Is GDS a fit for a very bright kid with some exec functioning challenges?

[Anonymous]

Our DS is currently in 4th grade and very bright - high IQ, reading well beyond grade level, has an uncanny memory, lots of strengths. He has challenges with some aspects of executive functioning - for example, can take longer to organize his thinking or complete assignments. But teachers describe his challenges in this regard as still in a normal range, and neuro psych testing has not surfaced major concerns -- though did affirm what we experience IRL in terms of high intelligence but relatively lower performance re: exec functioning.

On the surface, it seems GDS would be a great fit for a child like this. Our sense is the school would challenge him academically but still embrace the whole child.

Do kids like this do well at GDS? Are adequate supports and flexibilities in place?

And do they get admitted to GDS? Based on how GDS talks about itself, its commitment to inclusion, etc, I would think so - but not sure what happens in reality.

And beyond GDS, are there other DC-area independent schools that would be a great fit our DS in middle school and high school?

[Anonymous]

Maybe lower or middle school would be OK, but I wouldn't recommend GDS high school for a kid with executive functioning challenge. Perhaps more than most other schools, you really have to be a self starter in the high school. The block schedule, the free period, and the open campus can make it hard for those without strong executive functioning. Forgetfulness does not bode well in general. There is absolutely zero hand-holding. My kid really had to adjust.

[Anonymous]

My GDS high schooler has late-diagnosed ADHD and executive functioning challenges. MS was ok. HS has been doable but tough and highly stressful for all the reasons 15:29 laid out. There is not much scaffolding and kids are expected to self-advocate. We would've sent DC to a different school, but we didn't realize they had ADHD until they were already integrated into the school and by that time DC refused to leave their friends.

[Anonymous]

How about Field?

[Anonymous]

There are kids with adhd who are self starters who actually do better in a setting like GDS, with more freedom, than at a school with lots of scaffolding. My adhd kid hates the scaffolding his school provides but does amazingly when given a little more freedom.

[Anonymous]

A 4th grader with challenges with executive function that are well within the normal range could easily develop adequate executive function by the time they are expected to be more independent in high school. If he likes learning, he could be a great fit for GDS.

-Parent of ADHD kid in GDS HS

[Anonymous]

Consider an EF coach to start the year if funds allow? Hopefully with a plan to fade out the support. Starting with the support given the neuropsych results is better than waiting for him to struggle and be scrambling.

[Anonymous]

EF challenges during GDS MS can be managed (and supported externally). At the upper school level a student will struggle at GDS. They offer no scaffolding, have hours of homework and the school environment can be described as chaotic. This is not the environment that most bright ADHD students thrive in. OP pick the environment that your adolescent needs to thrive. Set your ego aside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:EF challenges during GDS MS can be managed (and supported externally). At the upper school level a student will struggle at GDS. They offer no scaffolding, have hours of homework and the school environment can be described as chaotic. This is not the environment that most bright ADHD students thrive in. OP pick the environment that your adolescent needs to thrive. Set your ego aside.

But OP has a 4th grader, not an adolescent, whose EF skills have been assessed to be average. Ruling out a school for such a kid based on EF demands in HS is nuts.

[Anonymous]

Agree you have to be a self-starter at the high school, not sure right fit but call admin

[Anonymous]

You could apply and see. GDS won’t accept a child if they think they cannot handle the work.

[Anonymous]

EF is strongly needed for GDS.

[Anonymous]

No, try someplace more attuned to SN such as Burke, Field or The Lab School.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could apply and see. GDS won’t accept a child if they think they cannot handle the work.

Yes and no. A variety of factors are looked at during the admissions process (legacy, siblings, donations as well as academics and extracurriculars). Many kids are also hypothetically capable of “doing the work” but whether the environment ends up supporting that is nuanced. We certainly know of students who were admitted in earlier grades with EF challenges who have been asked by GDS to complete neuropsychs and then start stimulants when classroom modifications didn’t help.

This is not meant to be a commentary on GDS, but it’s important to acknowledge that kids leave GDS (as well as other schools) because there isn’t alignment academically. They may end up using a variety of modifications to access the curriculum, which parents may not anticipate prior to enrollment.

Progressive schools can be harder for kids without strong EF because rules and expectations are implicit instead of being explicit, which is the case at more traditional schools. For a child without strong EF, bandwidth is then being used to navigate expectations and rules instead of on other tasks requiring EF.

[Anonymous]

A few years ago, a kid I know was rejected from GDS with that profile. Their parents were surprised, as they too thought it was a good fit. The kid ended up at Sidwell, which I would argue is a better school academically

Separately, I happen to know that some people in admin at GDS are not honest folk. A friend of mine interviewed for a job there, and introduced new ideas for a special project they were interested in. They did not hire her, but they sure did implement her ideas!