Thsi thread may cover a few things but first off has anyone heard of the Options approach please?

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It is American apparently. I am looking at pre schools that I can get DD a place just once a week. Partly this is to give me a break a I am a lone parent and struggling a bit atm. And partly I think if I choose caefully DD will really get something from it. There are two pre schools I want to look at but then I came across a website for a nursery which would cost considerably more but looks very interesting. The teacher is a child counsellor and is trained in the Options approach?? My DD has medical needs but also I worry a lot about the effects of her condition on her emotional wellbeing so this kind of jumped out at me. She also has a speech and language delay/disorder.

Son-Rise.

I used to be a bit sniffy about it, but having found out a bit more I think it has some good points. Some very good points. And if she's accessing it at nursery then you will immediately avoid many of the negatives (the main one being in one room all the time).

I'd be tempted - I've met some children who have done very well indeed on it.

What is the main idea if you don't mind me asking you more about it? I have tried googling but not getting very far. Is it for children with specific needs or?

have had more success googling using son rise so thank you. It seems to be children with Autism? My DD doesn't but may still benefit from the environment. Certainly it seems to be a nursery very much geared towards childrens emotional wellbeing which appeals to me I think I will book to go and see it, out of interest if nothing else. Odd that I've never heard of the setting befre though as was an early years worker before having DD and know mos of the nurseries in my area. On the website they had a link to an ofsted report from 1999 so will be just my luck if it has closed down now.

seems to be FOR children with autism that should have said.

It should be useable with any SN. We worked for a while with therapists who were son-rise and ABA trained and they were bloody brilliant. Son-Rise does a lot of copying of children and entering their world. I'm not sure alone in 1 room it would have worked with ds1, but if a son-rise person wanted to do some extra stuff with him I would snap them up iyswim.

Actually if you go to their webpage and sign up as interested they may send you a video of a bbc documentary for free. They give them away when they do UK lecture tours.....

Thank you mrsturnip it all sounds very promising. I will give the nursery a call next week after half term and see if I can visit. Assuming they are still open that is.Thanks also for the tip about the documentary I will do that when I know for sure it is still open. Why did I have to start looking in to this at half term? I want to visit all these pre schools now!

I'm not as knowledgable as Mrs T, but would have thought that any approach that was used to boost communication and language would be very advantageous for a kid with a language delay/disorder. and finding a nursery that is very aware of SN can only be a good thing. btw The Hanen approach of dealing with language delay also at the earlier stages involves copying children, and going with what they are interested in.(Hanen is a Canadian organisation that specialises in helping parents/professionals help kids to communicate, www.hanen.org).

Thanks TC I have just spoken to the lady who runs the nursery and arranged to go and have a look around. DD would need to do two sessions a week and they are £22 each time so its not something I could do now but worth thinking of when she gets her early years funding as they accept that as part of the payment. It does sound lovely and very geared towards helping with communication. The owner even said she tries where possible to help out with the cost if children have a reason to be there like DD. I'm going to go along and look and find out a bit more anyway. Can't believe I'd never heard of it.

I run a full-time program of sonrise. Its the best thing ever for my child.

Contact Sonrise and get the new dvd as well as the old one, both are free and get your 25 minute free consult.

Honouring the child, not judging and questioning your own belief systems are at the core of the sonrise program.

thanks mamadadawahwah, I will most definately look into it. It certainly sounds very interesting and positive. What is the 25minute free consultation?