Love Note to Autism Nest Program at PS 178
 |
Marni Goltsman is the parent of a 5-year-old in P.S. 178’s Intensive Kindergarten (which feeds into the Autism Nest program), and she is also the Web Developer here at Insideschools. We’re pleased and proud to welcome her regular contributions to Insideschools’ blog this year.
I am in love with my son’s new school. It’s both a schoolgirl crush and real, ripe, grown-up love: I often find myself smiling for no particular reason, even as this mature, substantive stabilizing force eases me into a good night’s sleep.
There are only 6 children in my son’s classroom, and they all have autism. He has an extraordinary teacher, several assistant teachers, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, a counselor, and a physical therapist, and almost every day he gets adaptive PE, music and art.
At least once a week, supervisors from Hunter College, who originally created the ASD Nest program, visit the classroom and advise the staff on each child’s individual intervention plans. These highly educated professionals possess a wealth of casework experience with autistic kids: they know what works and what doesn’t.
It was not an easy process to get this placement. My husband and I investigated virtually every type of kindergarten within the 5 boroughs that was open to children with autism, in both in the private and public realms: mainstream, integrated, and special needs. Starting in September 2007, we immersed ourselves — evaluations and paperwork and tours and interviews and special ed attorney consultations. It wasn’t until late April, when Nest was finally confirmed, that we were able to cancel our Plan B — move to Westchester because there simply would have been no other appropriate placement for our son in NYC. (We did move uptown, to be closer to the school.) Other committed parents in our situation are all too familiar with this long, relentless, and too-often fruitless process (detailed here by an astute special needs teacher), and most put in the same due diligence that we did. But we also got lucky. Like anything else in life, hard work brings more opportunities, but luck plays a role.
A part of me still believes we’re living inside of a fantasy, that this school can’t really exist in the same NYC Department of Education that’s challenged with overcrowding and ineffective teachers and principals and low test scores and nightmare-inducing special needs classes.
But it’s already October; this has gone on too long to be a dream. I’m wide awake and my son is learning how to overcome his challenges and make his own way in the world. There I go, smiling again.
Subscribe to 
I’m very happy to hear about you & you son’s success
peace & love, Sondra
Comment by Anonymous — October 1, 2008 @ 1:03 pm
See the discussion about this post in the forum: http://insideschools.org/forums//index.php?topic=3630.msg7092#msg7092
Comment by Anonymous — October 1, 2008 @ 2:03 pm
Hi, Marni: Congrats on your son’s placement–and your blog. I was very interested to hear about PS 178. We, too, endured the grueling Turning 5 process and in our quest fell in love with another version of Nest. It’s the micro-inclusion program, which we saw at PS 32 in Brooklyn. I believe there a few throughout the city. It’s for high-functioning/Aspergers kids; they have to be verbal. They’re in a class of 12, eight of whom are typically developing. However, at least on the micro-inclusion level, Nest is the only public school program that gets to choose its kids. (Is the same true for 178? Or does the Board of Ed do those placements?) PS 32 Nest had FOUR kindergarten slots when we toured and my son wasn’t at lucky as yours. But I still think it’s great you have educated all the pre-K parents out there as to this wonderful, if elusive, option. As someone posted on the forum, we need more of these types of programs for all our kids. All the best, Beth
Comment by Beth — October 1, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
Marni, I totally understand your love affair with your son’s new school, for I feel the same way. My son is in the micro inclusion program Beth mentioned but in the Bronx, PS 396. It’s been wonderful so far and I am feel so blessed to have had him be accepted. It is a grueling process but so worth it!!!
Comment by Nell — October 2, 2008 @ 9:02 am
Hey Marni, congrates, sounds great. Sorry to hear you moved, no wonder we haven’t seen you. best of luck, Robert
Comment by Robert — October 2, 2008 @ 10:54 am
Hi, Nell: I have to ask: Do you live in the Bronx? If not, where do you bus your son from? I’d be open to looking at other boroughs for next fall, though I doubt there’ll be any first-grade openings. Thanks, Beth
Comment by Beth — October 3, 2008 @ 1:11 pm
Are there no parents of children with autism in DOE 6:1:1 programs upset by this? Are all students in those classes receiving the same intensity of services and support to overcome the challenges they face?
Comment by anonymous — October 3, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
Each time I read about your smile, I found myself tearing (for no particular reason.) How do we let the rest of the world in on some of the programs happening in NYC?
Comment by Sharla — October 4, 2008 @ 11:45 am
Marni, that was beautifully described and I’m so happy for you. Sorry we missed you at the mom’ dinner last week; it would’ve nice to hear more specifics; hopefully next time. R
Comment by rayna L. — October 4, 2008 @ 10:58 pm
I too applied for the nest program for my son at ps32 and he too was rejected. There were too many parents applying for too few spots. There was no other acceptable public school placement for my child so my husband and I sold our house to be able to afford a private school while we took our case to the board of ed. I do not feel so lucky with the NYC public school system. In fact I feel terrible for others who do not get into the better programs and who can not afford or who do not have the resources to apply for private schooling. Even the private schools have too few spots. What needs to be done is that more programs like the nest program need to be implemented so there will be a more equitable distribution of resources. Also, utilizing , Hunter, Columbia and NYU teaching students can increase staff to student ratios because the bottom line in ALL the studies I reviewed is that smaller class sizes which would mean more one to one teachertime for students is by far more effective than anything to help kids learn.
Comment by Alicia — October 7, 2008 @ 3:54 pm
To respond to Beth, yes, I live in the Bronx and it is my understanding that you are only allowed to apply to the program in your borough. there is supposed to be one in every borough. I applied to the one in Washington Heights but they redirected me to the one in the Bronx. If anyone would like to talk to me further about the Nest, feel free to e-mail me at nelljon89@aol.com. I would be happy to answer questions and give out info about the program. We really need to stick together and share information. I know the struggle in meeting the academic needs of our children and if i can help in anyway, i would be happy to.
Comment by Nell — October 7, 2008 @ 4:24 pm
Alicia, I’m sorry to hear you too didn’t make PS 32’s cut. Clearly, we’re far from alone. It was the most crowded of any of the school tours we went on. Sadly, the lack of spots couldn’t help but create a sense of competition among parents. As someone else stated, there simply are not enough viable options out there, and the economic downturn isn’t going to help. But government and the world at large have to realize these kids are going to grow up, and we have to do the best we can by them now to give them the best chance at happy, productive lives. We were “lucky”–if you want to call it that–in that we were able to prove that there was no appropriate public school setting for our son, who can best be described as a “puzzle.” So he’s at a nonpublic, though we hope that after a couple of years, he will be able to move on to a less restrictive setting. This is not what you wish for your child, but we simply cannot go the private route.
P.S. to Marni: Do you really feel you would have found an appropriate setting in Westchester? Maybe things have changed, but when my friend’s teenage daughter was going through special ed in the Scarsdale public schools, it was a nightmare experience. She ended up in private schools.
Comment by Beth — October 7, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
Hi Marni i think we all knew how very special your son was become in the eyes of many he is showing that if he can do well other kids can do well too. The tough times that you and your husband had was the greatest that i have ever seen, having been there. Your son knew that the love and the care of his parents and others would payoff in it’s own time. Right now he is showing the world that he can do anything and do it well with determination, all is possible. Your son is a remarkable, articulate, and very who howses us all.I am so proud of him and his achievements. We know sometimes he says to much of the same things but to hear him verbalised is every thing to him and to those around him. Marni you can smile all you want because you did all you can and you did it well.It is special to also to be able to share with others that they can all help make a difference in their child’s life no matter what.Spreading this report on autism will help some of the parents who do not know where to turn, that they are not alone and there is help. Parents have to go all the way like you did. Marni and if i should add you and your husband are two very special parents/people.I applaud you both. Thanks for sharing it means alot to many. P.S.A
Comment by patricia. st.aimee — October 10, 2008 @ 3:42 pm
Our son is also at PS 178 in ASD NEST - K in the micro-inclusion program - the one for HFA/Aspergers kids who are verbal. The class size is 12, eight of whom are typically developing. After a grueling Turning 5 process with no lawyer that was at a minimum a PT job, our son was accepted into this NEST program and Gillen Brewer on the UES. We chose the NEST program because we thought he would benefit from the typically developing peer role models. I can only speak for my son’s class, but he has music 2x/wk, art 1x/week, science 1x/week, full gym 1x/wk, and adaptive PE every day - and OT, PT, Speech and SDI on site. I also love that the school is only K-2 - HUGE difference! After being told there was no appropriate preschool placement for my son last November, I was ecstatic that we had 2 options to choose from this year (although I have to say that it was extremely difficult to get information about the NEST program when we were looking at schools last winter). One more comment - one thing the DOE should consider is being more lenient allowing children to be held back. They are continually setting kids up for failure - particularly boys with late birthdays - adhering to the age by 12/31 rule. As a mother of a son with a November 13 birthday, I pursued this option until I realized I would have to pay for a lawyer for something as silly as wanting my son to mature and grow more before being forced to start K as a four year-old. NYC should see the light on this as many other cities and states have already done.
Comment by Tania — October 11, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
Hi Marni: I am also smiling. This school seems to be answering all your questions and all your prayers for your son’s future. Still smiling………..Love Aunt Rita
Comment by Aunt Rita — October 12, 2008 @ 2:20 pm
who does one call at the Board of Ed to apply to the NEST program and what does it entail?
Comment by joshsmom — October 14, 2008 @ 12:07 am
Also wondering in which BOE District PS 178 is located? Who is the contact there if we want to tour the program? Anyone know the contact for the ASD NEST program for District 9?
Comment by Caroline — November 10, 2008 @ 11:10 am
There is a great new website called the Arise Coalition about special needs issues in NYC and they have an ASD Nest info page (including phone numbers per district!). Here’s the link: http://arisecoalition.org/images/ASD%20Nest%20Program%20brochure.pdf
Hope this helps.
Comment by Marni Goltsman — November 11, 2008 @ 10:47 am
It’s so nice to read something positive from a parent who’s been searching for the right program. Congratulations. I am researching programs on Staten Island. My son is in a CTT with teachers who have no experience or training with this program. I opened the the class with a friend when he was in 1st grade. Now he’s in 4th. There are 29 kids in his class. The teachers got “stuck” with the class because of seniority issues. It’s the only CTT in the school, and they can’t wait to push us out and be done the year after next. There’s no placement options here. 12:1 is not a good option for my son. ASD Nest sound great, but having trouble finding info.
The NYC Dept of Ed is stingy with the info they post. They don’t like to make things available. I am afraid that with all of the budget cuts, we won’t be seeing anymore of these classes opened.
Glad your story has a happy ending, though! Best of luck to you!
Comment by Kath — November 12, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
Can anyone tell me how the Board of Ed test these kids to qualify for the Nest Program? I understand they have to be high functioning so, what is the % of delay they are looking for? Any information that I could get is very much appreciated
Comment by Monica — November 24, 2008 @ 8:24 pm
Hi Marni. Congratulations on your son’s placement! I hope that my son turns out as lucky as yours. My son will be going through the “turning 5 process” in January and I would like for you to forward me information with regards to the NEST program at P.S. 178. As you know the transition from pre-k to kindergarten can be very stressful, especially if you are a parent lacking information. I thank you in advance.
Comment by Angela De Jesus — December 22, 2008 @ 11:44 am
Angela De Jesus: all the Nest information is available in the link I posted in comment 18 above. Just follow that link and call the Dept. of Ed. contact listed for your district. Good luck!
Comment by Marni Goltsman — December 22, 2008 @ 3:21 pm
Thanks to all for your comments. My son was accepted to ps32 for 6th grade. To all of you who would like information on how to apply and how to get info, join the club. I made about 20 phone calls to CSE (starting in November the year before)- I called the CSE (no clue), the BOE, (no clue) schools with ASD programs that i found with google, …when i got the number, i was redirected to someone who redirected me to someone else. I had to forward many documents and someone came to observe my son in his current class. You must be really persistent and not give up. Unless you are very lucky, the BOE isn’t going to hand you what your child needs. Only you know that. Good luck to you all!
P.S. i believe the numbers are on this website thank goodness!
Comment by mary j — October 30, 2009 @ 1:20 pm