PPCD / Austin Pre-k

I'm probably not qualified to answer this but... preK? I would think she'd have a lot more developing to do before she gets labeled with anything. My son has ADD, but it took until 3rd grade to see that its not just a childish thing and he did truly have a focusing problem. I'd get a second opinion and wait it out. A second opinion may give you the peace you need.

All I can say is that I would not put her in a special program until after she's tried the regular program. At least, give her a chance. That's my opinion.

You have rights and you can refuse/deny the program.

Ah....a label that the experts are to quick to place on kids. I love that the expert told you "she would have ADHD". What 4 yo isn't focused?
I would not walk - but run - to get a second opinion regarding your daughters development as well as running to find another school. Don't be afraid to talk to other people - do not let 1 person place a label on your daughter for her entire school career.

A.,
We are not in Austin but in Waco. My son is also in the PPCD program. My understanding is that a child is usually developmentally behind other 4 year olds. They offer up the PPCD program as a way to help them get caught up with their peers. It is a smaller class than that of a regular pre-k. "More one on one time." I would request that my child be able to spend some time in the regular pre-k class room as well.

Here in Waco he goes to a PPCD class in the morning and a small pre-k class in the afternoon.
I would also ask what other reasons they have for putting her into PPCD, ADHD alone is not enough to just put her in PPCD. You also asked about bilingual classes, is she bilingual? If so that could be the reason. In Texas they teach only in English, until a child is old enough to take a different language class such as Spanish or German. They have programs such as ESL English as second language. You can ask for that from any public school if your child is bilingual.

I'm not sure if I helped you or if I confused you even more.
You can e-mail me if you like.

G.

This does not sound right to me, either. I would for sure get a second opinion from a pediatrician. If you are looking for a school that has a specific bi lingual program, you will probably need to go to a private prek. There are several in Austin.

Ok,that does not sound right to me. My 6yo son just got diagnosed with ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder. We got the diagnosis through the developmental pediatrician who did all the appropriate testing and used our input on questionaires. I don't understand why they would automatically put her into that type of setting, especially at such a young age. Most doctors won't diagnose ADHD at that young of an age. Is it severe?

Anyway I was given a website to help with education needs:

http://www.wrightslaw.com

http://www.concordspedpac.org/articles/RM-Is%20Your%20Chi...

I hope you get the answers you need.

Hi A.. I am a teacher at a south austin elementary school and we have a PPCD program on our campus that is wonderful! It is not just for students who have severe disabilities. At my school there are two classrooms, each with a teacher and a T.A. The class sizes are really small and they have students in there of all abilities. They have what they call a "reverse inclusion program", where children with no disabilities are in the classroom to set examples for those children that may need it. My daughter will be attending next year, as a reverse inclusion student, and many of the teachers at our school, as well as other schools, have enrolled their children into the program. I do understand your concern though. In the end it is up to you as a parent to do what you believe is best for your child. My suggestion to you would be to call the school your daughter might possibly be attending and set up a time to meet with the principal, diagnostician, and/or teachers of the program to discuss, and actually see, what the program offers, and what your best option is at this time. Hope this helps. :)

If she is only ADHD, then it might not be the place for her to be. When I use to sub for PPCD, there were children with Downsyndrome in there and other big problems. See if you can observe the class before your child goes to see what the other children are like. Who knows, things might have changed in the past 8 years. Also, if she go into these class, she will have that on her records that she is a special needs child. Sometimes that isnot good for the child. But only you know your child.
Good Luck!

I would refuse to let your daughter be placed in this class unless she is diagnosed by a PROFESSIONAL Pediatric Psychologist. Ask your Pedi for a referral-she can start school a day or 2 late to get the testing done.
Once they are labeled, it stays with them their entire school careeer-they don't look at the kid but at the folder when making assignments for successive years. I know-my daughter is labeled by her TAKS scores.
This could put her on an entirely different track in life and is something that needs to be fully checked out!! Have you seen any signs of ADHD? Any signs to warrant PPCD classes? All kids are somewhat attention deficient-that is what PK is for-to teach them rules!!!
Please Please Please get a 2nd and maybe 3rd opinion!!

It is my understanding that ppcd is for children with special needs. While adhd can get pretty severe and require special things like (extra time on tests, sitting alone during tests, etc...) Adhd is not something that would require her to be in a special needs class. My friends kids look completly normal and are in ppcd for mind autism. I would not lump adhd into that catagory. The benifit to ppcd for solely an adhd kid is that public schools have to honor special requests ie. More time on tests or sitting alone. My son has adhd and the dr. Was leary to say so young. It could just be a behavior issue/emotional issue that he will out grow. Do a lillte rrsearch before a dr. Is willing to slap a label on your kid at such a young age. The label follows them in school! Ppcd may or may not be the best thing for her. A lot of times the adhd kids are super smart and are just board! I hope you get some answers and some good advice to help make the best decision for her.

I think they are completely wrong in suggesting you put your daughter in PPCD for ADHD. I have a daughter who was in PPCD when she was five but that was to help her develop socially because she was diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum and formally diagnosed as having PDD-NOS. Did they give you an informational packet that states that you have the right to refuse to put her in that program because frankly, if a child is high functioning, very social and active, there should not be a need to put them in PPCD classes. Did they even explain to you what they do in PPCD classes? At the school where my daughter attends there are two different PPCD classes. One class is for children who have more profound ilnesses or disabilities and the other is for milder illnesses but in both of those classes the children tend to be more reserved, they don't say much and some have trouble making eye- contact. If you child can communicate well with others, is active and makes eye contact, then it's my opinion that they gave you the wrong advise. ADHD, I've heard from many people with kids that have ADHD, that it can be treated by making simple modifications to their diet, which would include eliminatin artificial colors and flavors and limiting drinks with high fructose corn syrup. My sister tried that out because she was told by her son's school that they tought he had this, but my sister refused to follow their suggestions and modified his diet with those simple suggestions and her son is doing a lot better now and is more focused. I hope this helps you out. Good luck!

Hey A.,

I just want to start by saying that I know how intimidating it is to work with the school district. My daughter Alex has Down Syndrome and is now 9...may I say the smartest thing we ever did was "never allow her to be placed in PPCD". Once you have her placed in PPCD it is virtually impossible to get her out & she will not develope to the best of her potential. Being ADHD, she does need to be with typical peers to learn correct behavior and typical kid stuff....

Basically, PPCD is a self contained classroom. Now there are some children that benefit and should be placed there, but more often than not is just the easy way to take a kid who might need a little extra help and stick them somewhere. Stick to your guns and fight to have her placed with typical kids. There are avenues the school district can take to get her some extra assistance. The school district can also contract with a local childcare facility to ensure she is properly placed. Don't let them tell you they can't------we fought our district and because we got Alex appropriately placed she is now beginning the 3rd grade, she reads, she writes, she does all activities to the best of her ability and is better for it.

Good luck. Look for a local Advocacy group to help you.

Debra

I work as a high school Diagnostician so I am not as familiar with PPCD. But I don't think that children are put in PPCD just because they have ADHD. The program is for students that are delayed cognitively and need a head start. Most of the students that I have seen in the PPCD classrooms are severely MR children. There should have been more testing than just ADHD screening. Did you receive any IQ or Achievement information? What school district are you in? You probably want to call the school and speak to the diagnostician or counselor and get more information as to how students qualify for PPCD programs in your district.

Do yourself and your daughter and get a second Dr.'s answer to this.

PPCD stands for Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities. I would have to agree with the others and say it sounds like your daughter does not belong in PPCD bc "they think your daughter will have ADHD." My son was in PPCD for three years -- he has CHARGE Syndrome & is deaf and blind along with other disabilities. Usually kids in PPCD have some form of disability. Do some more research. Sounds like they need to try a regular program first. She may do great.

J. Holweger
Gold Canyon Senior Demonstrator
www.mygc.com/delightfulcandles

Good Morning A., My son went to PPCD here in Sugar Land for a severe speech delay. While we had a wonderful experience and it put my son on the right track as far as him starting Kinder on time, I would not recommend it for children who just have ADHD. Your school system should recommend a resource program to where she can go to if she needs the additional help or cant concentrate because of her hyperactivity. I strongly suggest this because this way she will still be challanged academically by her peers but yet get the extra help she needs to make it through. My son was in a room with 5 other children who were severely handicapp and my husband and I were very concerned that he would not develop as fast being around children with those kind of disabilities and lucky for us it didn't hinder him, in fact in was kind of a benefit because it seemed like my son received more one on one time because the others were not or could not be as engaging and therefore I think my child got better faster. Its a hard call, but if she only has ADHD then she needs to be in a normal class setting with resource help. And by law, if she is diagnosed with ADHD, the school system has to give her this help. Good luck.

If you think she is normal and are doubting the diagnosis, then you need to really go with your heart on this one. Do not have her prematurely labeled as ADHD. Many kids are active at her age and it is normal behavior. Giving her more time to mature may be the best thing for her. 6 months from now her activity level can be completely different.

Hi A., My son was tested by our school district (Austin) and did not qualify (he attended the class for 2 weeks as part of the evaluation). He does have a mild form of ADHD and some signs of Asperger's but not enough to qualify (I guess they were able to redirect him fairly easily but at home, I find all of the redirecting exhausting trying to get through our day). I hope he does okay once in kindergarten. Honestly, I kind of wish he had of qualified because I think it would have done him some good. At this school, many of the kids were teachers children and only a few there to receive services. The children usually don't even know they are there for special services. I just told my son he was going to camp for 2 weeks and he loved the class so much, he wanted to go there instead of his regular M.D.O. program. If I were in your position, I would go ahead and send her and just tell her it's regular school. Once they really get to know her, if they find she's not really in need of their services as once thought, they will surely tell you. There is almost always a budget issue. Just stay in constant communication with them.

Check with the school district to find out what options are available. In my school district near Houston, there are several PPCD classes. They are NOT all the same, even though they are in the same district. Some are half day. Some are 2/3 day. Some are mostly severely disabled students. Some are mostly children with mild needs like speech. My daughter is in a PPCD/Pegasus program. Half of her class consists of children with mild to moderate disabilities. The other half of the class consists of "normal" children (teachers' kids). We have been extremely pleased with the program. I don't think you can make the "rigth" decision for your child until you know what your options are.

I'm not sure what PPCD stands for--I'm new to Texas. However, I am a speech therapist and worked special education in the public schools in Colorado for 5 years. Did they put your daughter on an IEP for special education services because of her ADHD? If so, you need to look carefully into the federal special education laws. A major component is that the child's needs must be met in the LEAST restrictive environment....it does not sound like that is the option that has been suggested to you so far. If she is on an IEP, you and your husband are a part of the team that should be making decisions regarding her educational needs. If you aren't comfortable with this setting, you need to speak up and request that another meeting be held to discuss this. You do NOT have to agree to putting her in that setting if you are not comfortable. As a parent, you have the right (by federal law) to refuse any or all services that are offered. You can search for information about Parental Rights regarding IDEA 2004--the federal laws governing special education. This website may help: http://www.wrightslaw.com/idea/law.htm Good luck, and don't be afraid to stand up and advocate for what you think is best for your daughter!!!

I have worked for Northside I.S.D. for 15 years and have been working in PPCD since 1994. Your daughter will benefit from being in this type of setting. She will have academic achievement in this type of environment and the teacher student ratio will be a lot lower, compared to a regular ed. class.

If she is placed in a regular ed. classroom, she will not get the care and attention she needs to succeed. Your daughter will have support in a PPCD classroom. She will not get this in a regular ed. class.

Northside I.S.D. is located in San Antonio, TX
We have excellent bilingual classes and Special Education Programs. You can go to our website for more information.

www.nisd.net

Good Luck.