Which ISD best for speech & preschool - Leander, Round Rock, or Cedar Park?

[jwb123]

Here are the TEA ratings for all of the districts you are considering. Of course, TEA ratings are only one componant of the puzzle - and I would really encourage you to call the special education department of each district and discuss your specific situation.


Round Rock Independent School District - TEA Ratings
Leander Independent School District (http://www.leanderisd.org/default.aspx?name=schools.TEArating - broken link)
http://www.austin.isd.tenet.edu/insi...EA_Ratings.pdf

[Indigoblue]

Thank you everyone for the additional information and comments It's all very valuable for us.

Someone asked about ages. I'll have a second grader who has graduated out of speech services but will still be getting some support for severe school anxiety, a kindergartener getting speech services, a 4yo preschooler, and a 2yo getting services through an early age program (we find out if he qualifies Monday).

[sully108]

Just FYI I have a 3 year old with apraxia and we just moved into NW Austin (RR school district). So far they are giving us approx the same services that we had in IL, but I haven't been as impressed with the therapeutic services offered here as in IL even though RR school is rated much higher than our school in IL was. They pretty much outright denied us ESY which had been written into our IEP (aka ARD) in IL only 1 month prior to us moving because they said he had to show regression (apparently having recommendations that he have ESY because he has a condition that is very susceptible to regression isn't enough for them...even though it's in their state law that regression only has to be proven to be very likely). We will have our permanent placement/ARD within 30 days and I already have my letter written up to send to the team and the superintendent and director of special ed if they deny his ESY. Also my son has some slight delays and sensory issues so in IL his services were provided under the developmental delay category but they don't have that in TX so they are pretty much dismissing any of his issues except for the speech so even though 30 days ago my school district in IL told me he needed private speech 4x a week, OT and PT, they are now saying in TX that the other issues don't effect him enough educationally for them to provide him services. I don't know this for sure but just from the temp ARD meeting and what they have been saying to me I don't expect the perm meeting to go well. The fact that they want my son who is over a year behind his peers to go without therapy over the summer and prove that he will regress is ridiculous to me.

Soooo....just be careful. Since coming here and talking to other people in special ed in the area when I tell them RR they say "ohhh...yeah that makes sense now". They are apparently an excellent SD if your child is above grade level to encourage and push them appropriately, but if you need spec ed, be prepared that they will only look through their blinders and very narrow categories and see what the child needs to get by in school, not what the child needs as a whole. I know that is not entirely the school's place and I have always supplemented my children's therapy with outside sources, but I am getting alot less support and concern from them. The PPCD right now is encouraging his language ALOT but I haven't gotten much info from any of the therapists about how they are working with him or what he is doing or what he is working on. In IL they were in constant communication with me. It feels more like a fun social skills preschool for kids with some disabilities than a therapeutic environment.

[miss-speech]

Originally Posted by Indigoblue

I'll have a Kindergartener being pulled for speech through the week. Do the ISD's differ in how often and for how long speech services happen? What do they miss in order to attend speech?

I'll have a 4yo recommended for either communication classes or preschool. On top of his articulation needs he has some behavioral issues. Do they offer "communication classes" as an option in any of these ISD's or is it either drive them in for speech therapy or preschool. Are the preschools half day or full day?

And lastly my 2yo. What types of services are offered to toddlers in the various cities?

Hi, speech therapist here (working for a school district, but not one of the ones you mentioned). Regarding services for your kindergartner, he/she will be assessed by the district to see whether he qualifies for speech services (district criteria are not the same as for private speech therapy) - and you may have already done this. The IEP team will meet to review the assesment, and together you will decide on minutes per week and type of service delivery (pullout or in-class).

If this has already been done, then whatever school district you end up in must honor the decisions of the IEP team. If this has not yet been done, minutes should vary not by district, but by the type and severity of the disorder. For my "garden-variety" Kinder speech kids (i.e. those who do not have autism or some other complicating factor), I would say that 60 min/wk is typical. I work with teachers to individualize each kid's pullout time. For example, if a child is struggling in math, I won't pull them out during math time. I also do not pull kids during specials or recess. I try to find a bit of "dead time" - for example, right after lunch, when the whole class is taking a bathroom break; transitioning back to class; whatever - to minimize the kids missing instructional time.

For the younger kiddos, programs do vary by district. For example, in my district, for kids with severe articulation/phonological disorders, we have a specialized program that meets twice a week for two hours each time. There are also special PPCD (preschool program for children with disabilities) classes for kids with communication and behavior needs (in our district they are called PALS: preschool academic, language, and social program). Many kids attend a regular pre-K class for half the day, and PALS for the other half. Transportation is provided if both PALS and pre-K are not available on the same campus.

Round Rock has some programs like this: look at the APPLE and PEAR program descriptions.
https://www.roundrockisd.org/index.aspx?page=319

Services for your little one (until he/she turns 3) will be provided through ECI. There are lots of different organizations that do the actual therapy. This page lists some contacts by county:
DARS Early Childhood Intervention Services

[miss-speech]

Of the three choices, I would eliminate Austin ISD altogether. As I am sure you know, children with special learning needs really need to be in a stable and well funded school district, while they are receiving services. While Austin ISD does have some good schools in it, parents with children in programs like these often have to fight for the very basic in services

I would have to agree with this. I am a speech therapist, and I did not even consider applying for a job in AISD (even though that's where I live) because services are overstretched here and caseloads are very high.

I think it means something that, whenever I go to a training, the other speech therapists I meet are rarely from AISD, but I do meet lots from Eanes, Leander, Pflugerville, Round Rock... this tells me that these districts invest more in keeping up with current research and best practices, and are ready to innovate in order to provide the best services to their students. I have no doubt that special ed professionals in AISD are very capable and motivated; I just am not convinced that they get the support and resources they need to best serve their kiddos.