School therapists?

amother

Aubergine

Wed, Jun 07 2017, 11:58 am

We're thinking of making aliyah, but first and foremost, I want to make sure my kids will be getting good education, even though in the beginning it will be difficult for all of us. I grew up in Israel and as a young child, I was shy at school. I eventually overcame my shyness, but it wasn't fun being labeled as the quiet & shy girl. So my kids are also somewhat shy. My 4 year old, I'm not sure if he's shy or what, but he's not speaking at all at school (selective mutism) and right now he's getting services at school. He speaks and yells at home all the time. If we end up moving in a year and my child isn't getting better with his speaking anxiety at school, how will we be able to make aliyah? I'm just concerned about their well-being at school in a different country. When I was a child, I don't really remember being with therapists in Israel and it seems like these days (especially in the US) they have therapists for almost everything. So how does it work now in Israel? do they also have good therapists at each school?? do they help kids with selective mutism?

Tel Tzion Ima

Wed, Jun 07 2017, 5:36 pm

All of my kids' schools have a guidance counselor or psychologist.

I have two boys in special ed programs, where they receive speech therapy, OT, and some years also music or art therapy. I'll add that they're in special ed programs mainly because they both have a speech/language delay. Gan Sefa (language prescool) seemingly might be appropriate for your son. Basically, all the kids that need intensive speech therapy go to a gan sefa. The class sizes are limited to 10-12 kids (whereas a standard school would up to 35 kids), with two or three teachers. They receive individual speech therapy once a week, and group speech therapy through the daily curriculum.
My older son who is in elementary school is in a kita mikademet, so he's in a "regular" school, but he's in a separate track where he receives therapies at school and is in a smaller class. In first grade, most of the day was with the smaller class (6 boys verses 20-something), and from year to year they increase the time with the regular class and decrease with the smaller class to work towards fully mainstreaming. Some school have the kita mikademet and some don't.
And if you want to send to a regular preschool, you can request a gannent siach as opposed to sending to a gan sefa. A gannenet siach would help with speech therapy issues in a regular gan. I don't know how many hours a week etc., but depending on how much therapy the kid needs, they'll get more from a gan sefa than they'll get from a gannenet siach.

You can also get all sorts of therapy through the kupat cholim (HMOs) or privately.

amother

Aubergine

Wed, Jun 07 2017, 9:47 pm

Tel Tzion Ima wrote:

Thanks for the info! I had no idea how the special services work over there. I just have a few more questions if you don't mind. If he ever goes to a kita mikademet, can he still go to a regular class later on if they think he doesn't need it anymore? Where do they have Gan Sefa? is it also for kindergarten or just pre-k? By the way, he'll be entering 1st grade (I hope!) by the time we make aliyah. So can he still get services through kupat cholim? do the therapists from over there see him at school or somewhere else? is it covered in the healthcare?

Tel Tzion Ima

Wed, Jun 07 2017, 10:14 pm

With the kupa cholim, they have child development centers where you go for therapies. It all depends on which kupa and where you live.

There are ganei sefa all over the country, but that doesn't mean every city/town/yishuv has one or that it's your religious affiliation. Each municipality should provide transportation to the nearest, most appropriate school for your child.

I don't know how kita mikademet works in all schools. At my son's cheder, it only goes through 6th grade, and from 1st through 6th grade they increase the amount of the school day that the boys are mainstreamed, so that by 7th grade they're ready to be full time in the regular class. (We've yet to determine if we're keeping our son in his current school for 7th and 8th or looking for another cheder that's geared for boys who have learning difficulties). Some boys in his grade transferred out of the kita mikademet after first or second grade.

Gan Sefa is for age 3 until the kid goes to first grade, some kids go to gan sefa for three or four years before starting first grade. Some kids start out there an then switch to a regular gan before first grade. Some kids start out in a regular gan and then switch into gan sefa for an second year of kindergarten before first grade.

If you're approved for therapies by your HMO, you pay a 25-30 shekel copay for each appointment (I guess that's about $7-9).