When Elias was initially diagnosed, the developmental pediatrician was giving us some initial recommendations, including getting him into an autism program, reading the 100 Day Kit from Autism Speaks (an organization that, as I'm learning more about it, I am hesitant to support for reasons that I will get into in a later post), and also moving him into a special needs preschool. Though I was in a teary haze, my reaction when she mentioned enrolling him in a different preschool was "No." We told her that we were happy with his current preschool, that his teachers really cared about him and most of the kids were welcoming and friendly. And it's true, he's thrived there and exceeded my expectations as far as integrating into the environment, participation, and overcoming some sensory avoidance issues (for example, he would not touch Play-Doh before he went to school and now he enjoys it). Her response was essentially that if we felt that was the best place for him that it would be okay to keep him there and do external therapy, which is what we are currently doing.
In the week following, I mentioned to a grad school classmate/friend that my son was diagnosed with autism as his child also has a disability and wondered if there were resources to which he could point me. He gave the contact information of one of his neighbors whose son also has autism. We had lunch and she told me about a therapeutic preschool that was nearby. The school is about 4 blocks from Ben's school so I went to check it out. I made a consultation appointment with the Executive Director for the following week.
From the website, it looked promising but I didn't want to get my hopes up too high, besides, I wasn't even sure that we wanted to leave his preschool yet. Fast forward to the consultation: Chris and Elias came with me, which apparently caught the Executive Director off guard. Almost the very first thing she said to me was "Oh, I didn't realize Elias was going to be here. Are you comfortable talking about him in front of him?" She presumed competence off of the bat. That was my first good sign.
As she dove into the details the program, we became more deeply impressed. First, small class sizes: there is a 2:1 ratio of student to therapist. Second, every preschool class (there are 4 per session, 2 sessions per day) is divided according to the student's individual profile -- each child is comprehensively evaluated before the program begins, taking their sensory and speech needs into account. They are all run by Developmental Therapists with speech and OT consults who will advise the DT's on things that can support the children based on their profiles. Third, they will even help us with potty training (which has been a nightmare of epic proportions). Fourth, the Executive Director will give us guidance when it comes to IEP's, even attending meetings with us if we would like her to. Fifth, they also have a transitional Kindergarten that he can attend if we feel that he's not ready for a regular school and needs additional support. Sixth, they also have speech, OT, and behavior therapy on site (after preschool hours), so we can transition all of his therapy here instead of traveling to three different hospitals around Chicago. And last but not certainly not in the least, we have the option to switch to a Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO (in which this preschool is in-network) on August 1st, so insurance will pay for the vast majority of it.
While I don't think this is going to be a magic bullet of sorts, I am hopeful that a more intensive, integrative, and focused therapy/preschool experience is going to help Elias. It became pretty clear to both of us that the potential benefit for Elias could be enormous; at worst he is going to continue to develop at his current pace, but at best, he could make some significant strides. I believe that God has opened this door for us and put the pieces in place. He truly is Jehovah-Jireh, which is translated as God is our Provider. I am so thankful.
As we were leaving the consultation, Chris asked me "Are you happy?" And honestly, I had to think about it. I am happy that we are able to receive this kind of service for Elias; because we are in a privileged position we are able to get the best care for him. However, I am very sorry to leave his current preschool. Ben and Caroline both attended it for three years, it's two blocks from our house, and we know and are comfortable with the staff. It's been (and continues to be) a place of love and encouragement for our family and we are leaving with thankful hearts for all that they have given to him while also eagerly anticipating what God is going to do in Elias (and all of us) in this next step.
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