Urgent: Carderock Springs Elementary and Autism Support

[Anonymous]

Hi, wonderful parents, I have an urgent question and could really use your advice. We recently saw a house in the Carderock Springs area, and we absolutely love both the house and the neighborhood. However, we have a son with ASD and finding a school with a strong autism program is a top priority for us. He is 6 years old and in kindergarten. He is verbal but still needs speech therapy, and his academic level is about a year behind. That said, he thrives in a supportive and nurturing environment. We should put our offer in the next couple of days. If anyone has experience with the special needs programs at Carderock Springs or any insights into how they support children with autism, I’d greatly appreciate it. I also have a 3rd grader, and I’ve heard that Montgomery County Public Schools, in general, are highly regarded. Thank you so much for any advice or information you can share!

[Anonymous]

If you think your child is going to need an actual autism program, he will be bussed to the appropriate school and it doesn't matter where you live. What's on his IEP now?

[Anonymous]

I'm a SPED advocate in MoCo and support students in a variety of programs. I absolutely, unequivocally LOVE the K/1 teacher Maddy Pease at Carderock Springs Elementary School. She works in the autism program and is absolutely fantastic. A true, passionate special educator who cares so deeply about the kids and their success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you think your child is going to need an actual autism program, he will be bussed to the appropriate school and it doesn't matter where you live. What's on his IEP now?

It does matter because the special bus has multiple stops and it means the kid has to get up way earlier. Maybe not meaningful to you now if your young kid likes to wake up early and elementary starts late, but an absolute nightmare when said kid is in middle or high school and has to wake up at 5:30am. BTDT. If the child needs a special program, the closer it is to your home the better.

[Anonymous]

Having a short commute to the school problem is nice. But you will still have to get an IEP and be placed in the autism program. Just because you are attending your home school and your home school has the program you need doesn’t mean your child will be placed in the program. You will still have to qualify like anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi, wonderful parents, I have an urgent question and could really use your advice. We recently saw a house in the Carderock Springs area, and we absolutely love both the house and the neighborhood. However, we have a son with ASD and finding a school with a strong autism program is a top priority for us. He is 6 years old and in kindergarten. He is verbal but still needs speech therapy, and his academic level is about a year behind. That said, he thrives in a supportive and nurturing environment. We should put our offer in the next couple of days. If anyone has experience with the special needs programs at Carderock Springs or any insights into how they support children with autism, I’d greatly appreciate it. I also have a 3rd grader, and I’ve heard that Montgomery County Public Schools, in general, are highly regarded. Thank you so much for any advice or information you can share!

Previous posters are correct that if you live in one neighborhood but the IEP dictates a different placement, your child can be bussed to the other placement. However, autism programs are all currently certificate programs and students who attend the autism programs are not seeking a HS diploma. I know high school is a long way off but that's the decision that is made year after year when considering programs/placement. If your child is only one year behind I'm not certain I would want to remove him from the opportunity to work towards a diploma at this time. Check out xminds.org for program descriptions. Maybe he needs a ton of support in his home school and or maybe he needs a slightly smaller setting like a Learning Center.

[Anonymous]

My ADHD/HFA son was at Bethesda Elementary, which has no special programs but is known to be SN-friendly. He was more than a year behind at 5. He repeated Kindergarten, had private speech and physical therapy and I worked with him at home on basic reading and math, and general autism-friendly narration and explanations of his world. He was given an IEP in MCPS immediately with lots of pull-outs, a scribe (because he had dysgraphia and low processing speed, so he couldn't write much in the time imparted), and in-school group speech therapy.

But then reading became his area of hyperfocus, and he got very good at it very quickly. The math we did at home started to stick. He got so bored academically that they let him skip first grade and go directly to second (a rare occurence), ie, back with his peers. He still had accommodations, with an IEP, then a 504 plan: extended time on tests and to hand in assignments, because of low processing speed, use of a calculator because of his dyscalculia (for a few years, then he didn't need it), and a typing accommodation for the dysgraphia. I did teach him handwriting at home every year of elementary. He was medicated for the ADHD before middle school, and his grades shot up as a result.

So just keep in mind that your child's needs now do not reflect his future needs, and he might surprise you! Early intervention on all weak points is key.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My ADHD/HFA son was at Bethesda Elementary, which has no special programs but is known to be SN-friendly. He was more than a year behind at 5. He repeated Kindergarten, had private speech and physical therapy and I worked with him at home on basic reading and math, and general autism-friendly narration and explanations of his world. He was given an IEP in MCPS immediately with lots of pull-outs, a scribe (because he had dysgraphia and low processing speed, so he couldn't write much in the time imparted), and in-school group speech therapy.

But then reading became his area of hyperfocus, and he got very good at it very quickly. The math we did at home started to stick. He got so bored academically that they let him skip first grade and go directly to second (a rare occurence), ie, back with his peers. He still had accommodations, with an IEP, then a 504 plan: extended time on tests and to hand in assignments, because of low processing speed, use of a calculator because of his dyscalculia (for a few years, then he didn't need it), and a typing accommodation for the dysgraphia. I did teach him handwriting at home every year of elementary. He was medicated for the ADHD before middle school, and his grades shot up as a result.

So just keep in mind that your child's needs now do not reflect his future needs, and he might surprise you! Early intervention on all weak points is key.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and for the wealth of information you've provided. It’s inspiring to hear about your son’s journey and how his strengths and needs evolved over time. It’s a great reminder that early interventions and tailored supports can make such a difference, and how progress can sometimes exceed expectations in surprising ways.

Your dedication, both through the school system and at home, is commendable, and it’s encouraging to see how those efforts paid off—especially with his hyperfocus on reading and his academic growth. Your insights about accommodations, IEPs, and evolving needs provide so much hope and practical guidance for others navigating similar paths.

Thank you again for taking the time to share this—it’s truly appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Previous posters are correct that if you live in one neighborhood but the IEP dictates a different placement, your child can be bussed to the other placement. However, autism programs are all currently certificate programs and students who attend the autism programs are not seeking a HS diploma. I know high school is a long way off but that's the decision that is made year after year when considering programs/placement. If your child is only one year behind I'm not certain I would want to remove him from the opportunity to work towards a diploma at this time. Check out xminds.org for program descriptions. Maybe he needs a ton of support in his home school and or maybe he needs a slightly smaller setting like a Learning Center.

It is 100% not true that all autism programs in MCPS are certificate programs and students in the programs are not seeking a HS diploma. Says parent of a HS student in the Autism Connections program (f/k/a the Aspergers program). There is a range of programs, OP -- good luck with your research.

[Anonymous]

OP,

I second the xminds site for information.

Also, here is their program locator tool.

https://xminds.org/placements

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Previous posters are correct that if you live in one neighborhood but the IEP dictates a different placement, your child can be bussed to the other placement. However, autism programs are all currently certificate programs and students who attend the autism programs are not seeking a HS diploma. I know high school is a long way off but that's the decision that is made year after year when considering programs/placement. If your child is only one year behind I'm not certain I would want to remove him from the opportunity to work towards a diploma at this time. Check out xminds.org for program descriptions. Maybe he needs a ton of support in his home school and or maybe he needs a slightly smaller setting like a Learning Center.

It is 100% not true that all autism programs in MCPS are certificate programs and students in the programs are not seeking a HS diploma. Says parent of a HS student in the Autism Connections program (f/k/a the Aspergers program). There is a range of programs, OP -- good luck with your research.

Good catch! I’m the PP who said all autism programs are certificate and I was referring to the “classic autism” programs since that is what Carderock Springs has. You are correct that Connections programs are diploma programs and there are other services available for diploma seeking students. I’m sorry for not being more clear and glad you pointed out the error!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a SPED advocate in MoCo and support students in a variety of programs. I absolutely, unequivocally LOVE the K/1 teacher Maddy Pease at Carderock Springs Elementary School. She works in the autism program and is absolutely fantastic. A true, passionate special educator who cares so deeply about the kids and their success.

I really hope you're not an actual paid advocate. Naming a specific MCPS classroom teacher and school and reviewing her performance anonymously like this on a site like DCUM is so incredibly unprofessional and gross for someone in your position, no matter that it's positive. The teacher has no ability to decline to work with you and has to tolerate you knowing that you go online, give identifiable information about her, and blather publicly about her job performance behind her back for the whole internet to dissect her. Absolutely appalling.