Recommend a school for 2e 11 yo DD

[Anonymous]

Very advanced academic DD struggles with social skills and group work. ADHD diagnosis … no ASD diagnosis as of now, but definitely see social issues and some low frustration tolerance (which manifests as moodiness when it strikes). Pretty far ahead in math (also reads incessantly and loves science and robotics). Anyway - current private frustrated by the issues w peers and group work. We’ve visited some of the special needs schools in the past, but none of them could meet her academic need. Willing to consider off the beaten path schools, willing to drive, just want to find a place that accepts her (and her struggle w group work and occasional irritability) while we continue to help her grow w therapy etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very advanced academic DD struggles with social skills and group work. ADHD diagnosis … no ASD diagnosis as of now, but definitely see social issues and some low frustration tolerance (which manifests as moodiness when it strikes). Pretty far ahead in math (also reads incessantly and loves science and robotics). Anyway - current private frustrated by the issues w peers and group work. We’ve visited some of the special needs schools in the past, but none of them could meet her academic need. Willing to consider off the beaten path schools, willing to drive, just want to find a place that accepts her (and her struggle w group work and occasional irritability) while we continue to help her grow w therapy etc.

Does she take medication? Can you give an example of the issues with peers and group work?

[Anonymous]

How about Fusion? They can meet her academically where she’s at and the individual instruction will minimize her need for group work. There is still socializing, but not to the extent of other schools.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if someplace like Nysmith or Feynman would work? It sounds like she does have some challenges with socials skills, which you are working to address, but I wonder if she'd do better in group work with peers who are academically/intellectually at her level? Is she very high IQ? Those at the highest end of the IQ spectrum often do seem to struggle a bit socially.

[Anonymous]

OP here - yes medication! We’ve tried a lot but I think the current ones are solid. Examples: science fair is going awry - my kid doesn’t want to move at the pace of someone else. She just wants to do an amazing project so the other kid is upset and complaining that my DD isn’t letting her participate. I do think things have improved a lot over the years - it used to be way worse. She’s a good team player on sports teams and non graded group activities. She is struggling to keep up socially though - the upper elementary girl years are a challenge for her.
We toured fusion! Liked it a lot - wanted to consider a few options …I also know she’d be sad about the less social side of it, but we can supplement and she does have sports friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if someplace like Nysmith or Feynman would work? It sounds like she does have some challenges with socials skills, which you are working to address, but I wonder if she'd do better in group work with peers who are academically/intellectually at her level? Is she very high IQ? Those at the highest end of the IQ spectrum often do seem to struggle a bit socially.

She’s very high IQ. Someone else recommended Feynman. We might go take a look. Nysmith maybe too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if someplace like Nysmith or Feynman would work? It sounds like she does have some challenges with socials skills, which you are working to address, but I wonder if she'd do better in group work with peers who are academically/intellectually at her level? Is she very high IQ? Those at the highest end of the IQ spectrum often do seem to struggle a bit socially.

She’s very high IQ. Someone else recommended Feynman. We might go take a look. Nysmith maybe too.

Might also be worth exploring the gifted or a magnet program at your local public. Based on your other post and her doing well working as a teammate in sports and other non-academic area- it really does sound like she might do better at school with other highly-gifted kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if someplace like Nysmith or Feynman would work? It sounds like she does have some challenges with socials skills, which you are working to address, but I wonder if she'd do better in group work with peers who are academically/intellectually at her level? Is she very high IQ? Those at the highest end of the IQ spectrum often do seem to struggle a bit socially.

She’s very high IQ. Someone else recommended Feynman. We might go take a look. Nysmith maybe too.

Might also be worth exploring the gifted or a magnet program at your local public. Based on your other post and her doing well working as a teammate in sports and other non-academic area- it really does sound like she might do better at school with other highly-gifted kids.

+1 sounds like she’s bored and/or feels like the other kids are dragging her down. She needs more challenge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if someplace like Nysmith or Feynman would work? It sounds like she does have some challenges with socials skills, which you are working to address, but I wonder if she'd do better in group work with peers who are academically/intellectually at her level? Is she very high IQ? Those at the highest end of the IQ spectrum often do seem to struggle a bit socially.

She’s very high IQ. Someone else recommended Feynman. We might go take a look. Nysmith maybe too.

Might also be worth exploring the gifted or a magnet program at your local public. Based on your other post and her doing well working as a teammate in sports and other non-academic area- it really does sound like she might do better at school with other highly-gifted kids.

+1 sounds like she’s bored and/or feels like the other kids are dragging her down. She needs more challenge.

OP here - yes, but honestly we’ve done gifted programs in the summer and she does get frustrated with group work with them too - she is good in sports, but when there is a big project, presentation, etc she can be difficult -

[Anonymous]

My son was similar. It's tough honestly and I'm not sure there is a good fit. He did a private K-8, which worked but wasn't perfect, and then public HS, which also worked but wasn't perfect. Some of his impatience/unhappiness with group work got worse rather than better in HS, but teachers let him work alone. The downside of that was that it increased the amount of work he had to do (an entire project instead of 1/3) and combined with slow processing and perfectionism and being over-ambitious, set him up for a lot of stress. Sometimes he overshoots and then fails to turn the work in at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if someplace like Nysmith or Feynman would work? It sounds like she does have some challenges with socials skills, which you are working to address, but I wonder if she'd do better in group work with peers who are academically/intellectually at her level? Is she very high IQ? Those at the highest end of the IQ spectrum often do seem to struggle a bit socially.

She’s very high IQ. Someone else recommended Feynman. We might go take a look. Nysmith maybe too.

Might also be worth exploring the gifted or a magnet program at your local public. Based on your other post and her doing well working as a teammate in sports and other non-academic area- it really does sound like she might do better at school with other highly-gifted kids.

Just chiming in as a parent whose child has a low frustration threshold for group work and attends a public school magnet. There is so much more group work at the magnet than at our home school. Even highly gifted kids can be lazy, or procrastinate, or just decide to slack on a particularly project. Or, honestly, just have a different vision for how the project should go. So, while I think overall the magnet programs are often a great fit and parents should consider them alongside private schools, OP should go in with their eyes open about that element of the program.

[Anonymous]

Nysmith. Best decision I ever made.

[Anonymous]

BASIS DC

[Anonymous]

Commonwealth Academy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS DC

There is very little if any group work at BASIS DC. Most work is independent. It sounds like it would be a perfect fit for your kid. If you are in DC, it’s not that hard to lottery into it. Not sure but guessing BASIS Mclean is probably similar.