Preschool for asd child

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Forum -> Inquiries & Offers -> Lakewood, Toms River & Jackson related Inquiries

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mha3484

Thu, Jul 23 2020, 9:51 am

I have a 9 1/2 year old who is severely ADHD and borderline ASD. He is fully mainstreamed. We have tried a wide variety of therapies some worked great some were a total fail. For us, our talk therapist really wanted us to look into ABA but I did not feel it would be a good fit for my son. My good friend whose kid has a lot of similarities to mine found that it helped her son a lot. Its not one size fits all. I would first do some research on the different therapy modalities are and then choose a program based on that. Lots of people love ABA but equally as many people find it does not work for them all. Each kid and their parents are soooo different.

mommy2x

Thu, Jul 23 2020, 4:58 pm

I hear Brain Builders has the best therapists for the "higher" ASD children but any agency that services your child should send a BCBA and ABA therapist to whichever playgroup you choose.
Personally, I think it makes more sense to send to a place like Brain Builders school or Imagination as the children are getting the supports throughout the day and they can also observe your child for longer and step back when needed, tailor the level/style of learning to work for your child, and they are there the whole day. If you have a BCBA come down to a playgroup , they aren't there all day and the teacher may not be able to tailor her teaching style/lessons to your child. For example, when learning about Purim, a playgroup child will learn 10 songs and a lot of details about purim whereas a center will teach the 5 main songs and teach the basic story line and the main mitzvos of purim (no extras but enough to know the story well) . They don't overload with details but focus on making sure the important stuff stick. Also, the peers in a typical playgroup of like 20 kids aren't always the best role models either. Most 4 year Olds act rambunctious during Playtime, can be mean to "different" kids, can be cliquey etc. I'm not saying a regular playgroup is bad at all but my point is that you aren't necessarily getting "better peers" in a regular group vs ABA centers/school with kids on the spectrum. One isn't better than the other but it's all in what you feel is best for your child. Does he get thrown off with a lot of details /language? Does he play and interact nicely with other kids? Does he need a lot more visual and sensory to learn? If not, maybe a regular playgroup with support is for him. Seeing as ASD is such a broad spectrum, it's hard for anyone else to tell you the best option!
Hope this helped!

amother

Oak

Thu, Jul 23 2020, 5:43 pm

I work as an aba therapist.

The inside scoop is that encore pays highest end so I believe the best therapists end up there.

Obviously can find great therapists in a lot of agencies.

Most impt is to click with the BCBA. Demand to hear background and training of the BCBA when being dealt with

amother

Thu, Jul 23 2020, 5:50 pm

Guys thank you so much for all your responses!
I never really post on here and its amazing how helpful everyone is !
I'm starting to lean towards brainbuiders but I wish there was some unbiased party to meet my son and tell me what to do (Zeva Krieger is booked!)
I actually heard great things about encore however, they don't really have a solid school. It's more like firefly in that it has like 5 kids in a class
(I think..)

oneofakind

Thu, Jul 23 2020, 5:52 pm

What about the preschool at the Special Children s Center? They have a mixture of types of kids. Some get ABA. Parents are extremely happy there- some had been in other programs first.

imasinger

Thu, Jul 23 2020, 5:53 pm

Another vote for Building Bridges (BrainBuilders). They are truly phenomenal.

amother

Crimson

Thu, Jul 23 2020, 7:12 pm

amother [ Oak ] wrote:

I don't think it's all about the therapist. You need a great therapist, but a great BCBA is crucial! As a BCBA I have my issues with that agency and wouldn't work for them even if they offered me a substantially higher rate than others. With that said, more than it's about which agency, in my biased opinion looking into the experience and results of the BCBA that will be working with your child (and the clinical backing she will have) is really important.

amother

Fri, Jul 24 2020, 7:15 am

Ok so now my options are pretty much brainbuiders or playgroup with a shadow.

Unless someone has any experience with success?
They have staff kids in the class which is great but I heard they are very aba (whatever that means Confused

)

Btw it's interesting that encore pays the most being that they are in network insurance and most of these mentioned are out of network....

Also the BCBA is very important but don't you feel that in a way the teacher and assistants are even more important? Were you guys specifically happy with the brainbuiders teacher. I think the 5 year old teachers name is malky (I don't know last names Can't Believe It

)

imasinger

Fri, Jul 24 2020, 7:57 am

General advice.

Any time you're interested in learning about a specific teacher or playgroup Morah, the process should be the same.

Call and ask if you can talk to someone who recently sent. They'll probably give a very positive review, but if you ask the right questions, you can find out a lot.

You can also spend some time meeting with or talking directly to the teacher/Morah, and asking how they would handle whatever situation you're thinking about.

amother

Tan

Fri, Jul 24 2020, 7:59 am

Morah Malky at Brainbuilders is amazing! All their preschool teachers are really good. I worked in her classroom a lot and was always impressed with her.
My own son has challenges as well. I put him in a regular playgroup with an excellent morah and ABA therapy. I liked that option better than an agency preschool for him because:
1) I thought it would be easier for him to transition to yeshiva.
2) I didn't want him to pick up behaviors from other kids.
But it really depends on how much support your child needs.

Lkwdmom4

Sun, Jul 26 2020, 5:50 pm

Success has an integrated preschool (Discover It). 4 year old morah is great! My son was in her class. Maybe go observe there. I highly recommend them!

amother

Sun, Jul 26 2020, 5:59 pm

Thanks for responding!
My worry with success is that its extremely aba. Right now I am doing flootime with him and it seems to be working.
In your experience did they address foundational skills (bottom up versus top down)
Emotional/social skills?
I saw the 4 year old teacher briefly and she seemed great and full of energy!

amother

Ruby

Sun, Nov 07 2021, 8:42 am

I know this is an old thread but I'm bumping it up.
OP, my son sounds extremely similar to yours and I'm also trying to figure out where to send him. Do you mind updating as to where you ended up sending and if you were happy?

dorothy1

Sun, Nov 07 2021, 9:10 am

Try imagination preschool

amother

Springgreen

Sun, Nov 07 2021, 9:16 am

My son is in rainbow therapy in westgate. They have a 3 year old class and he gets pulled out for ot, social skills and aba. The OT is through the therapy place. I looked into a few places and was impressed with Rainbow therapy. It’s professional and they look at each child and see what they need.

amother

Ebony

Sun, Nov 07 2021, 2:19 pm

Another enthusiastic vote for Rainbow! They really know what they are doing, and work to meet the kids, NOT insurance company regulations.

amother

Ruby

Sun, Nov 07 2021, 2:46 pm

Thanks all for your replies! I'm actually looking for a place that isn't completely fixed on ABA and that also follows a more natural / floortime approach. Any recommendations?

amother

Sat, Nov 20 2021, 6:53 pm

Hi its OP I just randomly came across the thread (I dont get updates on threads I posted as amother OP)
Anyway my son ended up going to brainbuilders and I was SO happy there ! Really a great preschool program ! Would send again in a heartbeat!
Now he is in yeshiva BH BH and we are using encore as an agency. We left BB because it didnt work with our insurance anymore but we were really happy with there preschool/staff!

amother

Sat, Nov 20 2021, 6:55 pm

amother [ Ruby ] wrote:

Thanks all for your replies! I'm actually looking for a place that isn't completely fixed on ABA and that also follows a more natural / floortime approach. Any recommendations?

How old is your child? Morah rivky in brainbuilders in Phenomenal!! She is trained by Rabbi Benstein. And really really good at floortime and getting down to each child. She is amazing!

amother

Ruby

Sat, Nov 20 2021, 8:34 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

How old is your child? Morah rivky in brainbuilders in Phenomenal!! She is trained by Rabbi Benstein. And really really good at floortime and getting down to each child. She is amazing!

My son is 2 1/2. I actually know the teachers in Brain Builders since I have an older son who was there for preschool. They are an excellent agency with phenomenal therapists and I would send there again in a heartbeat. For some reason though my heart is telling me that my son needs a whole different approach and I'm having a hard time finding it.

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