest in their respective classes and it always gave them an edge over the other kids in academics and in sports.
I'm curious to know what their "normal" pre-K is like. It sounds like you expected his class to be more like what I think Kindergarten is like. Is this a public school? If it is, and they say he has some sort of learning delay (and I agree that it doesn't sound like it to me) they should be giving you a plan of how they are going to work with that delay.
In any case, I'd ask for a meeting with someone - not the teacher, but maybe the director of the program - and ask them to review his test results with you and to explain what they mean by a delay.
It doesn't seem like you have good communication or confidence in the school. I think having some clear conversations (and take notes or have them give you information in writing you can review later) will help you to understand where they are coming from and then you can make a decision about where he should be.
What you are saying makes mo sense! A 3 year old doing all of the things you've described doesn't sound delayed to me. You didn't say how old your son is now though. Have you met with the teacher? Maybe your son isn't doing as well with stuff at school as he is at home? I'd probably find a different school with a more challanging curriculum.
Hi A.
My best advice is to be an advocate for your child--if you don't do it no one else will either! Maybe request a meeting with his teacher--your son's teacher may be complacent about his placement or just thinks you are happy with it. Open the line of communication and then you will be able to make a good decision...You have to do what you know is best for him!! Good Luck
As the other posters said, you as the parent have to be in constant communication with your children's teachers. They don't always volunteer information about your child unless asked.
One thing you might want to think about is how your child was tested. If he was nervous around his teacher (or whomever administered his test), he may have clammed up and just said that he didn't know how to do those things. This happens all too often. I recently switched my daughter out of her Montessori preschool and into a play-based preschool. She is a bright girl, but she had made very little progress at her old school socially and academically. My daughter's new preschool teacher was kind enough to test her skills casually throughout the course of a few days. I think she was able to show off what she knows because she was relaxed and trusted her teacher.
Definitely talk to his teacher, and if you are finding that your son is anxious at school, you might want to switch schools or teachers. Good luck!
In our sachool, if you are not a Special Ed, student with an IEP it is a privledge to be in these classes. You have more adults int he classroom and there are few kids. The regular ed students are placed there because they are good mentors to teh other kids. Maybe this was not explained to you? there should be no reason you should not be able to take him from this program. It may be you need to then pay for a preschool, as public schools do not usually offer ti to regular ed kids.
As an educational assisstant and mom to a SPED kid I think you are not understanding what a gift this program is to you. Maybe you need to talk with the teachers and get more involved inthe program. Do they allow parent volunteers? She how nice the program is first hand, then decide. it
First he is in preschool. How many hours of week is it? When my one son was really only "playing" I also was concerned since he new everything they were presenting. A grandmother friend of mine gave me the reality check of "it is only 4 hours a week" it is ok if he is learning social skills and nothing else. I moved him to a different school the following year where they worked on letter sounds (which is appropriate) and I continued to enrich at home. Fast forward: He is now in third grade and a straight A student. So it depends on if he is there all day or only a few hours a week.
Two things -
First, you are your child's advocate and so don't be shy about guiding the education your child is receiving. I'd request that they do another assessment of him.
Second, kids behave differently in class than they do in your company. Is it possible that the assessment was done before he really felt comfortable in class? It may be that they are commenting on his social maturity (as all these skills grow at different speeds). Social maturity - the ability to sit still for a long while, to share, to mediate confrontations with words and not fists, the ability to socialize with other kids - matters just as much as the child's readiness to absorb new facts. You should clarify and then advocate for your child based on a better understanding of what they were looking at.
A word of warning - the kids I've seen in Kindergarten who weren't socially ready have been really struggling, and because they are cast out of the group in Kindergarten for being mean, they have a tough time recovering in 1st grade and beyond when they finally catch up socially.
