Any current MADDUX families?

[Anonymous]

Have heard great things about program from friends of friends whose kids attend. Can any parents offer any first-hand information on quality of program, support, etc. Would hate to spend $$$$ and no FA, if we can find same in say, McLean or a good county program. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

We are currently at Maddux. What questions did you have? What issues are you looking to address? I think that the program works better for some types of kids. There is a lot of fine motor OT support (3 hours in the classroom and 1/2 hour weekly PE), we've seen a lot of improvement with writing. They work with a SLP for 3.5 hours in the classroom as well. For kids who need frequent, but not particularly intensive movement, they take movement breaks every 15-20 min or so. The day is highly structured, even free play is "guided" meaning basically that they are told to play with play doh, then there is a chime and they are told to to play with Legos, etc., the adults rotate them through the play stations. That is great for some kids, some kids might find that far to controlling/confining. They do some cool stuff with them like drama and yoga.

I know that McLean has PE every day, which I imagine is more intensive, and they go on frequent outside walks. They have an OT and SLP but they do not spend the same intensive time in the classroom regularly to my knowledge.

Have you been to see Maddux? They are adding a first grade next year and may add a second grade after that to become a full primary school.

[Anonymous]

I have heard from people with experience with both that the quality of the support services is higher and more beneficial than those offered through MC. Whether it is $22K better, I can't say. I think that the best way to get a feel for a school is to go and visit once or even twice and look in on the classes. Maddux is pricy but a lot of the kids do go on to do fairly well at public schools. Their program is pretty unique in how highly structured it is, only you can say if it is the best fit for your child. You can submit the time that the OT and SLP spend in the classroom to your insurance or flex fund, which does bring the cost down.

[Anonymous]

OP here--Thanks for responses. Have actually 'toured' Maddux twice, but still cannot unfortunately get feel for it. My child is very bright (tests above average to supperior) but cannot show this intellect in a large class. Also needs the social/peer interaction support, OT as well. I guess I'd like to be sure that there will be some kids who have high academic potential, have strong verbal skills. I am concerned about the structure though.

[Anonymous]

What about Deiner?

[Anonymous]

OP there are some very bright kids at Maddux, mine also tests very highly. What is your concern about the structure? Does your DC like structured situations? Mine would rather take a gymnastics class than go to gym open play, so Maddux is a great fit. I think any school past the play based preschool age is fairly structured, Maddux is just a bit more so. The tremendous focus on fine motor OT has been amazing for my DC. We were very skittish as well but Maddux has worked very well for DC, we've seen a lot of progress and are pleased with our choice. The work in small groups allows them to accomodate kids at varied levels for math and reading.

[Anonymous]

OP are you looking at Maddux for kindergarden? They are adding a first grade next year but keeping the number of classes the same, not sure how many new spots there will be. Not sure how up front they are being about that.

We've been happy with the school and have seen a lot of progress in our child and in the other children there as well. I also had a very hard time getting a feel for it on the tours, there are a variety of kids there. There are definitely some that are very smart and verbal and it is a very language rich program. Some kids have good play and social skills, they might be there more for OT help. There is a lot of support for fine motor OT issues and social issues, more so than in the other programs you mentioned, I think. McLean has some of the same supports but the focus on those issues is not as intense. They have an OT and a SLP but I don't think they spend hours in the classroom each week at McLean. McLean does a few weeks on pragmatic language/social skills in K, it is one of the main program goals at Maddux. I also wondered about the structure but it has been ok. They seem pretty good at picking kids who are a good fit for their program and who have a variety of strengths and weaknesses. We worried about whether or not it was "too much" but it has been a really good fit.

[Anonymous]

OP here again--Thanks again for the in depth, very helpful responses. My concern regarding the structure stems from my child's educational style being more self-directed than consistently directed. I am concerned that being told what to do, when throughout the day might be a bit much. There are actually many program options that are not so structured (Waldorf, Montessori, private schools throughout Maryland & D.C.) But they would not work with his social and OT needs. They would probably try to accommodate, but not address them.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think that is a very valid concern about the structure, that was a sticking point for us. One other way to think about the structure, and again I don't know if you are applying for pre-k or first grade, is that almost all schools past the play based preschools are fairly structured and adult directed. An average public elementary class has 26+ kids and one adult, so it has to be. However it won't have the focus on play skills, social skills and OT that Maddux has.

If you are comparing it to a Montessori or Waldorf (also looked at those options but not a good fit for DC, sadly) it is very different, but imho a child with social and OT issues is not going to do well with Waldorf and many of the Waldorf schools state that you should not apply if your child has special needs. A child with weaker social skills who likes to be self directed is going to keep to him/herself and not develop those skills further in a Montessori environment. Depending on your DC's age they will soon be aging out of being primarily self directed in all but a few environments, like a Montessori, Waldorf or Green Acres which may not work for your child in other important ways.

If your DC is anything like mine he/she avoids activities that are more difficult, it may be that social skill and OT weaknesses could be part of what is making him/her so determined to be self directed. For example, when my DC had an OT evaluation the score for stacking blocks was very poor due to dyspraxia and visual perception problems. No one had ever seen DC play with blocks either at home or school so we were quite surprised, but other activities were chosen to avoid an area of weakness. Not saying that is true of your DC, but something to consider. A hallmark of kids with SPD is a need to be in control.

At Maddux, I think there is some self direction within the structure, for example, at guided play when it is their turn to play with trains they do it however they want, alone or with friends. They do build play time into the day because of the focus on play and social skills which many schools have dropped by the K age, which appealed to us. I'd speak with the director about your concerns, they have a very good sense of the kids who will do well there, I think it's one of the strengths of the staff. They can tell a lot at the playdate and may also go and observe your child in his/her current school.

Which year are you applying for? I believe that the plan is to dial back the structure as the kids get older, but I can't speak to that yet. They will be able to effectively address those other issues though, we have been realy surprised at the progress in just a few months. Having the focus on social skills for 30 hours a week is so much more effective than a weekly social skills group.

Good luck with your choice! I will say that almost all of the current families thought that Maddux was "too much" before starting and are very happy, so you might be surprised.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for slightly less structured alternatives, I believe that McLean also addresses a lot of pragmatic language/social skill issues. Not sure about the level of OT support but I think that they have an OT on staff. Lowell focuses somewhat on social skills in the early years and I believe that some OTs (from Lynne Israel maybe?) work there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Deiner?

Perhaps it's changed since last year, but I toured Deiner last year, and did not like the interaction between the teachers/students. And the kids appeared to have much more needs than Maddux kids.

[Anonymous]

McLean also has a pretty high degree of structure. They have some in class SLP and OT and offer pull out services for an additional fee. If it were my son I'd probably apply to both Maddux and McLean, not sure how many kids Maddux will end up taking in as new students.

[Anonymous]

That's interesting that you say that about Deiner, I think several of the current Maddux families have similar concerns about the teachers at Maddux. I think that a prior poster overstated how happy families are and how many are likely to return.

[Anonymous]

I've toured Maddux a few times, as has a friend, we both thought that the teachers seemed somewhat harsh and the kids seemed flat. Not a lot of smiles or enthusiasm for learning. My friend thought that it had an "institutional feel".

You mentioned McLean, I think they include OT and pragmatic language in their program. I got the sense that it was pretty structured, something to ask about. I was struck by how happy the kids seemed.

[Anonymous]

I have a child at Maddux and we just looked at McLean for next year, so I'm happy to weigh in fwiw. I think that the quality is definitely higher than the county programs at either Maddux or McLean. That said, for $23,000 you could supplement with a lot of great therapy.

If $ is an issue and you think that you might qualify for FA I'd give McLean a try. They also do a lot of work on pragmatic language and put an emphasis on community building which seems great for kids with social issues. They have an OT and SLP as well as a learning specialist, and the kids get a lot of movement in, PE every day and throughout the day. They have all of the pencil grips, special scissors, etc in the classroom. They do some work with the kids in class and you can also get additional pull out services (not sure if that is part of the tuition).

Maddux also has a nice program. The OT focus is on the Handwriting Without Tears program, and they do a 1/2 hour PE each week with the kids. You should be aware that some of the kids have significant issues.

I agree with the poster who said that all schools past the preschool level are more structured. I didn't get the sense that there was really a huge difference in the amount of structure between Maddux and McLean.

Good luck with your decision. I'd probably apply to both and see what your choices end up being.