PiggyLalala:

Hi desertwind, what is an 'early intervention school'? Is it the school where the mild autistic child may need to attend 2 to 3 times a day. Thanks.

helloagain:

Hi Desertwind

Do u mind sharing which early intervention centre u sent your son to? ..... but when i call up other schools to check on accepting his enrolment, many shaun him away bcos they say they don't have the resource to guide him on one-to-one. Although i said i didn't ask for 1-to-1, they jus say they can't put in more focus on him bcos they got the other kids to attend to.. v disappointing and am now stuck with school options. I was thinking mayb a gd early intervention centre can help him. He is already coming 4 this yr, i'm worried he won't b able to catch up. He already wasted first half of this yr. Pls share the costs too.
u can pm me if you prefer. thanks!

DesertWind:

Hi kylene,


Just to share my experience. I put my DS at 2 yo into a nearby CCC for about half-a-year. He would run in happily each day and I did not suspect anything not right since at home he was OK. But after 3 months, his teacher feedback that he did not want to sit down and pay attention. I thought he just needed some time to grow up and at that age, I thought \"playgroup\" means \"play\" so no big deal mah? Then after another 3 months, I noticed my son was not quite the same already. He has lost his smiley nature even at home and seems less active and \"talking\" less. At the end of 6 months, his teacher called me in for a talk and I got a shock by what she said. That time my boy was 2.5 yo and she said that my boy does not answer to them when they speak to him, did not look at them when spoken to, was messy with his eating (news to me he was usually very neat at home!), and still did not want to sit still and listen to the teacher during lesson time. She mentioned bringing my son for a developmental checkup and that was when I was so alarmed I pulled him out!

My gut-felt conclusion: my son was still a little too young, he needs time to grow up and the CCC was really not suitable for him because the teachers were not able to engage him for whatever reasons. Also the format of the CCC is such that my boy could not fit in because he is by nature quite active.

So after I pulled him out, I put him into a private early intervention centre with a very small class size. Problem solved, he enjoyed going to school and the teachers and principal were great! He enjoyed himself doing various activities, went for outings to the zoo and indoor playground, children's day party, orff music lesson once a week, learned the alphabets and 123s there etc. So for \"the year turning three\", he spent about 9 months at the early intervention centre and at the recommendation of his principal, I registered him into a kindergarten with very supportive teachers for \"the year turning four\".

This year he has started Nursery at a church-based kindergarten and so far has fitted in well, can sit and listen to the teachers already and able to follow the kindergarten time-table and school environment ok. He has speech delay though and while the majority of his classmates can already chat away, he still can't. His teachers asked me about it and I said we have brought him to KKH already and we will continue to monitor him this year on his speech development.

So kylene, for your boy, I just feel that you really need to evaluate whether the CCC is suitable for your child or not at this stage. Because if the teachers are not able to engage him for whatever reasons, you should consider switching. Furthermore, he was already there for a year! If I were in your shoes, yes, I will certainly give him more time since your boy is still so young at 2.5 yo but I will also be urgently looking out for another centre/kindergarten for him already and will not continue to leave him at this CCC. If nothing else, I would want to find out whether is it the child or the centre like seeking a 2nd opinion from another centre/teachers. Look for a centre with smaller class size and patience and nice teachers who can engage your child suitably. Do not go for the \"same type\" of CCC as this current one, look for one with a different cirriculum/format.

Am no expert but just sharing my experience. All the best!

:celebrate:

kylene:

He's not very good with catching balls with his hands, kicking is ok. He can feed himself when he wants to, quite neat.

I've spoken to the teachers. At one point, the teacher suggested an assessment for him. She feels that he MIGHT be mildly autistic, there's a spectrum. I read up on the condition, talked to a psychologist friend and decided my son is not autistic. If I'm not wrong, autistic kids do not behave differently in different places. (not true)

kylene:

Just thought of something, the teacher commented that my son talks to himself quite often. and with gestures too, as if he's telling a story. Is that normal?


I googled, and apparently toddlers do talk to themselves. but why is my son the only one doing it in school?

kylene:

I've spoken to the teachers. At one point, the teacher suggested an assessment for him. She feels that he MIGHT be mildly autistic, there's a spectrum. I read up on the condition, talked to a psychologist friend and decided my son is not autistic. If I'm not wrong, autistic kids do not behave differently in different places.

pingsped:

When I read yr posts abt \"sensitive kids\", two things came to mind :

A) sensory processing difficulties (not disorder), or
B) personality trait - one parent or close relative probably has this trait. Quite obvious. U can't miss it.

Kylene - try to speak to teachers. Kids usu respond to warmth and smiles. He shld have no issues if he's alright w familiar adults. He's not the clumsy type, right? Otherwise, he shouldn't be shirking Montessori stuff.