Application Season has begin - Public vs. Private

[Anonymous]

Normally I'd agree with you but OP's child is really young and borderline. Would suggest her child go to a small nurturing private that is really focused on early childhood development. At that type of school it can only help to disclose to get the support her child needs. Pick a place that only goes up to K or 2nd/3rd.

Many kids either catch up at that point or they don't and this way OP keeps her options open and can then go to public with an IEP, go to a SN school, stick with another nurturing mainstream private, or go to a more competitive private.

This is not a good time to apply to Sidwell OP.

[Anonymous]

Well, there’s clearly something going on. He’s had a diagnosis of ASD and now is going to have some other diagnosis. That’s not a fit for the “big 3” in the DMV and sending your child would be ridiculous. It’s impossible to answer this question, OP, without knowing what schools are in the mix, and what your kids issues are. They may well be more severe as academic demands increase.

[Anonymous]

The reason I recommend private is you want to make sure your child has a successful first few years of school because it can really impact their attitude towards school in the future.

I really believe private is more likely to provide that environment. Public can be hit or miss for a child with possible ASD with the large and loud environment and teachers who are overworked. In private the teachers can pay more attention to social development and the child can develop more confidence which will give her a better chance for success IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Normally I'd agree with you but OP's child is really young and borderline. Would suggest her child go to a small nurturing private that is really focused on early childhood development. At that type of school it can only help to disclose to get the support her child needs. Pick a place that only goes up to K or 2nd/3rd.

Many kids either catch up at that point or they don't and this way OP keeps her options open and can then go to public with an IEP, go to a SN school, stick with another nurturing mainstream private, or go to a more competitive private.

This is not a good time to apply to Sidwell OP.

a “small nurturing private” may not be set up to achieve the most basic thing OP’s kid needs to learn in the next few years - reading, writing, and basic math. “nurturing” privates are notorious for producing 3rd graders who can’t write (per our OT).

it would be good if OP went into more detail about her child’s challenges because the diagnosis alone isn’t that informative. But I’m going to assume the child needs a structured literacy and math program with 1:1 or small-group pullouts to keep the kids on track. Our public K was *fantastic* for this from K-2nd. (then the wheels fell off due to covid, but to be fair, a lot of SN parents say 3rd grade is when that happens anyway.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reason I recommend private is you want to make sure your child has a successful first few years of school because it can really impact their attitude towards school in the future.

I really believe private is more likely to provide that environment. Public can be hit or miss for a child with possible ASD with the large and loud environment and teachers who are overworked. In private the teachers can pay more attention to social development and the child can develop more confidence which will give her a better chance for success IMO.

Kindergarteners actually don’t need confidence. They need to learn to read & write.

[Anonymous]

If everything is so “minimal” OP, why have you been getting these diagnoses and re-evaluations? Either something is going on that is significant (and public is the best fit) or you’re over-medicalizing your kid (it happens).