Private schools for kids with dyslexia + ADHD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I want to clarify that I am not the player who says she doesn’t know where to place her child.

My kid has a definite dyslexia and ADHD diagnosis. She’s currently in 1st grade at a K-8. I posted because I’m thinking about what options we might have moving forward. She has a high IQ (99th percentile overall and maxed out the test on visual-spatial reasoning).

No good answers for you and I worked in the field. The new lower school campus of Sienna school is a small dark run down church basement (ask about asbestos flooring) at premium private school prices. The outdoor area is not secure and not a safe distance from the highway from an air quality perspective. The kids are nice but insular and the school is very special needs focused. Education is child led, ans special needs focused, so not necessarily challenging.
McLean is going through some growing pains. K-8 private schools do not want yo spend the time, money, or resources on your child's disability.

It's a though road. I wish I had answers for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I want to clarify that I am not the player who says she doesn’t know where to place her child.

My kid has a definite dyslexia and ADHD diagnosis. She’s currently in 1st grade at a K-8. I posted because I’m thinking about what options we might have moving forward. She has a high IQ (99th percentile overall and maxed out the test on visual-spatial reasoning).

So, what you're saying is....you don't know where to send your kid.

No. I am trying to do some thinking about the future, to get a sense of our options. I wanted to know whether there are schools that simply will not serve students with LDs.

The other poster is in a much more immediate situation because she believes her child’s current school is not serving her needs.

Most will say they serve kids with LD's but few actually do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's seperate dyslexia from neurodiversity. A child can have dyslexia and be otherwise completely typically functioning. While there is oftern some co-morbidity, their are a number of dyslexic kids that do not have ADD+ issues, ASD issues, social-emotional issues, etc.

These kids can be extremely hard to place. They are in need of academic coaching and in most cases remediation, especially if they are smart and have a high EQ as well. They are often late to diagnosis with excellent coping skills.

A school like Siena is not a good fit. They are not set up for a typically developing child. They are set up for the child with co-morbities of some kid and are harmful to the child that needs only dyslexia intervention. There is also some progressive political controvery there that is talked about in my circle of special needs families.

A school like McC is better socially but does not specialize.

A public school does not have enough support and the kids will be lumped in with the behavior problems.

A catholic school with an IEP may be a good fit if large enough and you get a spot. But, depending on the level of LD may not be enough so you are paying tuition plus tutors.

I feel for the parents of the single dx kid. There are no good answers.

Like anything, neurodiversity is a spectrum and learning differences like dyslexia are part of that. But even if you want to argue otherwise, the PP says their child has dyslexia and they suspect ADHD. Siena may still not be a good fit if the school focuses on behaviorally neurodiverse children, but that sounds like neurodiversity to me.

Also, “McC” is not a thing. The school is the McLean School, not McClean.

No actually. Dyslexia is not part of the spectrum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's seperate dyslexia from neurodiversity. A child can have dyslexia and be otherwise completely typically functioning. While there is oftern some co-morbidity, their are a number of dyslexic kids that do not have ADD+ issues, ASD issues, social-emotional issues, etc.

These kids can be extremely hard to place. They are in need of academic coaching and in most cases remediation, especially if they are smart and have a high EQ as well. They are often late to diagnosis with excellent coping skills.

A school like Siena is not a good fit. They are not set up for a typically developing child. They are set up for the child with co-morbities of some kid and are harmful to the child that needs only dyslexia intervention. There is also some progressive political controvery there that is talked about in my circle of special needs families.

A school like McC is better socially but does not specialize.

A public school does not have enough support and the kids will be lumped in with the behavior problems.

A catholic school with an IEP may be a good fit if large enough and you get a spot. But, depending on the level of LD may not be enough so you are paying tuition plus tutors.

I feel for the parents of the single dx kid. There are no good answers.

Like anything, neurodiversity is a spectrum and learning differences like dyslexia are part of that. But even if you want to argue otherwise, the PP says their child has dyslexia and they suspect ADHD. Siena may still not be a good fit if the school focuses on behaviorally neurodiverse children, but that sounds like neurodiversity to me.

Also, “McC” is not a thing. The school is the McLean School, not McClean.

No actually. Dyslexia is not part of the spectrum.

No, it’s not part of “the spectrum” as in ASD or autism, of course not. I probably shouldn’t have used the term spectrum given its specificity as “the” spectrum in reference to that. But dyslexia and other learning differences are a type of neurodiversity. Dyslexic brains literally work differently than those of neurotypical students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's seperate dyslexia from neurodiversity. A child can have dyslexia and be otherwise completely typically functioning. While there is oftern some co-morbidity, their are a number of dyslexic kids that do not have ADD+ issues, ASD issues, social-emotional issues, etc.

These kids can be extremely hard to place. They are in need of academic coaching and in most cases remediation, especially if they are smart and have a high EQ as well. They are often late to diagnosis with excellent coping skills.

A school like Siena is not a good fit. They are not set up for a typically developing child. They are set up for the child with co-morbities of some kid and are harmful to the child that needs only dyslexia intervention. There is also some progressive political controvery there that is talked about in my circle of special needs families.

A school like McC is better socially but does not specialize.

A public school does not have enough support and the kids will be lumped in with the behavior problems.

A catholic school with an IEP may be a good fit if large enough and you get a spot. But, depending on the level of LD may not be enough so you are paying tuition plus tutors.

I feel for the parents of the single dx kid. There are no good answers.

Like anything, neurodiversity is a spectrum and learning differences like dyslexia are part of that. But even if you want to argue otherwise, the PP says their child has dyslexia and they suspect ADHD. Siena may still not be a good fit if the school focuses on behaviorally neurodiverse children, but that sounds like neurodiversity to me.

Also, “McC” is not a thing. The school is the McLean School, not McClean.

No actually. Dyslexia is not part of the spectrum.

No, it’s not part of “the spectrum” as in ASD or autism, of course not. I probably shouldn’t have used the term spectrum given its specificity as “the” spectrum in reference to that. But dyslexia and other learning differences are a type of neurodiversity. Dyslexic brains literally work differently than those of neurotypical students.

Hmmm....I think it's possible that you are not understanding the difference between a medical dx and the dsm disorders. Also, I am not sure you understand dyslexia. It is not a type of neurodiversity. That's absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I want to clarify that I am not the player who says she doesn’t know where to place her child.

My kid has a definite dyslexia and ADHD diagnosis. She’s currently in 1st grade at a K-8. I posted because I’m thinking about what options we might have moving forward. She has a high IQ (99th percentile overall and maxed out the test on visual-spatial reasoning).

No good answers for you and I worked in the field. The new lower school campus of Sienna school is a small dark run down church basement (ask about asbestos flooring) at premium private school prices. The outdoor area is not secure and not a safe distance from the highway from an air quality perspective. The kids are nice but insular and the school is very special needs focused. Education is child led, ans special needs focused, so not necessarily challenging.
McLean is going through some growing pains. K-8 private schools do not want yo spend the time, money, or resources on your child's disability.

It's a though road. I wish I had answers for you.

OP here. This is very disheartening, given that studies have shown that upwards of 20% of students have dyslexia to some extent. My kid loves school and has so much to offer. It’s so sad to think that so many schools would simply not want to deal with her because she has trouble with the mechanics of reading. Her reading comprehension and critical thinking skills are terrific.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I want to clarify that I am not the player who says she doesn’t know where to place her child.

My kid has a definite dyslexia and ADHD diagnosis. She’s currently in 1st grade at a K-8. I posted because I’m thinking about what options we might have moving forward. She has a high IQ (99th percentile overall and maxed out the test on visual-spatial reasoning).

No good answers for you and I worked in the field. The new lower school campus of Sienna school is a small dark run down church basement (ask about asbestos flooring) at premium private school prices. The outdoor area is not secure and not a safe distance from the highway from an air quality perspective. The kids are nice but insular and the school is very special needs focused. Education is child led, ans special needs focused, so not necessarily challenging.
McLean is going through some growing pains. K-8 private schools do not want yo spend the time, money, or resources on your child's disability.

It's a though road. I wish I had answers for you.

OP here. This is very disheartening, given that studies have shown that upwards of 20% of students have dyslexia to some extent. My kid loves school and has so much to offer. It’s so sad to think that so many schools would simply not want to deal with her because she has trouble with the mechanics of reading. Her reading comprehension and critical thinking skills are terrific.

Agreed. She's expensive to teach. Private schools opposite on a minimal viable return on tuition model. They want to offer as little as possible for the maximum price for the privilege of being there. Your child will need more resources so they will.pass in order to take on someone that is willing to pay for less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I want to clarify that I am not the player who says she doesn’t know where to place her child.

My kid has a definite dyslexia and ADHD diagnosis. She’s currently in 1st grade at a K-8. I posted because I’m thinking about what options we might have moving forward. She has a high IQ (99th percentile overall and maxed out the test on visual-spatial reasoning).

No good answers for you and I worked in the field. The new lower school campus of Sienna school is a small dark run down church basement (ask about asbestos flooring) at premium private school prices. The outdoor area is not secure and not a safe distance from the highway from an air quality perspective. The kids are nice but insular and the school is very special needs focused. Education is child led, ans special needs focused, so not necessarily challenging.
McLean is going through some growing pains. K-8 private schools do not want yo spend the time, money, or resources on your child's disability.

It's a though road. I wish I had answers for you.

OP here. This is very disheartening, given that studies have shown that upwards of 20% of students have dyslexia to some extent. My kid loves school and has so much to offer. It’s so sad to think that so many schools would simply not want to deal with her because she has trouble with the mechanics of reading. Her reading comprehension and critical thinking skills are terrific.

Agreed. She's expensive to teach. Private schools opposite on a minimal viable return on tuition model. They want to offer as little as possible for the maximum price for the privilege of being there. Your child will need more resources so they will.pass in order to take on someone that is willing to pay for less.

But we are paying for private tutoring and utilizing the learning support team they already have in place.

[Anonymous]

So then where does a bright, dyslexic child go? Surely the answer isn’t just to go to public school, where we know they’ll barely meet the IEP requirements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So then where does a bright, dyslexic child go? Surely the answer isn’t just to go to public school, where we know they’ll barely meet the IEP requirements.

This is exactly the question at hand. It is sadly difficult for these kids to find appropriate schools. I wish I could offer advice. The options and opportunities are bleak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: I want to clarify that I am not the player who says she doesn’t know where to place her child.

My kid has a definite dyslexia and ADHD diagnosis. She’s currently in 1st grade at a K-8. I posted because I’m thinking about what options we might have moving forward. She has a high IQ (99th percentile overall and maxed out the test on visual-spatial reasoning).

No good answers for you and I worked in the field. The new lower school campus of Sienna school is a small dark run down church basement (ask about asbestos flooring) at premium private school prices. The outdoor area is not secure and not a safe distance from the highway from an air quality perspective. The kids are nice but insular and the school is very special needs focused. Education is child led, ans special needs focused, so not necessarily challenging.
McLean is going through some growing pains. K-8 private schools do not want yo spend the time, money, or resources on your child's disability.

It's a though road. I wish I had answers for you.

OP here. This is very disheartening, given that studies have shown that upwards of 20% of students have dyslexia to some extent. My kid loves school and has so much to offer. It’s so sad to think that so many schools would simply not want to deal with her because she has trouble with the mechanics of reading. Her reading comprehension and critical thinking skills are terrific.

Agreed. She's expensive to teach. Private schools opposite on a minimal viable return on tuition model. They want to offer as little as possible for the maximum price for the privilege of being there. Your child will need more resources so they will.pass in order to take on someone that is willing to pay for less.

But we are paying for private tutoring and utilizing the learning support team they already have in place.

Highschools with special programs like OLGCHS and St. John's will see it your way. Regular k-8's, not so much. Maybe call the HS programs and ask for recommendations for feeders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So then where does a bright, dyslexic child go? Surely the answer isn’t just to go to public school, where we know they’ll barely meet the IEP requirements.

Bullis, St. Andrews, Landon, Good Counsel and St. Johns.

[Anonymous]

To offer a different perspective, we have had a gifted, dyslexic child at Siena who started in 4th and overall it’s been a good experience. I would ask the admissions team if you can talk to current 2E families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So then where does a bright, dyslexic child go? Surely the answer isn’t just to go to public school, where we know they’ll barely meet the IEP requirements.

Bullis, St. Andrews, Landon, Good Counsel and St. Johns.

But someone upthread said St Andrew’s told them it wasn’t worth them having their dyslexic child apply. I probably should just call them.

Landon won’t work, as DC is female, but maybe Holton?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To offer a different perspective, we have had a gifted, dyslexic child at Siena who started in 4th and overall it’s been a good experience. I would ask the admissions team if you can talk to current 2E families.

Is your child social? Is it too small for a kid that has a big friend group at current school? Do you think they will continue to thrive when outside of the special ed environment so day? Is the parent education focused on dyslexia or other social issues of the day? What does your child's life outside of school look like?