4greatboys said:
Looks like I missed you. Im still fixing dinner and not watching AI.
Im frustated with our public school. Evan had been tested for speech therapy and also tested by the OT. It looks like they are going to off the preschool program to him for kids with extra needs but since he turned 5 they will only let him in if he goes to kindergarten half day and the preschool class half day. I only want him in a half day school next year. Period. So I asked if he does do that and at the end he still needs help then he is just thrust into 1st grade and they said no he can take kindergarten again--this time the whole day?? What? So he cant just go half day in the program I want.
Looks like it will be private half day kindergarten for him then next year full day kindergarten--be it public or private Im not sure. I am giving this kid the benefit of that extra year but it seems to me the school just wants to shove them on through.
deena, check out with the superintendent office on procedures and rules about this. we had the same problem with two of our sons at an early age due to problems. both boys were born deaf. the second son did not have any services until age 2 years and 11 months. in our community, a kid has to be under the age of 3 to get special services. we got in under the wire and he started a program with occupational therapy and speech therapy (after his surgery) in the spring/summer program.
the school did not want to help once he was 3 so Easter Seals picked him up as the child of the county we live in. easter seals will do a scholarship program for one student per county per semester. we did an application and the doctor did his paper work. with this help, he started school in kindergarten on time for a half a day. once he was in K, the school provided the speech and ot for the other half day three times a week.
for son #3, he started sign language at age 10 months. his surgery was at 18 months. from there he was in a school program at that point until he started regular kindergarten and went half day with speech therapy four times a week for the other half of a day.
many school districts have provisions to help the kid in order to get them ready for kindergarten. no one gave us the info, we had to seek it out and then demand it.
you should insist that he get to go half a day kindergarten with services being issued to him at the school for the other half a few days a week or have his services be given to him two times a week while he is in K for that time period.
federal laws will accomodate him. once a kid is in school, the services have to be provided as texas does get a substantial amount of the funding for special needs kids. contact school board members for assistance on this and don't back down.
give it a try. you have nothing to lose.
good luck, i will help you if i can. use the internet for laws pertaining to the needs you want met.
Now I need to hang some clothes from the dryer and start dinner and Im sure Matthew will take over the computer again.
See ya in the morning light!!! 
