GT/LD/ADHD - schools
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Anonymous
Hate to tell you but no SN private school is going to have the type of academics you are looking for if a Big 5 school could not. We had a long discussion about this with our neuropsych for our ASD/ADHD kid with an IQ in the profoundly gifted range who does not have LDs. Our son currently attends a language immersion school which does provide challenges bc he has to work at the target language in reading and writing which is an innate characteristic of Mandarin. We especially like the fact that he has to "work" at something academic and not slide along bc it is "easy". Most SN private schools like Lab, etc provide academic remediation not acceleration. The private schools that can provide challenges are schools like GDS, Sidwell, St. Albans and St Anselm's but like AAP, they are not ideal for someone with your son's profile either. If you are looking for math acceleration, you will probably be best off in AAP even with the large classes. |
Anonymous
If processing speed percentiles are like IQ, then it would be in the 3rd-4th percentile. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
PP here. I would normally agree with you, but I have heard from multiple credible sources that Commonwealth Academy is the exception to this rule. I will check them out tomorrow. |
Anonymous
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SN schools, like other schools, need to have a large enough population to make it all work. IME, they tend to gravitate toward the mild to moderate issues (LD, autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression...) that a special needs student may have. Schools that have established their niche as 2E (like Commonwealth or Lab) also play to a specific "E" with larger populations within that community. For those students that are on the outside of these niches, public school with supplementation, may be the best available option. Also, on the otherside, students that have "run of the mill" more common issues, the public school may be able to handle it just fine.
There are two holes in the public school system for 2E children, the first one is a bright/gifted child who has a very mild LD or issue. This will not be recognized by the public school and if it is, will be a 504 with one or two accommodations. This is the hole that many private schools in the area fill or supplementation at home is what is needed. If the issue is severe enough that the school recognizes it and has experience is dealing with it- the the public school option may be preferable to a private school. The second hole, if for those students that have more severe issues that are recognized by the public school, but are not seen often enough for expertise in a particular school to develop and do not support in the higher level classes (for example, no team taught classes at Honors or AP in HS). The private school also do not have the experience in dealing with these either. So, you have to figure out where your child is, what the public school can offer and what private school can offer and what supplementation needs to be done at home (which will happen regardless of public or private) and what you can afford. You also have to balance the needs of the rest of the family (needs not wants). My experience is with both holes. I have one child in each. For each, we chose public school and supplemented heavily. Mainly because they are math and science kids and we could not supplement the math courses available at their local public school as easily as supplementing their therapies privately. Plus, we determined having a sahp worked better to address their issues than dual working parents and that meant private school was not a financial option. With different parameters, it could have gone the other way. |
Anonymous
I think Rich Weinfeld is great, and I really agree with educating to strengths. Those strengths in a GT child are what will really allow them to be successful in life. BUT, to the extent that this discourages remediation (which I'm sure is not Rich's purpose), I would have to disagree. IME with a 2E child, it is REALLY important to work on remediation (and not just to accommodate). So, for a dyslexic or dysgraphic child, I would REALLY encourage specialized instruction in sound/symbol relationships and language (grammar, spelling, sentence structure, writing organization, etc.). An ADHD child also needs specialized instruction at home and at school about organization in general and thinking thru how to break a problem down into steps, how to recognize and think of other ways of doing problems, how to ask for help, habit development, etc. IME, the mainstream privates which "accept" special needs (like McLean or Field or Burke) really don't have much specialized instruction, although they do seem provide much more in the way of accommodation and individualized attention. The true SN schools (like Lab or Siena or Commonwealth) vary in the kinds of "E" they work with (type of LD and/or ADHD), may offer better specialized instruction, but may have a more difficult time offering challenge, especially over the long term (except for Commonwealth, which seems to promote challenge). Depending on both sides of the 2E, it may be worthwhile looking at an SN school for the short term, especially if the child is young, and trying to set up a situation where the student can be mainstreamed back to public school after 2+ years. Of course, the ability to do that will vary with the depth of the SN, the age, and where the ES, MS and HS breaks happen in the student's life. If you are in MoCo, you should definitely be in touch with Marisa STemple, the GT/LD countywide instructional support specialist, and you should add the MCPS GT/LD programs to your list to investigate -- Barnsley (ES), Bethesda MS (and a couple others) and Walter Johnson HS, all have specific GT/LD programs. You will have to look carefully at whether these programs offer enough remediation vs. just providing accommodation and extra support. The last thing to consider is investing in lots of specialized tutoring in combination with a non-SN school. |
Anonymous
Commonwealth is small enough that it can provide differentiation of coursework depending on the child's needs. There are no more than ten children to a class (middle and upper school). There are two specialized honors diploma -actually four - that the students can choose to work towards. The humanities Honors diploma, for example, requires four years in high school of a foreign language. Our DC went into C/A doing rather poorly at Algebra I but was able to take sequentially Algebra I, II, Geometry, Pre-calk, and just finished Calculus at the end of his junior year so that "A" (fingers crossed) will be on the transcript when DC applies EA/ED to Colleges in the fall. For those students who want to take advanced work in math, science or languages, a proctored online course classroom is conducted daily. One student took Latin (her choice this year). Another student took foreign language courses at NOVA as a junior this entire past year. Our DC was accepted at both George Mason and NOVA to take advanced math and science college courses this summer (look under "nondegree candidates" at NOVA). The school works with the college to make sure that the student is placed in the right college-level class and that all the prep tests (you must pre-qualify for the courses, if prerequisites are posted). My DC and his friends found those tests "easy", especially, in math, for what that's worth. So, in summary, you have options of Honors courses in whatever area you excel in; proctored online courses for advanced or unique programs that interest the student (graded); and college level courses during summer and the school year. DC and friends did well on the SAT (one scored a perfect 800 on math); one killed the ACT, and most of DC's friends are taking four subject matter tests to prepare for applications in the fall. So C/A is doing something right. |
Anonymous
I understand differentiation and I am really glad you have found a great fit for your child and I think C/A is doing a great job in their niche, but not everyone is in their niche. Plus, a couple of things that would not work for everyone. One is summer courses. For example for my DC, summer is a time of needed respite from school. He will take the summer science research programs, because he likes the research aspect, but a full one full scale math course is quite a bit of work. It isn't because math is not his thing, he will be taking the AP Calc BC next year as a junior, but a full year math course over a summer is intense. I would have trouble with my DC taking a math class that has not been taught at the school before, the expertise derived from experience is important. |
Anonymous
My kid has ASD and ADHD so it looks like Commonwealth isn't an option for him. Also, DS has no learning disabilities and does not need academic supports (above grade level across the board) just small class size although he is doing fine currently at a public charter with IEP with 18/19 kids. But he is entering 3rd grade so we are looking at middle schools. |
Anonymous
Based on my conversations with Josh Gilliam, I would not rule out Commonwealth based only on this parent/poster saying that they categorically don't take kids on the spectrum. If you think your child would continue to benefit from a "SN-light" school and the location works for you, check it out and decide directly from them. |
Anonymous
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Our neuropsych does not think DS needs a SN school so we are looking at mainstream private schools but thanks for the clarification. Also, all adult members of our family with similar profiles to DS attended mainstream private schools and did well.
Since the parent seems so adamant that commonwealth does not take kids on the spectrum (does not have a license?) it does not appear particularly welcoming for kids on the spectrum and since we have other options, it's not a school we are considering. |
Anonymous
I agree. I would hate to have to be "in the closet" about my child's diagnosis for fear of other parents' prejudices and fears. For us, one of the huge advantages of a SN school is a parent community that gets it. FWIW, my husband's family also clearly has family members on the spectrum (all undiagnosed). They are basically successful adults having gotten no intervention and, of course, going to mainstream schools -- high functioning kids just weren't identified a generation ago. But I think they would all be happier -- though not necessarily more successful professionally -- had they gotten the kind of intervention I can provide my kid. |
Anonymous
Agree, pp who is looking at mainstream privates. And the first step to "happier" is to be open about the diagnosis and getting interventions. It does not sound like commonwealth is all that open to an ASD diagnosis... |
Anonymous
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For those who say C/A does not welcome children with autism: you only have one parent here saying that, and even he hasn't said it as bluntly as Lab does. Before ruling out any school, check it out. Don't take one anonymous person's opinion on, well, anything!
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