Screenings/Special Education

All children learn and grow at their own pace and reach pre-academic milestones at different times. Age ranges for when specific milestones are expected to be reached have been developed to serve as a guide for families and providers. Sometimes families have questions or concerns about their child's development and may request a screening or special education referral.

Screenings

Screenings can be completed at any time if there are concerns or questions about development. These screenings offer families information about their child’s current skills, in comparison to other children their age and can provide families with information on activities, strategies and what to expect next in their child's development. Screenings can also be used to determine whether or not a special education referral should be made or if targeted interventions should be provided.

Special Education

In some cases, children may be experiencing delays or have a disability that makes it difficult for them to achieve their milestones.

When concerns arise, children can be referred to Preschool Special Education through a variety of sources including but not limited to: parents, teachers, family members, Early Supports and Services, Headstart, pediatricians, childcare centers etc.

Once referred, parents are contacted to schedule a Disposition of Referral meeting. The Preschool Special Education team will convene within 15 days to dispose of the referral with the parent. At this meeting, the IEP team (the parent, Local Education Agency representative, Special Education teacher and Regular Education teacher) will discuss the concerns and review any information on the child. At this meeting, the team may decide to screen the child, evaluate or determine that a disability is not suspected at this time.

If the team recommends evaluating the child, with parental consent, an evaluation plan will be developed. Once parental consent is received, the evaluations will be completed, analyzed and an evaluation summary meeting will be held to discuss the findings within 45 days.

The team will review all the evaluations and determine whether or not the child meets the criteria for one of the qualifying disabilities as outlined in the NH Special Education Administrative Rules and the IDEIA. If the team determines the child to be a child with a disability, with parental consent, an IEP will be developed.

The IEP team will have 30 days to develop an IEP for the child that includes goals, objectives, supports, services, accommodations, modifications and the placement necessary to meet the child’s individual needs. Parental consent is required to begin implementing the program.

The Kearsarge Regional School District offers a variety of services for children with disabilities including specialized instruction, transportation, speech language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and other therapies determined by the IEP team as necessary to meet the specific needs of the child. Our specially designed program provides services to children both in the classroom and in more individualized settings when necessary.

The Special Education process is a comprehensive process governed by state and federal law. The special education team at James House Preschool partners with families to assist them through the process.

If you think your preschool aged child may have a disability or delay, please contact: Nikki Robertson, Associate Director of Student Services - Preschool.