Oops . . . a little late on posting this week . . .
Ryder had 2 sessions of private Speech Therapy this week.
Clearly, Ryder does not have the ability to tell us how he feels about Speech Therapy. Getting a feel for how each session progresses is a combination of asking Ryder (usually yes/no) questions, the Speech Therapist's session report, and the opinion of the teachers at Ryder's school. Ryder always has a positive reaction when being asked questions about the Speech Therapist, and is particularly fond of a game she introduced to him, involving a blue ball (two words he can say). His therapist provides detailed reports back of items covered, as well as Ryder's success (or areas where he continues to need improvement). The teachers (three, so far) have all commented on how well Ryder seems to interact with the Speech Therapist.
All signs indicate things are going well.
On another, speech-related, note - Patrick and I had our School District's Early Intervention "Transition Meeting". At this meeting, we reviewed (with the Early Intervention Speech Therapist and the Preschool Director) Ryder's progress, as well as the next steps. Early Intervention ends at your 3rd birthday. Services for children age 3 and 4 (and 5, until Kindergarten) are available, but are based on developmental need.
Ryder's case is not "cut and dry". Apraxia of Speech is not like many other speech disorders - Ryder's cognition and comprehension is unaffected by his disorder. Oftentimes, this severe of a delay in speech is a combination of multiple factors. We are fortunate that Ryder "only" faces speech issues, but it can make some decisions more complicated.
Ryder will be evaluated later this month for the School District's Special Education Preschool. If he qualifies (developmentally), then he could attend Special Ed Preschool - it is M/T/Th/F, as long as the School District is in session (they have the same breaks as the district). School is 2 hours/day. There are 3 sessions/day offered.
It boils down to having 3 options (in no particular order):
If Ryder qualifies for Preschool:
1: Ryder can attend the school that we "belong" to, based on our home address. This school is great, in that it is an "inclusion" program. Special Needs children, as well as "typical" children attend together. Ryder would be able to receive the intellectual stimulation, as well as the speech-focus curriculum. However, this school does not provide transportation. And, we work.
2: Ryder can attend a different school - based on his babysitter's address (where he spends most of the day). This school is great, in that they provide transportation. They would pick Ryder up from the babysitter, take him to 2 hours of school, then bring him back to the babysitter. BUT - this is not an "inclusion" program. He will only attend with Special Needs children. Not all have cognitive/comprehension delays, but we have been told it is a higher percentage of the children. We want to ensure Ryder is intellectually challenged.
3: Ryder can attend a preschool (and, with that, we have found 2 viable options) separately from the district. Both of our options would allow Ryder to attend 2 days/week (like he does now), and stay with his babysitter the other 3 days/week. The biggest downside to this option is two-fold - both preschools are pricey (one more so, but it is more conveniently located), and it would require Patrick and I to take off work at least weekly to take Ryder to Speech Therapy appointments with the school district - all of which have to take place between 9:00am-3:00pm. And, again, we work - full-time.
. . . Before we "put the cart before the horse", we need to (patiently) wait until Ryder has the Preschool Evaluation. Based on his results, we will know if we have to decide between 1 and 2; or if we need to follow the option 3 route (and choose between our preschool options).
So, pray for us to have patience. And wisdom. It feels impossible to know which is the best option.
One-step-at-a-time.
Review: Previous Weeks
No comments:
Post a Comment