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

[Anonymous]

Quirky used to refer to things like being into drama club, poetry club, artistic interest, etc. Now it's a code word for not being NT? Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

GDS is experiencing a lot of issues right now.

[Anonymous]

Most schools ask as part of the application, so you could choose to be untruthful and not disclose. If the kid is already at the school and the behavior is enough to get diagnosed, very likely teachers have noticed but technically nothing says you have to disclose.

[Anonymous]

I think you ask a reasonable question. Your child is young and you should consider reassessing at a later point — it seems a bit strange that an eval for low muscle tone resulted in an autism diagnosis. Did they actually do the ADOS? That is, I believe, the gold standard for autism diagnosis.

As a parent of a kid with a diagnosis, yes, it actually can be subtle/not too far off other kids behavior. We have had different psychologists over different periods give different diagnoses for our daughter (excluding autism, and finding it). If accommodations are not required, I would seriously consider whether misunderstandings about autism could lead to a rejection at a school where you feel your kid would thrive.

[Anonymous]

If you don't need accommodations why would you disclose it? If your kid needs a lot of supports, GDS wouldn't be the right place. If your child doesn't need accommodations, do not disclose. It will absolutely, 100%, affect your child's chances of getting accepted. It's a very competitive school that is very difficult to get into from middle school on. If you want to increase your chances and your kid doesn't need any help, don't say a word.

[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.

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.

This also depends on the age of your child. If your child is still young (LS or early MS) and has already had good school experiences without accommodations needed, then you can apply and see how things go as they age.

Join the parent group at GDS for neuro-divergent learners.

However - be more careful if your child is applying for HS. I would not apply to any HS (not GDS specific) until you know how the school matches with your child's needs or potential future needs. HS anywhere is a big step both on many social dimensions and academically. Many students start to face challenges that didn't exist in younger grades in smaller classrooms with lower workloads and where teachers have fewer expectations on student independence. You need to know that the school will work with you, how they will work with you, and how they will work with your child. (note - some schools are very arms length for parent involvement in HS student issues - we have found GDS does not immediately revert to a "talk to the hand" stance for parents - so that's a positive)

Get advice from your medical professional support system to know what types of issues may arise in the future so you can ask about them with any school you are considering.

[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.

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.

This also depends on the age of your child. If your child is still young (LS or early MS) and has already had good school experiences without accommodations needed, then you can apply and see how things go as they age.

Join the parent group at GDS for neuro-divergent learners.

However - be more careful if your child is applying for HS. I would not apply to any HS (not GDS specific) until you know how the school matches with your child's needs or potential future needs. HS anywhere is a big step both on many social dimensions and academically. Many students start to face challenges that didn't exist in younger grades in smaller classrooms with lower workloads and where teachers have fewer expectations on student independence. You need to know that the school will work with you, how they will work with you, and how they will work with your child. (note - some schools are very arms length for parent involvement in HS student issues - we have found GDS does not immediately revert to a "talk to the hand" stance for parents - so that's a positive)

Get advice from your medical professional support system to know what types of issues may arise in the future so you can ask about them with any school you are considering.

I don’t blame parents for being confused with how very easily diagnoses are being handed out these days. As a mom of a kid who is 2e I can’t really understand who is embracing an autism label when there were no support needs. Either your kid is getting supports and you are in denial about it; or your kid never really qualified for the diagnosis. Autism is much more than just being “quirky.” And let’s not even get started with ADHD. What I sometimes feel like is that maximizer parents want the label when it suits them (maybe to assuage anxiety about younger kids who don’t seem to precisely fit a mold they had in mind) but then get rid of it when it no longer suits them (“my kid is neurodiverse but needs no supports at an academically rigorous and socially sophisticated school like GDS” … until of course it becomes time for SATs and then the label gets resurrected to get double time).

My guess though is that schools like GDS are good at understanding this dynamic and probably would not immediately bounce a kid with autism or ADHD on the application this point because that would be excluding like 50% of the applicant pool. But they will look more carefully at past accommodations, IQ, how the parents behave, and how the child presents. So just be honest with yourself about whether your kid is actually autistic or not and you will probably understand your chances.

[Anonymous]

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.

Agree wholeheartedly, let's stop pretending teachers don't know...we totally do..and it's so helpful to provide the testing so that your child can actually get what they need. Quirky is totally fine, but wouldn't it be great if their neurodiversity were acknowledged, understood, and supported? We are doing such a disservice to kids when we act like there's nothing different about them, and honestly, they know it! Particularly as they get older.
Why not help that child navigate a tricky world with a sense of who they are in all their beautiful complexity and be able to advocate for themselves? They will also probably find out that there are many other folks out there like them in some ways, and wouldn't that be cool?

[Anonymous]

Assertion: there are zero students at the top three who disclosed an ASD diagnosis on the way in.

Prove me wrong.

[Anonymous]

LOL at demanding that negative be proven.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL at demanding that negative be proven.

Proving that pp wrong doesn't require proving a negative. It requires showing a counterfactual -- an example of an identified autistic student being accepted by GDS.

My ADHD kid is thriving at GDS but it would have been a terrible fit for my autistic kid and we didn't apply.

[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.

Wait, so your child is 3 and doesn’t need any “accommodations” - and so you’re assuming he will continue to not need any accommodations once he enters one of the most rigorous private schools in the DC area? That seems like quite a stretch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS is experiencing a lot of issues right now.

Like what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS is experiencing a lot of issues right now.

Like what?

Want to know as well

[Anonymous]

Issues like too many happy families. In all the parent events I've attended in the past year, never heard any complaints about the school.