Bullis, Landon, St. Andrew's, McLean, Norwood, Burke, Field, WES???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear OP - we tried several options including two of the schools on your list and public. The stand out was Commonwealth Academy in N. Alexandria where we have last child now. Superb school, very small, but college-prep for ADHD and exec. functioning kids. Rated no. 1 recently for DC SN schools and 16th in the nation. Obviously I don't know where you live, but call the admissions director, Josh Gwilliam, and chat with him over the phone and, if interested, he will put you in touch with parents in your child's grade. Sixth grade is a good time to enter. If distance is an issue, there is a giant map across from admissions with tacks in it for every family so that families can arrange car pools.

I'm interested in the ratings for DC and nationwide special needs schools. Can you provide links to the sources? Thanks.

Here it is: http://www.masters-in-special-education.com/50-best-private-special-needs-schools/

This is really helpful. Thanks for posting.

[Anonymous]

You're welcome. BTW, I'm not the person posting anti-WES. That's another member of the WES diaspora. I try to post only positive information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not WES. We pulled our DC with ADHD out of WES. They were awful.

OP again - Where did you go that met your needs better? And what did they do differently? thanks!

Public with an IEP. It's made a world of difference. WES never followed through with promised accommodations, and some of the teachers lacked patience.

[Anonymous]

No on WES.

[Anonymous]

Very bad experience at WES. Teachers too impatient to actually teach -- they were always yelling!

[Anonymous]

We have been at WES for several years, which has included middle school (as OP requested). It has been a great experience. There are a variety of teachers with a variety of styles. I wish schools would recognize that different kids and parents need certain styles and be willing to switch them more easily, and I wish that the "WES diaspora" would give it a rest. Just because it didn't work for your child doesn't mean that it isn't great for someone else's. There has been turnover of some really fine teachers in the younger grades, but that problem should be fixed next year with a new LS head.

Both of my kids had friends with different learning styles who have been accommodated, but I did see one boy leave because he needed almost constant teacher supervision. There is only so much that a school with 200 odd kids can do. Know your child, know their needs, do your research and keep an open mind.

[Anonymous]

We also had a very positive experience at WES for the past three years. Our DC's teachers were all caring and spot on in their evaluations. Excellent communications too.

Surprised and sorry to hear about bad experiences reflected by ex-WES parents above.

OP: I would suggest to take a tour of the school, arrange a playdate and trust your instincts. Same goes for other schools mentioned previously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A long list, but these are schools I've found that appear to "get" disorganized boys and work with them to help improve organizational skills and/or to have some sort of accommodations in place for students with ADD and/or a staff learning specialist, learning center, etc. This would be for a 6th grader. Would really appreciate any input from parents who have seen the school work with their child's deficits in a supportive, constructive manner that has resulted in the student being well equipped for high school. Also, if you could share WHAT the techniques were that worked, it would be appreciated. TIA!

Bullis - I grew up in the area. Bullis always had a terrific reputation. Why is it so awful? Our educational consultant actually mentioned Bullis as a good possibility for our DS who also has ADHD

Landon - Not a good choice for an ADHD kid. super uptight, students have very entitled attitudes as do the parents. Lots of recent scandals involving students and teachers.

St. Andrew's - lovely school, nice parent population. Accommodating school to a degree. If your child has more than "mild" ADHD then look elsewhere.

McLean - great choice

ADD boy at Landon. They've been terrific!

Norwood - eh....good school but like STA, not really a school for an ADHD kid.

Burke - very progressive school, lots of kids with various learning profiles but from what I understand - they do not offer accommodations.

Field - only if your kid loves sports.

WES - I have a friend who's DD is a 6th grader at WES. Her DD loves it, they are new to the school. Nothing negative to say about WES.

Lastly, I would ask your question on the Special Needs board. Lots of ADHD discussions there.

Thanks all, this is OP. I have taken Landon off our list HOWEVER I do not agree with the comments here. I met many boys with ADD at Landon who spoke with me at length. I did not get a chance to tour the learning center, but I'm impressed with their resources and staffing. Some of you may wish to check further.

[Anonymous]

McLean parent here. I think you should seriously consider McLean. They have added direct teaching of executive function skills in their curriculum. Explicitly teaching these skills are more meaningful and useful than just receiving accommodations. My son has had a lot of help with executive functioning in the form of organizing ideas before writing and his work has really improved. Personally I have found that a lot of privates want to appear accommodating and open to all kids, but they are not really. Make sure your observations match their sales' pitches. It's only my opinion, but if you are looking for an individualized learning environment with really smart, special education type teachers, I would consider McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McLean parent here. I think you should seriously consider McLean. They have added direct teaching of executive function skills in their curriculum. Explicitly teaching these skills are more meaningful and useful than just receiving accommodations. My son has had a lot of help with executive functioning in the form of organizing ideas before writing and his work has really improved. Personally I have found that a lot of privates want to appear accommodating and open to all kids, but they are not really. Make sure your observations match their sales' pitches. It's only my opinion, but if you are looking for an individualized learning environment with really smart, special education type teachers, I would consider McLean.

+1 on the privates that "want to appear accommodating but they're not" --- smile and nod sympathetically when you're describing DC challenges pre-enrollment and describe as "lacking responsibility" post-enrollment. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A long list, but these are schools I've found that appear to "get" disorganized boys and work with them to help improve organizational skills and/or to have some sort of accommodations in place for students with ADD and/or a staff learning specialist, learning center, etc. This would be for a 6th grader. Would really appreciate any input from parents who have seen the school work with their child's deficits in a supportive, constructive manner that has resulted in the student being well equipped for high school. Also, if you could share WHAT the techniques were that worked, it would be appreciated. TIA!

Bullis - I grew up in the area. Bullis always had a terrific reputation. Why is it so awful? Our educational consultant actually mentioned Bullis as a good possibility for our DS who also has ADHD

Landon - Not a good choice for an ADHD kid. super uptight, students have very entitled attitudes as do the parents. Lots of recent scandals involving students and teachers.

St. Andrew's - lovely school, nice parent population. Accommodating school to a degree. If your child has more than "mild" ADHD then look elsewhere.

McLean - great choice

Norwood - eh....good school but like STA, not really a school for an ADHD kid.

Burke - very progressive school, lots of kids with various learning profiles but from what I understand - they do not offer accommodations.

Field - only if your kid loves sports.

WES - I have a friend who's DD is a 6th grader at WES. Her DD loves it, they are new to the school. Nothing negative to say about WES.

Lastly, I would ask your question on the Special Needs board. Lots of ADHD discussions there.

Holy sh*t. I'm just a lurker but i had to post a reply. OP: Plz ignore above. Hard to imagine, but wrong on just about all accounts!

[Anonymous]

My friend's DD who has inattentive ADHD & some processing issues goes to Burke & seems to be having a wonderful experience there.

[Anonymous]

another McLean parent here - this is a great choice for a kid that can handle academic rigor but needs support to do it - it's a whole school approach and not a learning center or classes on the side, which was what attracted us. our daughter was in middle school and now in high school and has come a long way due to their approach and small classes

[Anonymous]

Commonwealth Academy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Commonwealth Academy.

Sounds like the OP was looking for schools in a certain geographic area given the schools listed. Commonwealth would be far in rush hour.