School closures/delays?

Their system works differently, so I doubt skipping school is such a big deal over there.

James Alvarez2 said:Great, so we're back to talking about the drip again.
Some people are already ahead of the curve while others are just sitting there... if some folks already know their stuff, what exactly are the rest of you even doing while everyone else is learning? 🤷

Robert Rodriguez9 said:Their system works differently, so I doubt skipping school is such a big deal over there.

The idea that "everyone already knows each other" actually gives me goosebumps—I worry about how those poor kids will fit in
.🙄 But honestly, even if they do know people, the others will make friends soon enough, right?
🤷

The mindset there in the US is a bit different; people aren't so deeply rooted in one spot and don't rely solely on the same crew from the neighborhood, the apartment building, or daycare. They’re generally more ready for moving, meeting new people, and forming new friendships.
We've actually touched on the reasons for delaying enrollment a few times here: either everyone moves up from daycare together and they're left with strangers, or they go to school a year later and still end up with strangers, so parents figure it's better to start now. Or, parents worry about their child not being with their familiar buddies when they start school.
(As if those new kids are some kind of aliens!)

Even within age-homogeneous groups, there are huge gaps in abilities and skills. For example, a kid born in early April might be way ahead of someone born in late March.
One group might still be playing around in preschool (and maybe getting a little bored), while the other group is already sitting in first grade and finding the work way too hard.

To me, it seems like staggered entry is actually the best way to bridge those gaps. It allows us to tailor things to a child's specific abilities, regardless of what they already know when they walk through the door.

From what I’ve gathered, the school is trying to break up the preschool groups.
Obviously, they aren't going to make sure nobody knows anyone—that's just not realistic—but the goal is to stop those little cliques from forming.

Robert Rodriguez9 said:From what I’ve gathered, the school is trying to break up the preschool groups.
Obviously, they aren't going to make sure nobody knows anyone—that's just not realistic—but the goal is to stop those little cliques from forming.

Honestly, this is one of those classic American dilemmas. You enroll your kid in kindergarten even though the experts suggest waiting an extra year, and then suddenly they aren't even in the same class as their old preschool buddies 😂 (some families move to a different neighborhood, others opt for those fancy private academies, and everyone else gets shuffled into different classes. And of course, there's always that one kid who actually did wait a year to start school.)

We were at the school today for a meeting. Given the number of documented challenges my child is facing, we’re pushing for a grade retention. The school counselor took down all our details, and I handed over the reports from the psychologist and speech therapist. She gave us the paperwork required to officially request the delay, noting we should submit everything to the pediatrician during our next appointment. Once that's done, the ball is in their court; now we just wait on a decision from the local school district office.

It’s the exact same story here in the States. Everything is documented, which just means more headaches. ☕

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of trouble are we talking about? You can always shoot me a DM if it's sensitive.

Brian Jones8 said:It’s the exact same story here in the States. Everything is documented, which just means more headaches. ☕

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of trouble are we talking about? You can always shoot me a DM if it's sensitive.

The diagnosis? "High neuro-risk." Basically, they can't quite figure out how to label it yet.
In reality? There's a significant delay in gross motor skills, an even bigger lag in fine motor skills, and the speech—that's the toughest part. It's stuck at the level of a two or three-year-old.

Olivia Brown7 said:The diagnosis? "High neuro-risk." Basically, they can't quite figure out how to label it yet.
In reality? There's a significant delay in gross motor skills, an even bigger lag in fine motor skills, and the speech—that's the toughest part. It's stuck at the level of a two or three-year-old.

But let me ask—is there an actual plan in motion here? I mean, is the child currently undergoing any kind of professional intervention—speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or specialized developmental exercises?

Sam Kim12 said:But let me ask—is there an actual plan in motion here? I mean, is the child currently undergoing any kind of professional intervention—speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or specialized developmental exercises?

Since they were two months old, there's been constant work. It started with physical therapy, then moved into occupational therapy, sensory integration, developmental specialists, and speech therapy. Unfortunately, most of this has had to be handled through private providers.

Olivia Brown7 said:Since they were two months old, there's been constant work. It started with physical therapy, then moved into occupational therapy, sensory integration, developmental specialists, and speech therapy. Unfortunately, most of this has had to be handled through private providers.

I'm crossing my fingers that you get a reprieve😉, but if things don't show significant improvement by next year, I'm fairly certain you'll be entitled to an aide—someone who can actually provide meaningful support during school hours.👍

Sam Kim12 said:I'm crossing my fingers that you get a reprieve😉, but if things don't show significant improvement by next year, I'm fairly certain you'll be entitled to an aide—someone who can actually provide meaningful support during school hours.👍

I appreciate the kind thoughts, but it’s not quite like that.
He was actually eligible for an aide in preschool this year too, yet he didn't get one (he ends up sharing an aide with another boy instead).
And even if his speech improves significantly? There is no way he's attending a standard public school—even with an aide. It would likely have to be Suvag.

From what I’ve observed firsthand, in those specific instances where a child is already enrolled in specialized programs—you know, working with speech therapists or developmental specialists and all that—they actually seem much less likely to experience any kind of delay...

My godmother actually tried to push for a deferral, though they weren't having any of it... they basically told her that they didn't anticipate seeing any massive leaps in progress over the next year anyway, and besides, the little one wasn't exactly ready for the rigors of a standard classroom setting yet. So, despite all that back-and-forth, he ended up starting seventh grade after all...

Drew Johnson2 said:From what I’ve observed firsthand, in those specific instances where a child is already enrolled in specialized programs—you know, working with speech therapists or developmental specialists and all that—they actually seem much less likely to experience any kind of delay...

My godmother actually tried to push for a deferral, though they weren't having any of it... they basically told her that they didn't anticipate seeing any massive leaps in progress over the next year anyway, and besides, the little one wasn't exactly ready for the rigors of a standard classroom setting yet. So, despite all that back-and-forth, he ended up starting seventh grade after all...

Do they tell you straight up—that the child isn't a fit for a mainstream school but belongs in a specialized program—or do they just leave parents to figure all that out on their own?

They told her right away that she was someone special—and honestly, she knew it... he’s on the autism spectrum, a rather complex case to navigate, if I'm being perfectly candid.

I suppose I wonder how things are handled in your neck of the woods...

It feels like things are just spinning in circles here. He’s dealing with enough on his plate as it is, so for now, the school psychologist is recommending we hold off on enrollment. The plan is to spend the next year running various assessments to figure out which path actually makes sense for him. But if they deny the deferral and insist we enroll him in some specialized school? I honestly have no clue where we’d even turn.

The process started when he was about two and a half, with some diagnosis of speech delay—which, quite frankly, felt like complete nonsense since he’d been speaking perfectly fine for his age up until he turned two...

They spent an entire year just chasing after a diagnosis. They eventually enrolled him in a preschool in Savannah, only to have them turn him away, claiming he wasn't a good fit because his issues weren't limited to just speech... apparently, they were seeing signs of motor skill struggles and ADHD as well.

They ended up suggesting a preschool over the lime trees, which is where he eventually transitioned into elementary school. But in his case, there really wasn't much of a debate to be had; given his lack of verbal communication, a standard classroom would never have been a viable option anyway.

I truly believe that delaying things won't do any harm, especially if he was attending a regular preschool program in the meantime.

Drew Johnson2 said:The process started when he was about two and a half, with some diagnosis of speech delay—which, quite frankly, felt like complete nonsense since he’d been speaking perfectly fine for his age up until he turned two...

They spent an entire year just chasing after a diagnosis. They eventually enrolled him in a preschool in Savannah, only to have them turn him away, claiming he wasn't a good fit because his issues weren't limited to just speech... apparently, they were seeing signs of motor skill struggles and ADHD as well.

They ended up suggesting a preschool over the lime trees, which is where he eventually transitioned into elementary school. But in his case, there really wasn't much of a debate to be had; given his lack of verbal communication, a standard classroom would never have been a viable option anyway.

I truly believe that delaying things won't do any harm, especially if he was attending a regular preschool program in the meantime.

It won't cause damage, per se. It’s really just a question of whether the school board will actually approve it.🙂

Even my godmother was told that if she truly, absolutely insisted on it, they would grant her request—even though they hadn't originally seen any need for it...

So, I really do believe you'll get what you're looking for, especially since you already have that recommendation from your psychologist in hand.

Olivia Brown7, did you look into Lincoln Elementary yet? I know they accept kids with special needs there.

Olivia Brown7 said:It won't cause damage, per se. It’s really just a question of whether the school board will actually approve it.🙂

Oh, they definitely will... at the end of the day, getting that doctor's sign-off is the whole game when it comes to a postponement.