Lately I've been stressing out over the fact that August is quickly coming and I haven't made a decision about what to do with JD. His therapeutic preschool program closed in the spring and we've been doing 1:1 therapy for 5 hours a day ever since. The problem with 1:1 therapy is that he never gets the chance to interact with other kids. So we want to get him back into a preschool, but the choices are quite limited for a child like JD, especially since he's what doctors consider "high-functioning."
Basically high-functioning means two things: he's too advanced for a school specifically made for kids with autism, and he's too far behind to go to a school made for "neurotypical" kids. It's so frustrating - we're just stick in the middle - I feel like there's no good place for him.
I've spent hours researching schools, trying to find all the options. There's the public school option (which in our case didn't work), there's the private ABA centers, which focus on behavior therapy, there are schools for sensory integration, and private schools that may be for regular kids but will take a kid on the spectrum if they feel he can keep up.
I'm in the interview process right now. I'd really like to mainstream him, so we're meeting the director of a large preschool here in Orlando to talk about starting him in August with a full-time shadow until he gets adjusted. The cost? Normal preschool rates, PLUS $70 a DAY for a shadow. Good Lord. We're talking like $2000 a month for PRESCHOOL.
I guess it will be worth it in the long run if it benefits him, but that's if we can make it without going broke first! My head is still spinning with options but right now I just try not to worry about it because it makes my stomach sick! :(
