Thoughts on Mclean School (in Potomac) for our kids

[Anonymous]

Very interesting post re McLean and Maddux. Have friends w/kids at Maddux, and YES many are on the autism spectrum, though some more milder than others. And NO Maddux will never come out and say that they are a school for ASD kids, as that is not their mission. But because many kids with ASD exhibit the challenges that Maddux addresses (social skills, regulation, language, fine motor) then by default kids with autism end up there.

A word about Aspergers--It's kids who are gifted but have difficulties socializing with their peers. Sometimes they have unusual obsessions (transportation, numbers, words...) Many child psychologists still argue whether or not it should be categorized as ASD.

And McLean. Visited twice, wanted to like it, but agree w/PP--I thought I was the only one bothered by the cluttered classrooms. Made my own sensory system 'overloaded'--seriously. Would never put my sensory sensitive kid in that situation every day all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very interesting post re McLean and Maddux. Have friends w/kids at Maddux, and YES many are on the autism spectrum, though some more milder than others. And NO Maddux will never come out and say that they are a school for ASD kids, as that is not their mission. But because many kids with ASD exhibit the challenges that Maddux addresses (social skills, regulation, language, fine motor) then by default kids with autism end up there.

A word about Aspergers--It's kids who are gifted but have difficulties socializing with their peers. Sometimes they have unusual obsessions (transportation, numbers, words...) Many child psychologists still argue whether or not it should be categorized as ASD.

And McLean. Visited twice, wanted to like it, but agree w/PP--I thought I was the only one bothered by the cluttered classrooms. Made my own sensory system 'overloaded'--seriously. Would never put my sensory sensitive kid in that situation every day all day.

Me three. Another poster with the exact same impression. Not the place for my kid.

[Anonymous]

I really wanted to like it too. I was also put off by the super long day.

[Anonymous]

15:11 - Aren't the kids at McLean pretty similar to Maddux kids? I thought a lot of Maddux grads went there. I had a hard time personally getting a feel for the McLean kids, so I'd welcome anyone else's impression.

[Anonymous]

The person that posted the info about Maddux. Did your friend(s) so outside therapy along with Maddux? Did they get anything from the county? where did their children go after Maddux or are they still there. Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very interesting post re McLean and Maddux. Have friends w/kids at Maddux, and YES many are on the autism spectrum, though some more milder than others. And NO Maddux will never come out and say that they are a school for ASD kids, as that is not their mission. But because many kids with ASD exhibit the challenges that Maddux addresses (social skills, regulation, language, fine motor) then by default kids with autism end up there.

A word about Aspergers--It's kids who are gifted but have difficulties socializing with their peers. Sometimes they have unusual obsessions (transportation, numbers, words...) Many child psychologists still argue whether or not it should be categorized as ASD.

And McLean. Visited twice, wanted to like it, but agree w/PP--I thought I was the only one bothered by the cluttered classrooms. Made my own sensory system 'overloaded'--seriously. Would never put my sensory sensitive kid in that situation every day all day.

But DC has obsessions too and trouble socializing. But he's not ASD and not even Aspergers. He has a regulatory issue (sensory and some anxiety). His trouble socializing is not that he can't. He can. But he's nervous and anxious with bossy or aggressive kids and so he clams up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The person that posted the info about Maddux. Did your friend(s) so outside therapy along with Maddux? Did they get anything from the county? where did their children go after Maddux or are they still there. Thanks for your help.

Some did do outside ST and OT, others did not, it really depends on the needs of the kid, and to be honest, how much $ is left after paying the tuition. Some go to Fitness for Health, which is like OT. Some friends still have kids there, some have graduated. All went on to schools with small classes.

[Anonymous]

We liked McLean but had to turn it down because of the cost. I did want to say that upon our initial meeting with the admissions director there, she did state up front that it was not a good placement for kids on the spectrum. I believe she said it was b/c they do not utilize a behavioral approach and she didn't think the school would work for ASD kids. Maybe kids on the milder end of the spectrum would do well there, depending on their needs. What I loved about McLean was the curriculum, the loving nature of the teachers, and the small classroom size. The cluttered K class did not bother me - most K rooms I see look similar. We loved their specials, the science lab, and lots of putdoor space. I also agree that the day at McLean is a bit long and hate the idea of not being able to have the day to day contact with the school at dropoff and pickup (b/c all kids need to be bussed in) - but if you have the money - I think it is a very nice option for kids who fall in between being ready/doing well in tradtional big public school classroom, but don't necessarily need Lab or a school with only 5 or 6 kids per class. As others stated, they are still looking for more kids for K. I thought the people in the admissions office were wonderful, by the way. We found them to be very welcoming. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

So, what kinds of kids do go to Mclean then? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, what kinds of kids do go to Mclean then? Just curious.

Seems like a kids with ADHD type issues, some regulatory issues, lots of speech/language issues, mild LD. I think their point about the ASD kids is they don't do ABA or Floortime models as part of their curriculum, at least that was the impression I got. The couple of times we visited, we saw kids who had mild-severe speech/language issues, some very typical seeming kids, and kids who perhaps were not able to attend in a classroom sitting, lets say, in a chair. Kids were allowed to lie on the floor to do their work, in a comfy chair, they can walk around if needed. Just more flexiblity than traditional school plus small classroom size. I would really encourage you to call the director there and ask these questions and also ask if you can be in touch with one or two current parents of kids in the grade you are looking at.

[Anonymous]

They told me most their kids need help with pragmatics. If most ASD kids need help with pragmatics but they don't take most ASD kids I'd like to know who they are taking then? I doubt many schools would like to publicize that they take mostly ASD kids, but I think thats what Mclean takes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They told me most their kids need help with pragmatics. If most ASD kids need help with pragmatics but they don't take most ASD kids I'd like to know who they are taking then? I doubt many schools would like to publicize that they take mostly ASD kids, but I think thats what Mclean takes.

That's exactly what McLean's 'struggle' to admit has been in the last few years. They themselves are not able to define what their mission is as far as accepting kids with 'needs'. Some say they are striving to be a mainstream small private school with a rigorous curriculum and expections, and are hoping to get away from the LD track. Other say they end up with more and more kids with needs, because they struggle with admission efforts, and well, they have to fill those $20K+ seats. They either need to decide to become a school for kids who learn differently and needs some supports (sort of like a Maddux, maybe with more academic focus and less support--) or re-define themselves as a private school for all typical kids.

As a note, there's a kind of nasty administrator there who has something to do with curriculum or something (no a division director or an admissions person) . (She has long brown hair) The times I visited, she clearly stated that 'McLean is NOT a special education school..." a little too strongly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, what kinds of kids do go to Mclean then? Just curious.

Seems like a kids with ADHD type issues, some regulatory issues, lots of speech/language issues, mild LD. I think their point about the ASD kids is they don't do ABA or Floortime models as part of their curriculum, at least that was the impression I got. The couple of times we visited, we saw kids who had mild-severe speech/language issues, some very typical seeming kids, and kids who perhaps were not able to attend in a classroom sitting, lets say, in a chair. Kids were allowed to lie on the floor to do their work, in a comfy chair, they can walk around if needed. Just more flexiblity than traditional school plus small classroom size. I would really encourage you to call the director there and ask these questions and also ask if you can be in touch with one or two current parents of kids in the grade you are looking at.

Don't think this is the case. DS is ADHD and has sensory issues.
Strong IQ. Did not get into K last year, however a friend of ours did (completely typical in development. Go figure.)

[Anonymous]

They definitely still have room in K for this year. Where did you end up going instead? I think that they might have room in the incoming 1st grade class if you are still interested. How did the friend like it?

[Anonymous]

Friend is leaving. We went to Bethesda public. Class size is large and the year was a struggle for sure. Have yet to find "magic" school.