Changing school for middle schooler with high functioning autism

[Anonymous]

Hi,

We are a French family who moved to US few years ago.

The school system is still new for us.

I have a child who has been diagnosed with aspergers (High functioning autism). He has an iep plan.

He's currently attending Julius West middle school in Rockville.

I heard about the support for students with aspergers (High functioning autism) at Tilden middle school in Rockville. I think it could really benefit my child.

They have the best score 26% in MCPS for helping students with disabilities to succeed. Julius West gets 14%.

Tilden students attend Walter Johnson high school which has 35% again the best score in MCPS. Richard Montgomery our assigned school gets 20%.

We're planning to buy a house within 2 years. We might search one in Tilden and Walter Johnson area but in the meantime we need to enroll our child at Tilden middle.

How can I register my child if it is not our assigned school?

And also do you think it's reliable to choose our house location based on greatschool ratings?

I often hear that MCPS are great but it should be a huge difference between an above average, average and a below average schools.

I already saw a huge difference in the percentage of students with disabilites success rate.

Thanks!

[Khamy]

Oh I didn't know I wasn't logged in lol.

[Anonymous]

This is probably a good question for the disabilities Board, if you did not post it there, too.

Is it a special program at Tilden? If so, you will have to persuade your IEP team that Tilden is the best and most appropriate placement for your child. It can't be just based on success rate of the schools with your type of child, it has to be based on something specific in the program that your child needs to succeed in school. If you don't have an advocate, they might be able to help you with this - someone like Weinfeld Educational Group.

[Anonymous]

Cher(e) compatriote,

You have to find more info on how to enter that program, by contacting the special education division of MCPS - look on their website.

I have a child in a different special needs program (GT/LD, or gifted, talented and learning disabled), and our IEP team approved of the switch, based on a private neuropsychological evaluation we had done and his behavior at school. In our case, our home address doesn't matter - my child is bused to the right school on a special needs bus.

If your child is high-functioning and capable, perhaps they might also do well in the GT/LD program. We are at North Bethesda (same cluster as Tilden), but depending on your home address, your child might be placed in the other GT/LD program up north.

[Anonymous]

And yes, please post on the Special Needs forum - hopefully someone who has a child in the Tilden Asperger's program can assist you.

[Anonymous]

Please be careful about sharing so much identifying information. If my child went to your child's school it would be quite easy to identify you.

[Anonymous]

You should come to the XMinds event next week, you will learn exactly what you need to know. Conveniently it will be at JW.

https://xminds.org/event-3282626

Administrators from the MCPS offices related to Autism come and present. There are also lots of other parents with first hand experience.

[Anonymous]

As a first step, you may want to request a tour of the Aspergers program at Tilden. It is for students who have struggled with regular placement and need more help. There’s a wide range of abilities among students with Aspergers and the Aspergers program may or may not be a good fit for your ds. You’ll probably find more people who are knowledgeable about it on the Kids with Special Needs board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please be careful about sharing so much identifying information. If my child went to your child's school it would be quite easy to identify you.

You are lucky, then. We parents of special needs kids have to share online to try to find our people, otherwise we would never get the most appropriate placements for our kids.

I have posted multiple times over the years, and couldn't care less whether someone identifies my kid. The priority is treating and accommodating his disorders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should come to the XMinds event next week, you will learn exactly what you need to know. Conveniently it will be at JW.

https://xminds.org/event-3282626

Administrators from the MCPS offices related to Autism come and present. There are also lots of other parents with first hand experience.

Honestly, I never go. They charge a lot.

[Anonymous]

I know you are new to the system, so wanted to spell something out in case it was unclear from the other answers:

Just being at Tilden may not be enough. You would want placement into the actual program there. For that, you would need to work with the team at your home school (JW) to make a case for why your child's current placement is not working, and what specific interventions are offered at Tilden that are not offered at JW.

Does that make sense?

[Khamy]

Anonymous wrote:This is probably a good question for the disabilities Board, if you did not post it there, too.

Is it a special program at Tilden? If so, you will have to persuade your IEP team that Tilden is the best and most appropriate placement for your child. It can't be just based on success rate of the schools with your type of child, it has to be based on something specific in the program that your child needs to succeed in school. If you don't have an advocate, they might be able to help you with this - someone like Weinfeld Educational Group.

Thanks for your reply.

At Tilden they have an aspergers program. I heard at Ridgeview middle school too.

My child's diagnostic has been confirmed by an MCPS psychologist. I suppose it's good reason to change school if at Tilden or Ridgeview they have a specific program for children like mine. Isn't it?

[Anonymous]

Khamy wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is probably a good question for the disabilities Board, if you did not post it there, too.

Is it a special program at Tilden? If so, you will have to persuade your IEP team that Tilden is the best and most appropriate placement for your child. It can't be just based on success rate of the schools with your type of child, it has to be based on something specific in the program that your child needs to succeed in school. If you don't have an advocate, they might be able to help you with this - someone like Weinfeld Educational Group.

Thanks for your reply.

At Tilden they have an aspergers program. I heard at Ridgeview middle school too.

My child's diagnostic has been confirmed by an MCPS psychologist. I suppose it's good reason to change school if at Tilden or Ridgeview they have a specific program for children like mine. Isn't it?

You will likely need to show that your child's needs are not being met at JW. I would keep a folder of projects and a record of any concerns you have. The goal is the least restrictive environment. If your child is succeeded at his home school, they will not want to move him (and succeeding only means accessing the curriculum not that he is getting high grades)

[Khamy]

Anonymous wrote:
Cher(e) compatriote,

You have to find more info on how to enter that program, by contacting the special education division of MCPS - look on their website.

I have a child in a different special needs program (GT/LD, or gifted, talented and learning disabled), and our IEP team approved of the switch, based on a private neuropsychological evaluation we had done and his behavior at school. In our case, our home address doesn't matter - my child is bused to the right school on a special needs bus.

If your child is high-functioning and capable, perhaps they might also do well in the GT/LD program. We are at North Bethesda (same cluster as Tilden), but depending on your home address, your child might be placed in the other GT/LD program up north.

Yes at Tilden and Ridgeview MS they have an aspergers program.

My child's aspergers has been confirmed by a private psychologist and by an MCPS psychologist.

Someone contacted me she works with middle school aspergers program. She said we might be assigned to Ridgeview. I'll double check with her because Tilden is 6.7 miles and Ridgeview 7 miles.

Thanks for your help!

[Khamy]

Anonymous wrote:As a first step, you may want to request a tour of the Aspergers program at Tilden. It is for students who have struggled with regular placement and need more help. There’s a wide range of abilities among students with Aspergers and the Aspergers program may or may not be a good fit for your ds. You’ll probably find more people who are knowledgeable about it on the Kids with Special Needs board.

Yes you're right. I'll make a tour but I feel this program will be more appropriate for him.

He's struggling more and more academically and he's often in trouble with his peers and teachers because of his social interactions difficulties.