Swanson middle school - APS

[Anonymous]

Hello parents, despite major struggles in elementary school, my child just was found eligible for an IEP. He will need support for executive functioning /ADHD, major anxiety, HFA, history of school refusal etc.

I am grateful that we secured the IEP, and I am petrified that he will struggle in a large public middle school. Any parents have experience with the Swanson administration regarding special education services? Any words of wisdom for a child with many major executive functioning and anxiety issues? Are there particular staff you would recommend, or recommend staying away from?

Thank you,
Frightened parent

[Anonymous]

We have a kid with fairly similar diagnoses, who has done well at a different APS middle school. I was also extremely worried but middle school was actually better than our elementary school. I didn’t realize how much my kid felt labeled as the bad/weird/stupid kid and how it was affecting how others treated him. Getting a fresh start was great.

Before school started, we reached out to the counselor and met with him and the grade-level assistant principal and my kid had a tour of the school and saw his classrooms etc. we also sent an email to his teachers introducing him, highlighting some of the best ways to work with him (like don’t ask him to read out loud if he’s not volunteering) and emphasized we were always willing to follow up as t home with things.

The school was supportive, but he still struggled with avoiding work and getting along with teachers. We reached out to the Autism Specialist who covered our school and she suggested the Secondary Program for Students with Autism. Switching to that was really helpful- I have heard great things about the staff at both middle schools with the program. The best part is that there is are a couple of staff members that my kid knows well and can go to (or be called in) if there is an issue. Switching middle schools for the program was really helpful as well because it really got him away from some of the toxic relationships from elementary school.

Also, we got good advice for navigating APS with mental health issues from the NAMI parent support group. Good luck!