Anyone with a twice exceptiona kid (gifted + LD) who can recommend a school that "gets it"

[Anonymous]

I live in Fairfax County. My 4th grader is gifted (verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning over 99%ile, fantastic reader) but learning disabled (severe dysgraphia, horrible speller, executive dysfunction, visual motor integration disorder, slow processing at the 3%ile). Her current public school placement is not working. She does not qualify for an IEP because achievement test scores are too high, and the teacher has her focus on remedial work, which bores her to tears. She qualifies for Level IV services, but our center school (Willow Springs) discouraged me from sending here there as they said the class sizes would be too large and she would be even less likely to get help.

So, I am open to moving elsewhere if I could find a school that gets twice exceptional. I have also looked at a few private schools, but none of them could meet both her intellectual needs as well as accommodate for her weaknesses.

She is showing a lot of depression and anxiety about school right now, and I really need to get her out of there -- I just don't know where. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it. I am desperate for help. Thanks for listening!

[Anonymous]

I have heard excellent things about both The Lab School in NW DC and The McLean School in Potomac, and I believe that the Kingsbury School in NW DC has a GTLD program. If it is not possible to arrange a commute to any of them perhaps they could point you in the direction of something closer. Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

What about homeschooling her?

[Anonymous]

If she qualifies for Level IV, I assume that means her needs are pretty significant, so you're talking Special Ed schools. McLean probably does not provide enough services. I have known a number of 2E kids who thrived at Lab or Sienna, and I'm hearing that Kingsbury is moving in the right direction for these kids.

I would say that, if she is really anxious and depressed because of school, you may need to shift the focus to meeting her needs and supplement the gifts outside of school. CTY summer programs can be good for 2E kids, and really boost self-esteem.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for your responses. I was hoping to hear about a public GT center in Fairfax that "gets it," but maybe there are none...

As far as private, the tuition would be a huge stretch for us and I have no idea how "poor" one has to be to qualify for tuition assistance. And although Kingsbury, Lab, and McLean look like great possibilities, I don't think I could handle that kind of commute twice a day.

Homeschooling is the default option, and I don't know how I could manage that one either.

I am curious about the CTY classes during the summer. I didn't know they were good for 2e kids - I thought they were more geared toward "regular" gifted. Do you have personal experience?

Does anyone know of any 2E parent groups or discussion boards in Fairfax?

[Anonymous]

You might speak with the folks at McLean School or Lab School - to see what they have to offer. You might learn something about what is out there, even if you believe you can't afford it.

As for CTY, I know they often "test" 2e kids in their Baltimore offices, and they can perhaps advise you re courses even if they don't test. However, our experience with online courses is that it really depends on the child - can they learn online? (My kids can; I cannot.) The summer in-person classes, well, I 'd think it would depend on the teacher and other students. We did one of these a few years ago in Va and were not too impressed.

[Anonymous]

I would try the GT center -- seriously. My child id not officially diagnosed 2E, but I think she is. the center she is in seems to do a good job of tailoring to the needs of each child. It's a different GT center, but maybe yours is better than you think.

[Anonymous]

I would absolutely try the center. We were discouraged from sending my DD to our center last year (for third grade), but we moved her there this year for 4th. Seriously, it is like night and day for her. The teachers at our base school did NOT get her and they just DO at the center. My DD is also very high WISC %tile, has executive function issues and anxiety (she has a 504). But the anxiety is very much mitigated by being at the center and with teachers and peers who really get her and where she fits in.

[Anonymous]

Oh PP here again. We did CTY last summer. She loved the class and the teacher, but she did NOT love the homework. For a kid with executive function issues it was a lot of work for her and by the end of the school year, she really needed her down time. She liked the reading and the class itself, but there was a LOT of writing at night. She took the Ancient World class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh PP here again. We did CTY last summer. She loved the class and the teacher, but she did NOT love the homework. For a kid with executive function issues it was a lot of work for her and by the end of the school year, she really needed her down time. She liked the reading and the class itself, but there was a LOT of writing at night. She took the Ancient World class.

I'm the PP who suggested CTY. My ADD/disexecutive/dysgraphic DS did Ancient Worlds as well as Journeys and Explorations, and enjoyed both. I let him dictate the writing to me, and read some of the reading aloud - it's not school, after all. I've heard from older kids that CTY is more generous with accommodations than regular school as well.

[Anonymous]

PP, 20:50 here again. Were you at SSSA or Sandy Spring? Her instructor at Sandy Spring did not even like her doing her homework in before and after care, so maybe he was just a bit over the top.

[Anonymous]

OP here -- for those who have had good experiences with your GT center, can you tell me which one?

[Anonymous]

OP -- have yuou considered consulting with a professional advocate such as Rich Weinfeld?

http://www.weinfeldeducationgroup.com/gifted-talented.html

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you need a lawyer. It is not enough to say to an LD kid that because they are on grade level, they are not entitled to services. She is still entitled. I second the advocate recommendation to help you write the correct IEP and then a lawyer if they don't deliver.

[Anonymous]

My 4th grader sounds very similar to your 4th grader and we are very, very pleased with the experience at our GT Center. We changed from our base school to the GT Center in 3rd grade and we have nothing but great things to say about the teachers as well as the counselors. (We have a 504 vs. an IEP.)