Can someone point me in the right direction

I need to have my DS evaluated. At first it was because he has a weak grasp, but now his teacher told me that he is a little behind in all of his motor skills. He has a hard time hopping, isn't able to walk a straight line, can barely peddle a tricycle.
But he is 4 so I can't go through EI. I know I need to go through the school district, but I have no idea where to start. Is there a website? A form I need to submit?

Can someone point me in the right direction

Call your district's office and ask what you need to do. They will likely refer you to Pupil Personnel Services

Re: Can someone point me in the right direction

Call the local school number. It's a start. DS1 is 4 and has low muscle tone so has been getting OT since he turned 2. Now he is in the local preschool and gets speech OT and I also started him on getting Physical Therapy as well. His OT felt he needed a little more so I pushed for him to get it.

When I call the school there is a recording and one of the options is for the child study team. They work with the special needs kids. See if there's an option for that and if not start with the operator. They'll point you in the right direction. The sooner the better so they get the help they need.

Did the teacher give you a direction to go to?

Re: Can someone point me in the right direction

You need to contact the CPSE (Committee for Preschool Special Education) for your school district. My district has the phone numbers right on their website... maybe check there? For DS, we needed to get a "prescription" for an evaluation from his pediatrician first. They will help you set up an OT evaluation to determine if he qualifies for services.

Re: Can someone point me in the right direction

yup! I'm an SLP and worked in the schools for 8 years. I would call the elementary school your son will go to, or the district office. you want the child study team, pupil services, special services... whatever the district calls it. They will be able to get your started. you'll probably get assigned a case manager (usually the school psychologist or school social worker or learning disabilities specialist). they will most likely hold a planning meeting to discuss your concerns, etc. They'll probably do a speech, OT, PT and educational eval to cover all areas. in NJ where I worked, they have 90 days to do all of the evaluations... so it may be slow going, especially this time of year when a lot of annual update meetings are being done to get current students set up for services for next year.
if your son does qualify for services, he will probably go to their preschool program and get the therapies while hes there.

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Can someone point me in the right direction

I've had plenty of prek students with push in for pt/ot/speech - it shouldn't be a problem to have the therapist come to the school.

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I'd go through your pediatrician.
And probably a neurologist.

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Message edited 3/26/2014 11:33:33 AM.

Re: Can someone point me in the right direction

You need to contact the Chairperson for the Committee of Preschool Special Education (CPSE) at the PPS/Special Ed office in your School District and tell them you would like your son evaluated for OT & PT (they will also do a psychological). They will have you come in to register him and sign consent to test paperwork. They will give you a list of agencies to choose from that will do the Evals. The district will fax them the paperwork and you call them to confirm they received it an set up a date/time to have the Evals. After the Evals are complete the evaluators write up the reports and send a copy to you and the district. You will then have a meeting at the district as part of the CPSE to determine If services are warranted and if so what frequency (2 times per week for 30 minutes etc...). If he qualifies for services he will be classified as a 'Preschooler with a Disability (all preschooler get this classification) and an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) will be generated. The evaluating therapists will create goals for him to be included in his IEP. Because it's the end of the school year, his services might be started next school year. He won't qualify for summer services because there won't be enough time to prove he would substantially regress with out summer OT & PT. If he doesn't qualify they should give you strategies to use with him at home and you can always have he re evaluated in 6 months.

I child won't qualify for a special ed preschool program if the only thing on their IEP is OT and PT. He can receive services anywhere within the county where you live. Sometimes it pays to drive them to a clinic if they need sensory motor equipment. My dd receives PT and I want her to have access to the swing and ball out, stairs, valence beam etc so I take her to a clinic instead of having services at home.