Private (typical) school that welcome parents providing a shadow for their ASD kid?

[Anonymous]

Hi,
I have a 6 yr old girl with autism who will enter First grade this Fall. We are moving to NoVa this summer and looking for a school and place to live within 15 miles from Clarendon where my husband works.
My daughter is verbal, has very strong academics, no disruptive behavior, but needs help with language, social skills and flexibility.
She's currently at a private school (in a kindergarten classroom with 16 typical kids) with 1:1 behavioral therapist from an ABA agency (mostly covered by our insurance). The therapist at school provides social opportunities (e.g. setting up games during outdoor times) and making sure the skills my daughter needs to be more successful at school are targeted at the home ABA program.
My questions are:
- Which private school (with typical kids) in NoVA/MD welcome an ASD kid who brings in 1:1 aide?
- As for public school, what's the support for SN kids who are mainstreamed (is it typical to get a 1:1 well-trained aide)?
- Has anyone get insurance cover ABA for school and/or home program? If I'm not mistaken, VA mandates autism coverage but MD doesn't?
- Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Off the top of my head the two schools (private) that I am thinking of won't allow the aide. I think your best bet will be an IEP through public, but maybe others have better ideas. The LAB school might work. Ivymont?

[Anonymous]

Lab does not take students with ASDs.

I am not aware of any private schools that allow one on one aids. You may have better luck in public school. You also might look into the Model Aspergers program at Ivymount which has students that sound alot like your DD.

[Anonymous]

To answer one of your questions, I think a public school paying for a 1:1 aide in the scenario you describe would be extremely unusual.

[Anonymous]

I'm amazed that your insurance paid for a private aide at school all day! How did you manage that?

You will not get that level of 1:1 support through an IEP in public school. Your daughter will share an aide in the general ed class with several other children all with different needs. The aides are frequently untrained in special ed/ABA. Basically warm bodies working an hourly wage. It is unlikely the aide will be trained in ABA.

You can ask for social skills support during recess, social skills groups/lunch bunch, support during transitions, time in the resource room with the special education teachers, etc.

[Anonymous]

This is second-hand, but I heard that Jewish Primary Day School allows for shadows.

[Anonymous]

We're in CA and insurance mandate ABA coverage. My daughter goes to kinder only half-day and we still have to pay for school tuition and co-pays for the therapist.
It's financially hard, but it's still less than paying for advocates when we're in public school last year. We're so stressed dealing with public school at that time and honestly, I'm so nervous to go back to public school when we move to NoVa.

So, it's not common in NoVa and MD to have a trained full time 1:1 aide for an ASD kid in mainstream classroom? How about in Fairfax and Arlington? Who would be taking data to make sure the IEP goals are met, if the aides aren't trained and have to cover multiple kids?

[Anonymous]

OP,

I would also look at a SN school like Auburn, Newton, or Oakwood. In the right school, your kid might not need an aid.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, I don't have any known recs for you. If you have looked into aba providers you could ask them for school recs. I know that one of our past therapists (that moved out of the area) was a shadow at a school during the day. Of course they did not share the details for confidentiality, but that might be a reliable place to start.

[Anonymous]

I would check with Brookwood n Kensington, if you don't mind a Catholic school.

[Anonymous]

A few Jewish preschools we looked at in DC and MD were open to having a shadow, so I would look at the Jewish Day Schools, if that's something that could work for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few Jewish preschools we looked at in DC and MD were open to having a shadow, so I would look at the Jewish Day Schools, if that's something that could work for you.

Preschool isn't Day School.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few Jewish preschools we looked at in DC and MD were open to having a shadow, so I would look at the Jewish Day Schools, if that's something that could work for you.

Not only is it not preschool, but you have to be comfortable with the dual curriculum and unlike like some of the Christian faith schools, in the Jewish day schools, there is a very heavy emphasis on religion. Judiacs is taught for 1/2 the day in the lower school---that at or may not be something you're interested in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few Jewish preschools we looked at in DC and MD were open to having a shadow, so I would look at the Jewish Day Schools, if that's something that could work for you.

I knew a child a Hebrew Day Institute who had a shadow in 3rd or 4th grade, so I agree that a Jewish Day School is a good place to look if you are Jewish.

I also knew a child at Lowell who had a shadow part time in 2nd.

[Anonymous]

What's a typical class size in lower grade? 20/30/40 kids per class?