Preschool Transition

[Motivated_Mom]

My 2yr old son gets services bc he is on autism spectrum. Currently receives 1 hr/wk of each special instruction, speech, and OT. He has made some progress that past year. Turns 3yrs in July, just had his transition IEP meeting. They're really skimping on services I think. Their first offer is 30 mins/wk of each and they want itinerant services. I’m not going to be able to get him to their school bc my husband and I both work FT. What’s the most sure fire way to get him into their delay classroom? My thoughts: 1)their offer cannot feasibly be carried out so it would equate to no services. 2)he benefits from consistentcy and repetition- 30 mins/wk is not consistent enough. Don’t know where to go from here - All I know is I told her I disagree that this plan meets my sons needs.

[JSD24]

IEP services should come with transportation.  In my area, IU teachers & therapists will come to preschools & daycare facilities so long at the care center or school is within the appropriate feeder area of the sending school district and in some cases within the IU feeder area (I'm not exactly sure what their rubric is for going to where a child spends their day but they do not go into the child's home).  The inability of parents to bring a child to the IU for services isn't considered.  I've seen where families who rely on public transportation and cannot afford an Uber or bus to get their child to the IU for the services in the IEP go without services.  Where does your child spend they time when you and your husband are working?  Why isn't the IU coming to this location to provide the services on the IEP?

EI (birth - 3) tends to offer more services to children that what the IU does.  3 hours/week of IEP services (services staying the same despite some progress) would also be itinerant.  EI uses more of a medical model where the IU uses an educational model when determining services.  There is nothing you can do to push the needle to show that your child is all of a sudden more disabled and needing more services than they had through EI.  I know when my child had speech services, we were expected to reinforce what his SLP did by doing exercises at home which is how repetition happened.

Given you disagree, what data do you have that shows he needs more services than the offer of FAPE on this IEP?  This is what's key to more services:  Data showing more services are educationally appropriate.  Given how minimal the IEP is, you can exit your child from special ed and pursue outside services.  In PA, your child should qualify for Medicaid and they would cover services 100%.  Your other option is to not sign the IEP and go without and not do outside services either.  Many children his age who are on the autism spectrum do extensive ABA therapy.  These are often the students who are educated in delay or autistic support classrooms.  If your child does not have an IEP when you go to register them for kindergarten, do request a special ed eval around February or March where you want him to start kindergarten later that year.  This  current IEP would lapse by the time he's old enough for K if you don't sign for preschool IEP services.