What's the reputation of Diener versus The Auburn School (MD private schools)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - what i mean by social emotional is that he has low frustration tolerance and when he gets angered (in the classroom) he will throw things, yell at other kids, elope (the classroom and sometimes the building). So yes, aggression and low frustration coupled with anger. We just started him on Abilify, which seems to be helping a bit. We have IEP meeting tomorrow and will ask for a one on one aid, but we aren't confident MCPS will provide that. If MCPS won't provide the services he needs, and Diener and Auburn don't take aggressive kids, where do we turn? He's only 8.

Former Diener parent - OP, I would stay away from Diener with your child’s profile. Diener is being truthful when they say that won’t tolerate the type of behaviors your child has (my child is/was similar). Auburn was willing to take my child despite that but we ended up homeschooling for a year and then going another direction.

[Anonymous]

Maybe look at the Lourie Center. Have you had an evaluation or is this your diagnosis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again - this last post is so helpful. The advice we were given by our psychiatrist on the SESES program is that it includes kids with really extreme forms of aggression or social emotional needs and therefore means we'd be putting our DS in a classroom with other extreme kids. Wouldn't it be better to keep him in a mainstream classroom and give him the social emotional resources needed to succeed?

I think you need to visit one of these programs. There was one at DC's school and the kids were regular normal kids and did not have crazy behaviors. At worst they were melting down sometimes and might throw something occasionally. Sounds like your kid, right OP? Most of them were fully mainstreamed again after a year or two. DS had a good friend in the program and we had no idea he was in the program until his parent brought it up. We did not see any of the behaviors when his friend came over. The friend was in his class, a regular gen ed class, but would have help if he needed to leave to regroup. It was not a big thing when he left the classroom sometimes as kids who were not in the program sometimes came and went too. I was really impressed with how it was run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - what i mean by social emotional is that he has low frustration tolerance and when he gets angered (in the classroom) he will throw things, yell at other kids, elope (the classroom and sometimes the building). So yes, aggression and low frustration coupled with anger. We just started him on Abilify, which seems to be helping a bit. We have IEP meeting tomorrow and will ask for a one on one aid, but we aren't confident MCPS will provide that. If MCPS won't provide the services he needs, and Diener and Auburn don't take aggressive kids, where do we turn? He's only 8.

FWIW OP these are considered extreme behaviors in elementary. You're kidding yourself if you think your child's needs are mild compared to kids in the social emotional program.

[Anonymous]

Both Diener and Auburn will take children with behaviors like yours if they feel those behaviors would go away with proper supports. There are many kids who have issues with noise, large class size or unpredictable schedules and those things are more fixed in a place like Diener or Auburn. I wouldn't give up on those schools OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both Diener and Auburn will take children with behaviors like yours if they feel those behaviors would go away with proper supports. There are many kids who have issues with noise, large class size or unpredictable schedules and those things are more fixed in a place like Diener or Auburn. I wouldn't give up on those schools OP.

Diener will not deal with a child who throws things. Diener might admit the student but I would go in knowing that Diener may push the child out if their supports are insufficient to change the behavior in the short term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Diener and Auburn will take children with behaviors like yours if they feel those behaviors would go away with proper supports. There are many kids who have issues with noise, large class size or unpredictable schedules and those things are more fixed in a place like Diener or Auburn. I wouldn't give up on those schools OP.

Diener will not deal with a child who throws things. Diener might admit the student but I would go in knowing that Diener may push the child out if their supports are insufficient to change the behavior in the short term.

Are you kidding? We've been pretty shocked by some of the stuff that goes on at Diener.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Diener and Auburn will take children with behaviors like yours if they feel those behaviors would go away with proper supports. There are many kids who have issues with noise, large class size or unpredictable schedules and those things are more fixed in a place like Diener or Auburn. I wouldn't give up on those schools OP.

Diener will not deal with a child who throws things. Diener might admit the student but I would go in knowing that Diener may push the child out if their supports are insufficient to change the behavior in the short term.

Are you kidding? We've been pretty shocked by some of the stuff that goes on at Diener.

We’ve been there 4 years and I don’t know anyone who has thrown things, but who knows. I have no idea how you would know. If your kid is reporting it, grain of salt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Diener and Auburn will take children with behaviors like yours if they feel those behaviors would go away with proper supports. There are many kids who have issues with noise, large class size or unpredictable schedules and those things are more fixed in a place like Diener or Auburn. I wouldn't give up on those schools OP.

Diener will not deal with a child who throws things. Diener might admit the student but I would go in knowing that Diener may push the child out if their supports are insufficient to change the behavior in the short term.

Are you kidding? We've been pretty shocked by some of the stuff that goes on at Diener.

We’ve been there 4 years and I don’t know anyone who has thrown things, but who knows. I have no idea how you would know. If your kid is reporting it, grain of salt.

My child has reported things, and I've spoken to teachers and administrators about it. No one argued with my child's reporting. Lots of talk about how they were working on "unexpected behaviors" in the classroom. I'm really glad that I listened to my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again - this last post is so helpful. The advice we were given by our psychiatrist on the SESES program is that it includes kids with really extreme forms of aggression or social emotional needs and therefore means we'd be putting our DS in a classroom with other extreme kids. Wouldn't it be better to keep him in a mainstream classroom and give him the social emotional resources needed to succeed?

I think you need to visit one of these programs. There was one at DC's school and the kids were regular normal kids and did not have crazy behaviors. At worst they were melting down sometimes and might throw something occasionally. Sounds like your kid, right OP? Most of them were fully mainstreamed again after a year or two. DS had a good friend in the program and we had no idea he was in the program until his parent brought it up. We did not see any of the behaviors when his friend came over. The friend was in his class, a regular gen ed class, but would have help if he needed to leave to regroup. It was not a big thing when he left the classroom sometimes as kids who were not in the program sometimes came and went too. I was really impressed with how it was run.

this is basically how they treat my kid with autism now who is fully mainstreamed, except there's no actual program he's in. the school psych or whoever is available pulls him out and works on his coping mechanisms. I WISH we had an established program for this instead of having to make it up on the fly. but we are in DC and I don't hear good things about the self-contained programs so this is the route we are taking. OP you should be glad to have the option of SESES!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Diener and Auburn will take children with behaviors like yours if they feel those behaviors would go away with proper supports. There are many kids who have issues with noise, large class size or unpredictable schedules and those things are more fixed in a place like Diener or Auburn. I wouldn't give up on those schools OP.

Diener will not deal with a child who throws things. Diener might admit the student but I would go in knowing that Diener may push the child out if their supports are insufficient to change the behavior in the short term.

Are you kidding? We've been pretty shocked by some of the stuff that goes on at Diener.

We’ve been there 4 years and I don’t know anyone who has thrown things, but who knows. I have no idea how you would know. If your kid is reporting it, grain of salt.

My child has reported things, and I've spoken to teachers and administrators about it. No one argued with my child's reporting. Lots of talk about how they were working on "unexpected behaviors" in the classroom. I'm really glad that I listened to my child.

Huh. Hasn’t happened in my kids’ classes. But my child has reported things, of course. They all do. And of course, you listen. I just happen to know if he says so and so did such and such to me there’s usually an action on his side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Diener and Auburn will take children with behaviors like yours if they feel those behaviors would go away with proper supports. There are many kids who have issues with noise, large class size or unpredictable schedules and those things are more fixed in a place like Diener or Auburn. I wouldn't give up on those schools OP.

Diener will not deal with a child who throws things. Diener might admit the student but I would go in knowing that Diener may push the child out if their supports are insufficient to change the behavior in the short term.

Are you kidding? We've been pretty shocked by some of the stuff that goes on at Diener.

We’ve been there 4 years and I don’t know anyone who has thrown things, but who knows. I have no idea how you would know. If your kid is reporting it, grain of salt.

My child has reported things, and I've spoken to teachers and administrators about it. No one argued with my child's reporting. Lots of talk about how they were working on "unexpected behaviors" in the classroom. I'm really glad that I listened to my child.

I am not saying that there have not been students who throw things at Diener, it is that Diener likely will not keep that student if it persists (especially if the behavior may endanger student or others). For the OP, I was only trying to point out that Diener would likely give a finite period for the unexpected behaviors to be resolved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both Diener and Auburn will take children with behaviors like yours if they feel those behaviors would go away with proper supports. There are many kids who have issues with noise, large class size or unpredictable schedules and those things are more fixed in a place like Diener or Auburn. I wouldn't give up on those schools OP.

Diener will not deal with a child who throws things. Diener might admit the student but I would go in knowing that Diener may push the child out if their supports are insufficient to change the behavior in the short term.

Are you kidding? We've been pretty shocked by some of the stuff that goes on at Diener.

We’ve been there 4 years and I don’t know anyone who has thrown things, but who knows. I have no idea how you would know. If your kid is reporting it, grain of salt.

My child has reported things, and I've spoken to teachers and administrators about it. No one argued with my child's reporting. Lots of talk about how they were working on "unexpected behaviors" in the classroom. I'm really glad that I listened to my child.

I am not saying that there have not been students who throw things at Diener, it is that Diener likely will not keep that student if it persists (especially if the behavior may endanger student or others). For the OP, I was only trying to point out that Diener would likely give a finite period for the unexpected behaviors to be resolved.

We have heard the same. It's not that they give a timeframe or deadline but they will take a student who has throwing behaviors for example if they guess that a strong behavior plan and instruction on managing emotions can help. Sometimes it's as simple as talking to the current teachers or reviewing data and seeing mistakes made by the public school and seeing how things can be fixed. I think in most cases they are able to make it work because that's what they do. I'm sure there are cases that do not work out because children can be very complex but that doesn't mean OP should rule it out. Her child is quite young and I can imagine a Diener admissions person thinking this is a child they could help.

[Anonymous]

It is an absolute disaster at Auburn SS right now for our child. They do have kids with behaviors like throwing and eloping but those are resolved by parents paying for the support of a 1:1 aide.

They promise a lot but not of it has materialized—multi-sensory curriculum, OT integration, behavior support. Those services are sometimes called in by the teacher to help manage the classroom but not used to help create individualized strategies for supporting the kid. Social learning person just returned from maternity leave and seems good but that’s two months of tuition without a key service that we are paying for.

Unfortunately the post about Auburn “circling the drain” is feeling accurate. I wish it wasn’t the case because I had high hopes. But they lost their top administrator and office manager so there is virtually no leadership now. There is a K/1st teacher with no teaching or SN training/experience. Really egregious on the part of the school to hire her and so unfair to the kids who need the support of someone with that background.

[Anonymous]

Because they were taken over by a for profit and are paying peanuts, so they can’t fill positions with anyone remotely qualified.