Where to send a kid with Profound Dyslexia? Rejected everywhere.

[Anonymous]

I’m getting very concerned and would appreciate suggestions on school options. Almost desperate. DC who will be a rising 6th grader has a diagnosis for profound double deficit dyslexia. Just got rejected from Oakwood and Siena bc they are more than two years behind. We can’t afford Lab School, and on a school tour of KTS the director agreed their program was “too restrictive” for DC. We are stuck. We cannot send DC to our public middle school due to environment (extreme and frequent bullying and knife fight last week) and subpar special ed experience with a sibling. Homeschool isn’t an option bc DH and I both work full time.

Where do these kids go? Cognitively “normal” and socially fine, but profoundly learning disabled. Putting DC in public will destroy them, but we have no choice at this point. Help!

[Anonymous]

I don't know if this would work but maybe try St Bernadette?

Holy Spirit I think had an ASDEC-trained person on staff at one point, but their website says they take mild or moderate dyslexia so that may not work either.

[Anonymous]

Chelsea and Jemicy can accept kids who are more below grade level than Siena can.

[Anonymous]

This absolutely sucks, but I think you only have bad choices right now, so it may be a matter of figuring out which bad option you can swallow.

1) Find the money for Lab School even if it means asking family for help, taking on a weekend job, or dipping into retirement or a 529.

2) Home school and deal with the loss of income.

3) Enroll in public and make yourself an enormous pain their ass until they agree that they can't meet his needs and help fund something that will work.

4) Move someplace known for special education and roll the dice that they have better resources.

[Anonymous]

One of my kids with multiple special needs spent K-12 in MCPS on an IEP (apart from a short stint in private), and we were happy with his services and accommodations. However, he did not have dyslexia. Also, we moved to Bethesda from a problematic school district, because we'd heard the schools were better at dealing with SN and also generally more able to focus on such needs instead of student hunger, physical safety, etc, since the neighborhood is wealthier. He was still bullied in elementary, but the school was very responsive and it stopped rapidly. There were still a few fights, but he was not part of them.

Can you move inbounds to a different public school that has a better reputation? We reasoned it was worth it, to invest our money in more expensive real estate instead of "consuming" it on private school... even if we could have found a private we liked (we never did).

Dyslexia seems to be the only learning disability that schools don't readily cater to, for some unfathomable reason, which is incredibly irritating! So your child needs intensive OG tutoring regardless of where he's educated. I suppose he's doing that right now? So a mix of public plus expensive and frequent OG tutoring might be a better use of your resources than trying to find a unicorn private school. DS had multiple therapies that happened every week, and then on days we didn't have them, I copied what happened in those sessions at home with him. It was the most rapid way to overcome his delays, both physical, behavioral, and academic. A ton of hard work on both our parts, but that way I leveraged the cost of therapies, coaching and tutoring in a really optimal way.

Best of luck, OP.

[Anonymous]

isn't there a school like OP is looking for around sterling? forgot the name. Sounds like your child needs a private. Some do offer financial aid, so that's worth exploring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my kids with multiple special needs spent K-12 in MCPS on an IEP (apart from a short stint in private), and we were happy with his services and accommodations. However, he did not have dyslexia. Also, we moved to Bethesda from a problematic school district, because we'd heard the schools were better at dealing with SN and also generally more able to focus on such needs instead of student hunger, physical safety, etc, since the neighborhood is wealthier. He was still bullied in elementary, but the school was very responsive and it stopped rapidly. There were still a few fights, but he was not part of them.

Can you move inbounds to a different public school that has a better reputation? We reasoned it was worth it, to invest our money in more expensive real estate instead of "consuming" it on private school... even if we could have found a private we liked (we never did).

Dyslexia seems to be the only learning disability that schools don't readily cater to, for some unfathomable reason, which is incredibly irritating! So your child needs intensive OG tutoring regardless of where he's educated. I suppose he's doing that right now? So a mix of public plus expensive and frequent OG tutoring might be a better use of your resources than trying to find a unicorn private school. DS had multiple therapies that happened every week, and then on days we didn't have them, I copied what happened in those sessions at home with him. It was the most rapid way to overcome his delays, both physical, behavioral, and academic. A ton of hard work on both our parts, but that way I leveraged the cost of therapies, coaching and tutoring in a really optimal way.

Best of luck, OP.

I agree with this. I’d invest in therapies and tutoring that will help him catch up rather than spending on sn school that may not accomplish that. And real estate for better public as the floor.

[Anonymous]

If you have a DD, try Holy Child?

What about looking into Ortho Gillingham tutoring from now until the fall? Yes, it is pricey, but I know two girls who were in this exact same situation at the end of 5th grade and had fabulous results.

[Anonymous]

PP here, sorry, Orton Gillingham.

Kids I know who had success were tutored at Lindamood Bell in DC.

[Anonymous]

Summit

[Anonymous]

OP have they already done dyslexia remediation privately?

[Anonymous]

Summit school
Glenwood Academy

[Anonymous]

Spend the summer remediating with LMB 5 hrs a day, 5 days a week for 3 months. It will make a difference.

[Anonymous]

I’d immediately start him in intensive OG tutoring after school. And as much OG as possible over the summer-there are some OG sleep away camps you can look into. Keep him in public and put all your money towards private tutoring.

[Anonymous]

There are plenty of publics in this area that will be well-equipped to help. Move to one of those districts. And tutoring!