Moving to DC from NYC

[Anonymous]

We are looking at the possibly of moving to DC from NYC for a job opportunity. We are very familiar with DC, but have zero experience navigating the school system there, especially for kids with learning challenges. Our three year old son is autistic and is in an inclusion pre-K class in a public school, where he could continue on in ICT classes all the way up. NYC just seems to have really good systems in place and lots of options for autistic kids. Is DC similar or is it more limited in these types of classrooms? For those of you who have experience with NYC and DC, are there any programs like ASD Nest or schools like the Children's School? And if so, which parts of DC are they in? Are there after school programs that are inclusive? Overall does it feel like a supportive place to be neurodivergent?

Any and all advice welcome!

[Anonymous]

Just like NYC, location is key. Where in DC you want to live depends a lot on commute and budget. That being said, I think Montgomery County offers the most ASD resources.

For pre-K, there are autism preschool classes. In K, there are Austim classrooms or Learning Centers. Starting in 1st, there is an Aspergers program. There is also a Social/Emotional program. There is some overlap between the services of the programs and you would get a chance to talk with the program coordinators and tour the schools. All of these programs are open to students that live in the county and it doesn't matter where they live--meaning you don't have to live within the school boundaries to access these programs. But placement does come through the IEP.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xnN_1KhKgrnNU5dKLSP3EQOOJWUlXF1k/view

On a private level, in Mont Cty, there is Ivy Mount and Katherine Thomas. There are other private options as well--it all just depends on the specific profile of your kid.

[Anonymous]

To add on - knowing your child's needs, I would NOT consider DC Public Schools. The programs are hit or miss and changed based on random things. Montgomery County have longer established quality programs.

[Anonymous]

There are lots of types of classrooms in DCPS including inclusion, OP, but please, please save yourself the trouble. DCPS is a mess. Been there, done that.

If you have ANY money to pay for private school, I'd go that route. (I wish we had, years earlier)

[Anonymous]

Thanks, this is all very helpful. If we need to be in DC, which private schools should we look at for K-6 that have inclusion programs and/or are welcoming of kids with IEPs? My son is showing signs of being very smart academically but has a lot of trouble with focus (too young to truly diagnose if he has ADHD as well). Then again he's only three... No behavior issues at this point and he's pretty good verbally. He just needs a little extra time to process and is a little slow to pick up on routines and has a hard time doing things he's not interested in. I don't know if this would qualify for general ed or more like an ICT or special class in DC.

[Anonymous]

Stay in NYC. There are many many more choices there for kids with ASD. Our options here are limited.

[Anonymous]

I think your best bet would be Fairfax or Montgomery county public schools. Definitely not DC Public Schools. I’m not aware of any private schools that can meet your needs.

[Anonymous]

If you want private for your child's profile I would try Maddux