Is any of the Big 3 (plus Potomac) might be a good fit for my high-functioning autistic child?
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Anonymous
| My DS has high functioning autism. He's smart, excels in reading and math, enjoy a few sports, has a few close friends, and interact well with his peers. Unless you spend some time with him (and you would discover he is a little socially awkward), it's unlikely you would even realize that he is a child with high-functioning autism. All his teachers said he works very hard. He's in 2nd grade now at a small private school and we're exploring 3rd grade options for him. Looking at Sidwell (already had our parent interview which went really well, went to all events, talked to everyone we met), GDS, and we're also considering Potomac (although we are aware that Potomac's 3rd grade is not an entry year). We believe that academically, he would thrive at any of these schools. The question we grapple with is whether we should disclose his autism diagnosis during the admission process and if Big 3 and Potomac would consider students that have high functioning autism. Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated. |
Anonymous
| OMG just say the names of the schools you are interested in |
Anonymous
| Doesn't the application say that you need to disclose previous evaluations? |
Anonymous
|
My NT child is at GDS. It wouldn't work for my autistic child because he needs more academic support than gds can provide, but I know there are autistic children at the school. What support does your child need? I would be very open with the school because being somewhere that can't support your child doesn't benefit anyone.
(Also a warning: my child appeared very academically capable in early ES when learning is concrete and fact based. By MS, he couldn't keep up because of the abstract thinking and writing demands that were required.) |
Anonymous
That seems pretty illegal. |
Anonymous
It's a private school. What law do you think is broken? |
Anonymous
| What's your home school? In many cases the public school can be better for handling kids with special needs because they have to do it and have multiple programs. I have been happy with Arlington Public Schools. At the privates they don't have to deal with it if it's not working for you and they just counsel you out. |
Anonymous
Prefacing offering a service on knowledge of medical history? The ADA for one |
Anonymous
| Every application we've filled out has a place to put these types of things. If you want support from the schools, state that he has autism and say it like it is. If your goal is to get him into Name Brand School, then don't disclose this, as it very well may go against him. For sure all of these schools have autistic kids. They admit them in K or earlier and the diagnosis comes later. These kids will naturally get more resources as it is in the school's interest to serve families that have been there for a while. |
Anonymous
What? You cannot be serious. |
Anonymous
I'd love to know your theory for this one. Can't wait for the back pedaling to begin. |
Anonymous
| I think you should just be honest in the process and talk to the schools about it. I'm betting all the schools you're targeting have students on the autism spectrum, but what you should be looking for is a school that could accommodate anything your child might need for supports. |
Anonymous
| Potomac parent. OP sounds like your son would fit in. The kids all have their eccentricities. No I would not disclose unless you needed an accommodation and it doesn’t sound like you need on. |
Anonymous
| Private schools have no legal obligation to provide services or accommodations. By not bringing it up you have no idea if they are or are not supportive. Usually they are not supportive. |
Anonymous
The ADA doesn't apply to private schools unfortunately |