Preschool for a 3 year old with symptoms of mild ASD
I am looking for a preschool in the North Berkeley, Kensington, El Cerrito, Albany area for my 3 year old son who is exhibiting developmental delays (some echolalia, selective hearing, etc). Up until a few months ago he seemed to be developing relatively normally (although he has hand flapped since about 10 months). We recently took him to a doctor at UCSF who said it was too early to tell where our son fell on the spectrum (if at all) and that his number one prescription (aside from OT and Speech, which we've already started) was preschool, preferably 5 days a week. I am well versed in the Regional Center system as I have family members on the spectrum and we have already begun the process of getting our son evaluated by the WCCUSD (we are in Kensington). We have a daughter 15 months and an excellent nanny who has been caring for two kids so we delayed getting my son into preschool until now (side note: I am majorly kicking myself for not starting him in school last year, but I didn't for financial reasons and because he has a late fall birthday such that he won't be able to start Kindergarten until he is almost 6). We were slated to start at a Montessori school in the area but after spending an hour in the classroom with our son the director there feels it might not be the right fit for him. Any suggestions are welcome. Ideally, I'd like for him to go to a school that takes children as young as 24 months so I could get our daughter started in the fall.
Parent Replies
Kensington Nursery School, a parent co-op in the morning and regular program in the afternoon may be a good fit. 52 Arlington across from the library.
Don't give yourself a hard time about not starting school! Age 3 is the perfect age to begin preschool, ASD or not!
Our son with mild ASD has been well-served at Hearts Leap North in North Berkeley but definitely wait and see the outcome of your IEP for WCCUSD because you may get more specialized services in your local public preschool and they would be free! The advice about 5 day/week preschool sounds very idiosyncratic to me so please do take it with a grain of salt! ...and please know that not every preschool is right for a child with mild ASD. You will likely need to tour several to get a feel for which environment would be the perfect fit. It could actually be detrimental to be in a school that doesn't support and help develop your son's social development, so please do not think "full time preschool at any cost"! I know that for our son, the most important elements are small, calm, nurturing, accepting and structured. Speaking of idiosyncratic/anecdotal advice, the first MD to diagnose our son is actually a former preschool teacher (!) and she's well-versed in schooling and ASD; she gave us the advice that for young children with ASD, Montessori schools tend to be a bad fit and I think she is actually right about that.
You should absolutely be able to get a diagnosis at age 3 at UCSF or anywhere else. The new standard is 18 months-2years. I'm really surprised they would tell you that it's too early. I would ask again or see a different doctor.
Feel free to contact me!
Wishing you all the best.