9th grader with recent ADHD diagnosis, looking for a new school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes it's possible. Have you looked at Field or Burke?

WHY do people always suggest these schools when ADHD is mentioned? They have the same 5 basic accommodations as any other private school and they don’t have any additional learning specialists or even training for teacher in ADHD. As the parent of an ADHD child I’m insulted that you think something about the mission of either of these schools speaks to ADHD more than any other local private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools to consider

Public - GTLD program in MC, need testing that clearly indicates student is gifted (top 5%) in some areas while challenged in others, and not able to fully achieve potential in mainstream settings. This is often the case with very bright students with ADHD.

Private -
Fusion Academy (campuses in all three parts of DMV)
Commonwealth, NoVa.
MacClean School, Potomac
Nora School, Silver Spring
Sienna, (campuses in Silver Spring and NoVa some where now)
Sandy Spring Friends School
Field School
Edmund Burke (they will say they have limited supports and are not a therapeutic school)

Burke is NOT a therapeutic school. What supports do they have that Potomac or Sidwell or any other mainstream private does t have? Oh right, they aren’t any different. Good luck with your priority seating and extended time. It’s what you will get anywhere

Probably more in our area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes it's possible. Have you looked at Field or Burke?

WHY do people always suggest these schools when ADHD is mentioned? They have the same 5 basic accommodations as any other private school and they don’t have any additional learning specialists or even training for teacher in ADHD. As the parent of an ADHD child I’m insulted that you think something about the mission of either of these schools speaks to ADHD more than any other local private school.

This is why I think OP should post on the special needs board. Folks here just toss out the names of Field and Burke and call it a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools to consider

Public - GTLD program in MC, need testing that clearly indicates student is gifted (top 5%) in some areas while challenged in others, and not able to fully achieve potential in mainstream settings. This is often the case with very bright students with ADHD.

Private -
Fusion Academy (campuses in all three parts of DMV)
Commonwealth, NoVa.
MacClean School, Potomac
Nora School, Silver Spring
Sienna, (campuses in Silver Spring and NoVa some where now)
Sandy Spring Friends School
Field School
Edmund Burke (they will say they have limited supports and are not a therapeutic school)

Probably more in our area.

Siena definitely, definitely not! They only take kids with language-based learning differences. They do NOT take ADHD cases unless they are both very mild and accompanied by a language-based learning difference.

I know several students whose main diagnosis was ADHD who went there. They have small class sizes and strong executive function supports.

However that a while ago and perhaps they are more rigid about admission criteria now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very bright boy with a relatively recent ADHD diagnosis. He's in 9th grade and his small private school isn't giving him the support he needs, even though we have tried to work with them. We're considering moving him for 10th grade if we can find him a slot at a place that would be supportive. Preference for Maryland or DC but Virginia for the right place. Dematha looks like it could be a good option, also potentially Sandy Spring Friends or St. John's. (Again, not sure if it is possible to transfer into these places in 10th grade). Could people please make suggestions for me to look?

Thank you.

We are happy with Fusion Academy - highly customized one on one teaching. It has campuses in NW DC, Rockville, and Tysons. For socialization, they have homework cafes where students hang out plus field trips on Fridays or weekends. However, it is expensive. It is not for everyone but worth checking out.

Our daughter has ADHD and is thriving at Fusion.

[Anonymous]

Highly recommend McLean School in Potomac. Fantastic teachers and support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes it's possible. Have you looked at Field or Burke?

WHY do people always suggest these schools when ADHD is mentioned? They have the same 5 basic accommodations as any other private school and they don’t have any additional learning specialists or even training for teacher in ADHD. As the parent of an ADHD child I’m insulted that you think something about the mission of either of these schools speaks to ADHD more than any other local private school.

It's because Field and Burke have a much higher percent of adhd kids than other privates. They'd like you to think otherwise and won't answer the question directly when you ask. They market on here fairly aggressively with the narrative that they are just like any other private but the student population isn't.  One Field teacher we looked at online had noted in their bio that they had over 50% adhd kids in their classroom. That doesn't mean they know anything about deeply supporting those kids but it does mean they could get admitted... 
Here are some questions you could ask any family at any private when considering if the environment is good for an adhd kid:

Are students provided ample study halls where real academic support is available-how often?
Are students given training in executive function, time management, note taking, email management-in which grades and how often?
Are assignments posted in consistent ways across classes?
Is material available in writing so students can study at home when they are inattentive in class  (adhd kids do much better with textbooks for this reason)
How much time does dc spend organizing worksheets and word docs and emails vs doing deep learning?
When dc needs to take a break are they silently shamed? Where can they go? For how long?
Does the school provide opportunities for positive public recognition?

While we found Field to be a kind place-- but way too chaotic for our kid on all of those fronts, another family we know well reported that Bullis was excellent on all of these with organized study halls ( Burke also--much more organized with many more study halls). Bullis also has numerous and varied awards they give to all kinds of kids, a very consistent system for tracking work, clear consequences. It wasn't my dc's cup of tea socially but I hear it's great for adhd kids for these reasons yet rarely mentioned as an option.

[Anonymous]

Another thing to think about is if it is worth your child "reclassing" or repeating 9th grade. If you do this, you might have different options.

I have an ADHD kid who was really struggling in 9th. We considered looking at McLean, Burke, Bullis - but in the end stayed where we were with outside support.

[Anonymous]

OP: You probably need to list what accommodations you think your child needs. There are schools that specialize in kids with ADHD and LDs but they might not be a good fit because they are too specialized and the accommodations that your kid needs are not at that level. It sounds like a good number of private schools have programs for kids with ADHD and LDs that are not too serious.

Knowing what accommodations you think your kid needs would help people provide a better range of options.

[Anonymous]

Also recommend McLean. Been transformational for my kid and family. The high school challenged and supported her adhd/executive functioning needs. She was at a more traditional independent school for K-8 and she just blossomed in the smaller environment with teachers who understood her.

[Anonymous]

Burke is not really special needs schools but the intense teacher interactions and compassionate teaching styles of most teachers really help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Burke is not really special needs schools but the intense teacher interactions and compassionate teaching styles of most teachers really help.

Same idea for Sandy Spring Friends

[Anonymous]

My daughter attends Sandy Spring Friends School (6th grade) and they are extremely supportive of her ADHD needs. They had her learning plan ready in just a few days after I submitted the testing results and here supports are perfect. The teachers are all well versed in ADHD and have supported her when she needs to use her strategies. There is also a neurodivergent student group every week during lunch for those who'd like to attend (a parent one monthly, too). We've been VERY pleased with SSFS.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not Sienna. Barrie or McLean or Commonwealth. Fusion too.