Help with placement in special needs school

[Anonymous]

I wondering if anyone on this list has worked with a professional to help them identify a special needs school that would best meet the needs of their child? If you know of any professionals who could help me to navigate special needs' schools, I would appreciate if you could provide their contact information. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

We did this and honestly, you need to go visit the schools. The consultant can only guide you and make recommendations and they don't visit the schools every year.

You will get just as much info asking about specific schools here, going to see them and speaking with current parents.

For SN schools, unless you want help with due process, skip the consultant.

[Anonymous]

We didn't use a professional, so I can't guide you but here's a list of the top 50 SN schools in the USA. Are you in DMV? http://www.masters-in-special-education.com/50-best-private-special-needs-schools/

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the resource. We currently reside in Reston, Virginia.

[Anonymous]

We are at Commonwealth Academy - college prep school, 3-12 for kids with ADHD. Very happy. It's listed in the SN list as no. 1 in the D.C. area. Families drive from as far out as Leesburg and N. Potomac. You would probably take I-66 in, then down to N. Alexandria. Happy to answer any questions here but the person at the school to talk to is the admissions director, Josh Gwilliam.

If you don't mind posting, what kind of SNs does your child have?

[Anonymous]

Did you have a neuropsych evaluation? Many schools require this as part of their admissions. Sometimes the tester will give recommendations on schools.

However, I agree with PP. Visit in person. I've found a lot of testers lacking in info on the schools. If you search Virginia and consultant or advocate, you'll probably find some recommendations.

This local list will probably help you:
http://www.exceptionalschoolsfair.com/about-us.html

Do you have a specific diagnosis?

[Anonymous]

Do you have a diagnosis and/or a sense of what skills your child needs support with? If you post here with what support you're looking for, you'll get a list to at least give you direction in your initial search.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PPs that it's best to visit the schools. There are many I have heard good things about, but recs depend on the diagnosis and severity. My child has LD and we looked into McLean and Lab.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for all of your great responses. We have had a neuropsychological evaluation completed. My child is currently in the 5th grade and and has been diagnosed with a language disorder, with delays in both expressive and receptive language. Child also experiences anxiety and attention issues. Thank you again for all of your suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I definitely recommend a consultant. The Weinfeld group is excellent. So is Suzie Blattner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for all of your great responses. We have had a neuropsychological evaluation completed. My child is currently in the 5th grade and and has been diagnosed with a language disorder, with delays in both expressive and receptive language. Child also experiences anxiety and attention issues. Thank you again for all of your suggestions.

OP my DS has this same diagnosis. He's in 6th. We are considering Siena, Chelsea and Kingsbury.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for all of your great responses. We have had a neuropsychological evaluation completed. My child is currently in the 5th grade and and has been diagnosed with a language disorder, with delays in both expressive and receptive language. Child also experiences anxiety and attention issues. Thank you again for all of your suggestions.

OP my DS has this same diagnosis. He's in 6th. We are considering Siena, Chelsea and Kingsbury.

These schools would be a good match. As would Lab and Commonwealth. (It doesn't matter who suggested it, it sill fits this profile.) Maybe McLean.

PP, you may also want to consider Jemicy School.

[Anonymous]

If you are in Reston, you also may want to consider Newton. I, too, found that it was best to visit the schools. I remember working with someone when we were first looking at privates. The consultant (who was actually the person who did my dc's neuropsych) was convinced that a certain school was perfect for my dc. I am not going to name it b/c I don't want to disparage a school. It may be perfect for some kids but when dh and I visited we knew that it wasn't the place for our dc. At our next meeting with our consultant/neuropsych, I asked when was the last time he visited said school. He said that it had been several years. Ah! The fact is that special needs schools change more rapidly than other privates due to the nature of the population so you really do need to visit and see whether you can see your kiddo there. I visited another school and immediately knew it was the place for my dc. When I dropped him off for his school visit and he started chatting with the admissions director, I had tears in my eyes b/c I knew that he had found "his school." And he had. My two cents: Visit your self.

[Anonymous]

8:30 again. And it is fairly easy to figure out where to visit. Pretty much all of the admissions directors will talk to you on the phone and you can get a feel for whether the school makes sense to visit. Also, some schools are geared towards younger kids so someone who is in 5th grade isn't going to visit a school that ends in 6th. Or someone in 1st grade isn't going to visit a school that starts in 4th. So that limits your pool. Further, someone in Virginia, isn't going to drive to a school in Howard County, etc. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I have a SN son and we found Pam Tedeschi, a local educational consultant, to be extremely well versed in all the various SN schools. I recommend her. We've been very happy with our SN school (which I am not going to name because what may be well suited for some may not be for others -- it all depends on your child's needs).