No school for my kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is happening on the front of whether diagnoses need a new look? Is he on meds? Do they need tweaking? Are you checking in with doctors?

+1 I was thinking along the same lines. There is medical treatment for panic attacks that can control that flight or fight response. I'm not against homeschooling in general but homeschooling to avoid dealing with underlying severe anxiety isn't going to help a child deal with it long-term.

[Anonymous]

Any corrective feedback he views as hostile and he feels attacked

This is the problem, his life-long problem
- not 5th grade

[Anonymous]

Homeschool.

[Anonymous]

Does he cry like this at home when you’re doing work with him?

Where does he go and what does he do when he leaves the classroom?

What kind of classroom is he in now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Any corrective feedback he views as hostile and he feels attacked

This is the problem, his life-long problem
- not 5th grade

Obviously. And this is the "Kids with special needs" forum. But OP is looking for a school that can work with a student that has this problem.

[Anonymous]

Have you looked at Newton? It is far from you but the founder is amazing and is worth a call to her to see if she has any suggestions. My dc was there years ago but I was super impressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would a Micro School be a fit?
https://mysaschool.org/about/

Not OP but thank you for the link!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Homeschool.

👎

[Anonymous]

If cost isn't a concern, definitely look at KTS. It is such a nice encouraging environment. Kindness abounds!

[Anonymous]

You're right. There is not one school that meets all of your childs needs. But there are "good enough" options. When you send your NT child to the local public elem, it's not perfect, but it's good enough.

So prioritize your list of must haves. Everything can't be in the number one spot. We're at RICA and while there are aspects of it that I could do without; it meets 80% of my requirements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Any corrective feedback he views as hostile and he feels attacked

This is the problem, his life-long problem
- not 5th grade

This is also another trait of kids with ADHD and anxiety/perfectionist traits. Whichever placement is chosen, the root causes of the issues will need to be addressed in depth or nothing will improve, not in a truly long-lasting way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am heartbroken. My child fits no mold and is struggling with being successful in any setting. At school it is the demands that set him off so he leaves class. He went to PHP and was triggered by the kids who have outward behavior issues and had panic attacks. He gets overwhelmed at school and cries and cries. He is cognitively very bright but has ADHD and can be disruptive. Any corrective feedback he views as hostile and he feels attacked and cries and cries (loudly) and leaves class. What school can accommodate a sensitive kids with so many needs. He is also socially fine (when he is not upset) and cognitively gifted so he needs a social group. We are in MOCO. Where would you send him to school?

+1 we are in the same boat in MoCo. Struck out in public, private, and non-public.

There are no options for 2Es that seem to be working out for kids like ours. Non-public placements seem to be in two categories 1) for students below grade level 2) behavioral based and “jail” like.

OP here- exactly, I feel so stuck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am heartbroken. My child fits no mold and is struggling with being successful in any setting. At school it is the demands that set him off so he leaves class. He went to PHP and was triggered by the kids who have outward behavior issues and had panic attacks. He gets overwhelmed at school and cries and cries. He is cognitively very bright but has ADHD and can be disruptive. Any corrective feedback he views as hostile and he feels attacked and cries and cries (loudly) and leaves class. What school can accommodate a sensitive kids with so many needs. He is also socially fine (when he is not upset) and cognitively gifted so he needs a social group. We are in MOCO. Where would you send him to school?

To be blunt - there will never be a program for children with emotional/behavioral needs that doesn't also have other children with emotional/behavioral needs. If he needs an emotional support setting due to meltdowns, work refusal, and classroom disruption then he will likely be in a program with other students with behavior issues. IMO, panic attacks due to other children's behaviors are something he can work on within that setting to develop more coping strategies and to focus on himself. There are variations in programs, though. Bridge tends to have less aggressive behaviors than other emotional support program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am heartbroken. My child fits no mold and is struggling with being successful in any setting. At school it is the demands that set him off so he leaves class. He went to PHP and was triggered by the kids who have outward behavior issues and had panic attacks. He gets overwhelmed at school and cries and cries. He is cognitively very bright but has ADHD and can be disruptive. Any corrective feedback he views as hostile and he feels attacked and cries and cries (loudly) and leaves class. What school can accommodate a sensitive kids with so many needs. He is also socially fine (when he is not upset) and cognitively gifted so he needs a social group. We are in MOCO. Where would you send him to school?

To be blunt - there will never be a program for children with emotional/behavioral needs that doesn't also have other children with emotional/behavioral needs. If he needs an emotional support setting due to meltdowns, work refusal, and classroom disruption then he will likely be in a program with other students with behavior issues. IMO, panic attacks due to other children's behaviors are something he can work on within that setting to develop more coping strategies and to focus on himself. There are variations in programs, though. Bridge tends to have less aggressive behaviors than other emotional support program.

+1

RICA mom here---Behaviors at RICA aren't really an issue. It's not that they don't exist; of course they do. But the school is set up to deal with them both in terms of personnel and space. So while in a comprehensive school, the rest of the kids evacuate a classroom when a child has an incident, at RICA, the teacher calls support to come and assist. The support personnel remove the child and take them to a safe space. That is their primary job. There is no waiting until someone is available--they are always available and there are back up people if more than one incident occurs simultaneously.

There is a slight interruption in classroom learning but it really is just a few minutes. But yes, the other students do witness the initial outburst. The teacher then returns to teaching. The therapist for the child who is having issues is called to process in the moment. When I read about the learning lost in comprehensive schools due to classroom evacuations, I think RICA has an amazing model. Learning is minimally disrupted while the child that needs help gets it. Seriously, what more can you ask for?

And I know RICA is the outlier for academics. But for my 2e kid, it has been amazing. He was able to access the ELA and compacted math curriculums in elem school. As he's moved into MS, the teachers have worked to differentiate his learning to be on par with the honors levels. RICA even offers AP level classes in some subjects depending on demand.

It's not perfect, but it's darn good. If I could change anything it would be the lack of extra curricular/club opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am heartbroken. My child fits no mold and is struggling with being successful in any setting. At school it is the demands that set him off so he leaves class. He went to PHP and was triggered by the kids who have outward behavior issues and had panic attacks. He gets overwhelmed at school and cries and cries. He is cognitively very bright but has ADHD and can be disruptive. Any corrective feedback he views as hostile and he feels attacked and cries and cries (loudly) and leaves class. What school can accommodate a sensitive kids with so many needs. He is also socially fine (when he is not upset) and cognitively gifted so he needs a social group. We are in MOCO. Where would you send him to school?

To be blunt - there will never be a program for children with emotional/behavioral needs that doesn't also have other children with emotional/behavioral needs. If he needs an emotional support setting due to meltdowns, work refusal, and classroom disruption then he will likely be in a program with other students with behavior issues. IMO, panic attacks due to other children's behaviors are something he can work on within that setting to develop more coping strategies and to focus on himself. There are variations in programs, though. Bridge tends to have less aggressive behaviors than other emotional support program.

I am really sorry. My child has a similar profile. We have considered (or my child has previously attended) some of the options suggested here. We ended up trying therapeutic boarding for a year and now residential treatment (although there is limited difference between the two). My child has made progress but still has outbursts.

We worked with an educational consultant and I think it is advisable to do so (even though I am personally frustrated with the educational consultant we chose).