Ivymount, Katherine Thomas, or McLean School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op,

I don’t think any of these schools are in person yet. It’s possible to get private placement at KTS and Ivymount. Since Ivymount runs most of the year, more expensive than the other two schools you mentioned.

I would get an advocate to help you figure out the best placement.

Personally, I would look into Auburn vs. KTS or Ivymount.

You may also want to try the Newton school in VA—it’s in person or hybrid.

We are in the process of hiring an advocate. We had one IDLP meeting with DS's case manager where we raised all the concerns I mentioned in my original post and we held one separate meeting with the principal. We requested an IEP meeting. I think Ivymount is in person. The McLean school is not yet. DS has no issues wearing a mask and he wears one for two hours each day with his ABA therapist.

If you want the school system to pay, you should hire an attorney and be prepared to sue the school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is in 5th. We are in a self contained classroom in MCPS. DS has ADHD/ASD/Anxiety. I never thought I would homeschool but here I am. DL is a clusteref.....

I know you said you could not commit to homeschool for the year because you both work full time. Where is your son doing DL? Is he home with you or is at daycare or in a pod?

I ask because my son does virtual homeschool. It’s asynchronous but takes him no more than 2 hours in total per day to cover 6 subjects. If he’s tired, he starts later. If he gets up earlier, he starts earlier. If he needs a break, he takes one.

It leaves a lot of time for playing Legos and reading.

We will look into the asynchronous virtual programs. I can take two hours a day to homeschool, but they most likely won't be consistently the same two hours. DH can also help support homeschooling; however, like me, we can't always be doing it on a consistent schedule due to meetings and important assignments due with little turnaround time.

PP— I use Power Homeschool. It costs $25/month for up to 6 classes. The beauty of asynchronous virtual learning is that it doesn’t have to be continuous. If he/you do 15 min an hour, you get to 2 hrs during a full workday. PHS is video/streaming based. Material is delivered and then comprehension questions are asked. It doesn’t require parent involvement. At the end of the unit, there is a test. Sometimes if my son learns something interesting in science or social studies, he might spend more time doing research and learning about that topic. For your son, he could spend time researching dinosaurs or ocean animals.

Asynchronous virtual learning covers academics but it doesn’t address the social emotional communication element that our kids need. We do virtual therapy and participate in a Roblox based social skills group in Outschool. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than distance learning for my kid.

[Anonymous]

McLean teachers do not have either the training or the experience to teach your son.

Talk to the admissions person at the other schools you mention (plus Auburn). If you give an honest description of your son's strengths and weaknesses and what kind of support he needs, they will be able to tell you if they might be a good fit.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like auburn or ivy mount to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like auburn or ivy mount to me.

Ugh, not Ivymount.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like auburn or ivy mount to me.

Ugh, not Ivymount.

OP here...why not Ivymount? Also, right now, the only school I see providing a hybrid model is Katherine Thomas. We live in Potomac so I considered the private schools near us, which is a big factor since we also need to drop off our DS2 at preschool. The Laurie school would work for us too in terms of distance. Again, we are trying to balance between social/emotional and academic considerations with DS's education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never been a fan but at that are you could also look at Lourie Center.

Thanks...I will definitely look into the Lourie Center. I see on their webpage they are focused on social and emotional wellness but how are they academically. DS is intelligent but it is very focused on what he likes. At three, memorized hundreds of different types of ocean animals; at 5 he got into dinosaurs and learned everything about them. During class last week, the students in DS's class was asked to name things that started with each letter of the alphabet and for T, one child said Pteranodon; DS turned to us and said Pteranodon starts with a P. He puts together large Jurassic World lego sets almost all by himself. However, like many kids with autism, he will only focus on learning and talking about things he likes. Given that DS is capable of learning and exceling academically, I don't want him to be placed in a program that can't support him reaching his academic potential.

Any of these schools aren't going to place a huge focus on academics and at some point you are talking about interest and he needs the basics.

I think the MAP at Ivymount will have the higher focus on academics than the others.

[Anonymous]

If your kid can’t function I think you need to lessen your concern about high academics. Get him able to participate in daily life and supplement. I know a mom with a kid with severe regulation and behavioral issues who cannot participate in daily life who is always mentioning what a mega genius her child is. This kid still can’t get dressed and hits and throws constantly at 9, so nobody really cares.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op,

I don’t think any of these schools are in person yet. It’s possible to get private placement at KTS and Ivymount. Since Ivymount runs most of the year, more expensive than the other two schools you mentioned.

I would get an advocate to help you figure out the best placement.

Personally, I would look into Auburn vs. KTS or Ivymount.

You may also want to try the Newton school in VA—it’s in person or hybrid.

We are in the process of hiring an advocate. We had one IDLP meeting with DS's case manager where we raised all the concerns I mentioned in my original post and we held one separate meeting with the principal. We requested an IEP meeting. I think Ivymount is in person. The McLean school is not yet. DS has no issues wearing a mask and he wears one for two hours each day with his ABA therapist.

If you want the school system to pay, you should hire an attorney and be prepared to sue the school system.

Not true. We didn't sue the school system. We did have an advocate who helped us (an educational consultant.) Our school system agreed that private placement was best for him. (The process takes almost an entire school year though.) But you could pay on own for private and still get placed by the school system. No guarantees you would get placed at that school though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McLean teachers do not have either the training or the experience to teach your son.

Talk to the admissions person at the other schools you mention (plus Auburn). If you give an honest description of your son's strengths and weaknesses and what kind of support he needs, they will be able to tell you if they might be a good fit.

I agree that the spectrum piece does not sound like McLean. Plus they are doing Distance Learning, which sounds like it's not a fit.

Ivymount is expensive and I would go through County to get them to pay unless you have a lot of means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op,

I don’t think any of these schools are in person yet. It’s possible to get private placement at KTS and Ivymount. Since Ivymount runs most of the year, more expensive than the other two schools you mentioned.

I would get an advocate to help you figure out the best placement.

Personally, I would look into Auburn vs. KTS or Ivymount.

You may also want to try the Newton school in VA—it’s in person or hybrid.

We are in the process of hiring an advocate. We had one IDLP meeting with DS's case manager where we raised all the concerns I mentioned in my original post and we held one separate meeting with the principal. We requested an IEP meeting. I think Ivymount is in person. The McLean school is not yet. DS has no issues wearing a mask and he wears one for two hours each day with his ABA therapist.

Our experience as well. The whole process was relatively cordial but I always used an advocate and when she said came with a lawyer. My kid's first year of school was worth far far more than all the advocate fees paid over his lifetime as well as the small legal bill.

If you want the school system to pay, you should hire an attorney and be prepared to sue the school system.

Not true. We didn't sue the school system. We did have an advocate who helped us (an educational consultant.) Our school system agreed that private placement was best for him. (The process takes almost an entire school year though.) But you could pay on own for private and still get placed by the school system. No guarantees you would get placed at that school though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op,

I don’t think any of these schools are in person yet. It’s possible to get private placement at KTS and Ivymount. Since Ivymount runs most of the year, more expensive than the other two schools you mentioned.

I would get an advocate to help you figure out the best placement.

Personally, I would look into Auburn vs. KTS or Ivymount.

You may also want to try the Newton school in VA—it’s in person or hybrid.

We are in the process of hiring an advocate. We had one IDLP meeting with DS's case manager where we raised all the concerns I mentioned in my original post and we held one separate meeting with the principal. We requested an IEP meeting. I think Ivymount is in person. The McLean school is not yet. DS has no issues wearing a mask and he wears one for two hours each day with his ABA therapist.

Our experience as well. The whole process was relatively cordial but I always used an advocate and when she said came with a lawyer. My kid's first year of school was worth far far more than all the advocate fees paid over his lifetime as well as the small legal bill.

If you want the school system to pay, you should hire an attorney and be prepared to sue the school system.

Not true. We didn't sue the school system. We did have an advocate who helped us (an educational consultant.) Our school system agreed that private placement was best for him. (The process takes almost an entire school year though.) But you could pay on own for private and still get placed by the school system. No guarantees you would get placed at that school though.

It depends on the severity but in your situation the school system was in agreement. That is pretty rare.