Do you have to share ASD diagnosis when applying to GDS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are fooling yourself if you think that your child’s current teachers and future teachers won’t know this one way or the other. If it was present enough for you to receive a diagnosis, they notice as well. Teachers see this every day in all schools. Keeping these types of things secret,

A) long term will hurt your child
B) shows a lack of trust in the institution
C) communicates your own shame in this learning difference to the child and others.

I know you worry that people will think less of your child’s abilities but your child is just fine and these diagnoses are just that. They are information that doesn’t negate your child’s individuality or potential. Sharing a diagnosis helps the school and teachers understand what your child needs to learn best, even if you think they don’t need accommodations now. Please talk to a therapist about your own fears here and be honest with the school no matter where you end up. Your child deserves it.

No, that’s not what I’m worried about. My worry is that he could be automatically rejected in a couple of years when we apply, even if he does not need accomodations. Of course, I will look for the best fit for my child. But if I believe GDS is the best fit, would disclosing this information be an automatic « no »?
We have an older child attending the school.

So wait you won’t apply for several years?

Then how do you know by then if he will need accommodations?

Are you more worried about having to give up your vision of private school ?
Or is it that you believe a smaller environment will make all the difference ? It doesn’t btw and many parents fool themselves with this idea. Small, nurturing environment = a fix
It’s not the case and the small nurturing environment is perfect for above average NT kids and is first and foremost meant to meet those needs.

[Anonymous]

How old is your child? If young, it's very possible that they may need accommodations in the future as social dynamics and academics get more difficult. And if you then need to ask for accommodations but didn't disclose, you'd have a problem.

But as a parent of an autistic child, I don't understand how they could qualify for a diagnosis when any manifestation is invisible and they don't need anything.

[Anonymous]

I would re-ask this question closer to when your child is applying. I don't think you have to disclose but you'll know in a few years whether you will want to disclose. It could be a big part of your child's identity or it could not be and children change so fast that you can't make that decision now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a child at a highly regarded charter that was dx the summer after middle school…which was 2 years after starting at that school.

The ASD symptoms were very subtle and when they were noticed by 1-2 teachers, they just assumed it was quirkiness (per the report card narrative). There were never any behavior issues, no medication or support was needed and child always excelled academically so we never shared the dx with the school.

What was the point of the evaluation, then? Typically people only go through the trouble & expense if there are challenges, which should be apparent in all settings if it’s actually warranted to give a dx. Autism is not that subtle- it’s not just being “quirky.” It has to cause clinically significant impairment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old is your child? If young, it's very possible that they may need accommodations in the future as social dynamics and academics get more difficult. And if you then need to ask for accommodations but didn't disclose, you'd have a problem.

But as a parent of an autistic child, I don't understand how they could qualify for a diagnosis when any manifestation is invisible and they don't need anything.

This. You just cannot tell. My DS’s needs at 10 are very different than preschool. Better academically and socially than I had hope, but much worse behaviorally. Also he appears more different than he did in preschool - despite the fact that he is very bright and high functioning, he is clearly on the spectrum! So there’s no hiding.

[Anonymous]

We get this DX when trying to see if he needs OT due to his low tone. It was unexpected. I’m actually not sure if it is called a diagnosis when done by early stages. I know that I’ll have to reassess when actually applying to Kindergarten (currently in PK-3). But I was raising a hypothetical question to see what’s GDS approach to this issue. We like the school and we would love to see our both children together at the same school. But of course we are only going to do what’s best for him at the moment and in the long term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had a child at a highly regarded charter that was dx the summer after middle school…which was 2 years after starting at that school.

The ASD symptoms were very subtle and when they were noticed by 1-2 teachers, they just assumed it was quirkiness (per the report card narrative). There were never any behavior issues, no medication or support was needed and child always excelled academically so we never shared the dx with the school.

“Quirky” is teacher-code for “there’s something going on with this kid but it doesn’t rise to the level of problematic disruption of my classroom.” Teachers probably suspect a spectrum issue but don’t feel the need to address it. If you don’t feel the need to disclose and it’s not affecting your child’s education, keep going with the flow.

OP, if there’s any concern that your kid might need accommodations in future, or even just an explanation for overly “quirky” behavior if it gets called out by the teachers, you should disclose in advance. If you are *absolutely certain* your child can pass for neurotypical, maybe it’s worth the gamble of not disclosing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We get this DX when trying to see if he needs OT due to his low tone. It was unexpected. I’m actually not sure if it is called a diagnosis when done by early stages. I know that I’ll have to reassess when actually applying to Kindergarten (currently in PK-3). But I was raising a hypothetical question to see what’s GDS approach to this issue. We like the school and we would love to see our both children together at the same school. But of course we are only going to do what’s best for him at the moment and in the long term.

Gds's approach to the issue of disclosure is the same as every school: they want you to provide all the information you have. But that's the wrong question. What you should be asking is what is gds's approach to students who need X, Y, and Z supports, either now or in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We get this DX when trying to see if he needs OT due to his low tone. It was unexpected. I’m actually not sure if it is called a diagnosis when done by early stages. I know that I’ll have to reassess when actually applying to Kindergarten (currently in PK-3). But I was raising a hypothetical question to see what’s GDS approach to this issue. We like the school and we would love to see our both children together at the same school. But of course we are only going to do what’s best for him at the moment and in the long term.

There is a new parent group at GDS made up of families whose children are neurodiverse. There was information about the group in the last PSA newsletter - you might reach out to them to learn more about how GDS works with kids who have different learning needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We get this DX when trying to see if he needs OT due to his low tone. It was unexpected. I’m actually not sure if it is called a diagnosis when done by early stages. I know that I’ll have to reassess when actually applying to Kindergarten (currently in PK-3). But I was raising a hypothetical question to see what’s GDS approach to this issue. We like the school and we would love to see our both children together at the same school. But of course we are only going to do what’s best for him at the moment and in the long term.

There is a new parent group at GDS made up of families whose children are neurodiverse. There was information about the group in the last PSA newsletter - you might reach out to them to learn more about how GDS works with kids who have different learning needs.

Thank you. We missed that info. I’ll reach out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a child at a highly regarded charter that was dx the summer after middle school…which was 2 years after starting at that school.

The ASD symptoms were very subtle and when they were noticed by 1-2 teachers, they just assumed it was quirkiness (per the report card narrative). There were never any behavior issues, no medication or support was needed and child always excelled academically so we never shared the dx with the school.

What was the point of the evaluation, then? Typically people only go through the trouble & expense if there are challenges, which should be apparent in all settings if it’s actually warranted to give a dx. Autism is not that subtle- it’s not just being “quirky.” It has to cause clinically significant impairment.

Are you an ASD specialist/child psychologist? So many doctors on this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not the poster in the Kids with SN group but got curious. If you applied to GDS and have a mild ASD child (no need for school support(, did you disclose their diagnosis? What happened after?

It will either be obvious during the interview or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We get this DX when trying to see if he needs OT due to his low tone. It was unexpected. I’m actually not sure if it is called a diagnosis when done by early stages. I know that I’ll have to reassess when actually applying to Kindergarten (currently in PK-3). But I was raising a hypothetical question to see what’s GDS approach to this issue. We like the school and we would love to see our both children together at the same school. But of course we are only going to do what’s best for him at the moment and in the long term.

There is a new parent group at GDS made up of families whose children are neurodiverse. There was information about the group in the last PSA newsletter - you might reach out to them to learn more about how GDS works with kids who have different learning needs.

Curious about how the experience has been at GDS for ND kids, particularly in the lower and middle school and with the high school transition, and whether the parent group has been a helpful resource.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We get this DX when trying to see if he needs OT due to his low tone. It was unexpected. I’m actually not sure if it is called a diagnosis when done by early stages. I know that I’ll have to reassess when actually applying to Kindergarten (currently in PK-3). But I was raising a hypothetical question to see what’s GDS approach to this issue. We like the school and we would love to see our both children together at the same school. But of course we are only going to do what’s best for him at the moment and in the long term.

There is a new parent group at GDS made up of families whose children are neurodiverse. There was information about the group in the last PSA newsletter - you might reach out to them to learn more about how GDS works with kids who have different learning needs.

Curious about how the experience has been at GDS for ND kids, particularly in the lower and middle school and with the high school transition, and whether the parent group has been a helpful resource.

My HSer has ADHD, not autism, but he had a very smooth transition from middle to high school. Since the parent group started, the school has done a much better job of communicating with both teachers and parents about accommodation plans. They've also started a structured study skills class for certain MSers, instead of foreign language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are fooling yourself if you think that your child’s current teachers and future teachers won’t know this one way or the other. If it was present enough for you to receive a diagnosis, they notice as well. Teachers see this every day in all schools. Keeping these types of things secret,

A) long term will hurt your child
B) shows a lack of trust in the institution
C) communicates your own shame in this learning difference to the child and others.

I know you worry that people will think less of your child’s abilities but your child is just fine and these diagnoses are just that. They are information that doesn’t negate your child’s individuality or potential. Sharing a diagnosis helps the school and teachers understand what your child needs to learn best, even if you think they don’t need accommodations now. Please talk to a therapist about your own fears here and be honest with the school no matter where you end up. Your child deserves it.

No, that’s not what I’m worried about. My worry is that he could be automatically rejected in a couple of years when we apply, even if he does not need accomodations. Of course, I will look for the best fit for my child. But if I believe GDS is the best fit, would disclosing this information be an automatic « no »?
We have an older child attending the school.

If you have a child there now, the school already has a relationship with your family that they value (depending on the nature of the relationship). GDS isn't going to deny your child because of it, but they absolutely will counsel out if it begins to show in ways that can't be supported. Admissions expects honesty from families and I wouldn't go in trying to mask or hide key characteristics of my child.