Parents of kids w/ SPD; question about private school admissions

[Anonymous]

My son has some sensory issues (specifically tactile and auditory defensiveness and a hypersensitivity to movement). Next year, I will be applying to some private schools (schools w/ smaller class sizes) and I was wondering how much info I need to provide the schools we are applying to in the application. He just started OT once a week to address these issues and the therapist believes he won't require too many sessions in order to help him. He still has another year of preschool before he starts K but I am not sure what to write on his applications. Public school is a last resort since the class sizes in our local school are huge and will not be the right environment for him. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Quite frankly, I kept this part of my son's life quiet. He's highly, highly integrated and manages well though.

My sense is that the usual suspect privates were not enthusiastic about specialized accommodations and 'help' (based on questions *other* parents asked during tours).

See where your DS actually is when it's time to send in the apps in Oct - Dec. You have a lot of time.

[Anonymous]

If your child's issues can truly be resolved within a few months period of time, I would not mention anything at all. My child has sensory issues and it took years to control, and he's been dx with a very mild condition. Usually OT is required daily at home and since it is neurological based, these things take quite a bit of time to correct. So if his symptoms will last longer then I would not use any labels but mention that your child is a low key kind of kid or something to that effect and he can be sensitive to loud noises or sudden movements.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PPs. I will see how much progress he makes in the next 6 months. His therapist doubts he would qualify for any OT services in the public school since he doesn't have any fine or gross motor delays. Basically, if the environment is right, he will do fine in school. The environment is our local school (and many other publics) would be a nightmare for him (sitting still and paying attention all morning or afternoon long, little or no recess, etc). Even if he requires more than a few months of OT, I doubt I could afford much more. The therapist is aware of my limited finances and she said she will keep that in mind. She will develop a sensory diet for home and preschool soon.

[Anonymous]

My DD has sensory issues and at the suggestion of her preschool, we applied to the small, "progressive" schools and we were rejected outright. My DD is smart, incredibly creative, did great on her WIPSE, but on the play dates, in a new and overstimulating environment, she didn't perform well. I am not surprised but that's all the school wound up looking at. I wish in retrospect, I had walked the school through her issues and been totally upright about them as well as the fact that we are doing intensive work at home and out to improve her condition. And FYI she has improved DRAMATICALLY but I've never met a sensory child even with mild issues that wasn't in OT for less than two years. At the end of the day, it all depends on your child though but that's my perspective and experience.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. Can I ask where you daughter ended up going to school (not the name of the school but was it public or private)? I don't think my son would do well at a progressive school. He likes routine and doesn't do well when he doesn't know what is going to happen next (although he certainly is a very independent thinker!). Did the schools you applied to tell you the reason your daughter wasn't accepted? I posted previously that I can't afford too many sessions of private OT (the only reason I can afford any OT is due to a decent tax refund). My insurance doesn't pay for any of it and like many parents, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

She will be going to public school this Fall --we are lucky to live in a fantastic neighborhood in the district and are very excited about the school. However, we are working very hard over the summer on sensory issues to get her as prepared as we can -- lots of home based programs and bi-weekly OT sessions. I think some people view progressive as loosey goosey but I view it as schools that have curriculums that can work with a diverse student body, as well as having teachers that are trained to work with a range of students -- not special needs, just unique. And I think sensory kids overall need environments where they can be free to be themselves.
Anyway, the schools told us my daughter was rejected because she didn't work on an activity for long on the playdate, she hopped from thing to thing, and one school even said she couldn't write her name (which I didn't know was expected of a 4 year old). In any event, nothing that I personally considered to be alarming.
Can I ask why your insurance doesn't cover OT? It should be covered.

[Anonymous]

Hi. I am the OP. I was told by many of the parents in my online SPD group that most of their insurances do not cover OT services. My son's OT would only be covered if he had a birth defect, if he had an accident and needed OT for rehab or a host of other congenital defects. There is not "code" for SPD currently so it is "experimental" acccording to many insurances. My son doesn't have an fine or gross motor skill deficits (the OT commented on how developed his fine motor skills are esp for a boy anh how neatly he wrote his name) so she couldn't say he was developmentally delayed. So his sensory issues don't fit into a category that would satisfy my insurance company. I pay big bucks for my insurance too (BCBS) since I don't get it through my work. If I were to go through our local Child Find, I am sure he wouldn't qualify for services for free either since he doesn't have those dev. delays. Not much I can do but send him for as long as I can pay per session (over $100 per session). The only good thing about our local public school is that the OT there once worked at my son's OT clinic so she knows about sensory issues so even if he doesn't qualify for services at school, at least she will be aware of what his issues are. Best of luck to your little girl next year!

[Anonymous]

We disclosed some minor issues - which sounded worse on paper, of course - and we were rejected across the board. I wish we had been silent about it on at least one application to see what would have happened. The oh-so-politically-correct people would say, "Oh, you wouldn't want your child to go to a school that's not right for your child," but I'm convinced that the reports caused them to look at DC differently during the process. One AD even told me that if therapists looked at the all the present K students, they'd probably find something to report on all of them, but the fact that we actually pursued therapy and reported it did us in. I'm not happy about it, as you can tell.

[Anonymous]

I totally agree. The days of "revealing everything" to the school are behind us.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the level of support/special services your child is likely to need at school. If your child is doing well in OT, and thriving in nursery school without a lot of special programming, s/he is likely to do well as long as you apply to schools which suit his/her learning style. For this child, you can leave out the details of their issues.

If your child needs a lot more, say extra warnings before transitions, frequent down time, the right to leave the room or retreat to a quiet corner when stressed, visual reminders of the schedule, etc., etc., or if your child is likely to have real problems on the playdate, it's riskier to leave out the reports of current issues and therapies. While it's tempting, I'm not sure how a school would react to an accepted student who suddenly proved to need lots of individual staff time.

Of course, the other point is that most school applications specifically ask whether your child has been evaluated or is receiving any therapy, and you have to sign something saying that you have revealed all information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on the level of support/special services your child is likely to need at school. If your child is doing well in OT, and thriving in nursery school without a lot of special programming, s/he is likely to do well as long as you apply to schools which suit his/her learning style. For this child, you can leave out the details of their issues.

If your child needs a lot more, say extra warnings before transitions, frequent down time, the right to leave the room or retreat to a quiet corner when stressed, visual reminders of the schedule, etc., etc., or if your child is likely to have real problems on the playdate, it's riskier to leave out the reports of current issues and therapies. While it's tempting, I'm not sure how a school would react to an accepted student who suddenly proved to need lots of individual staff time.

Of course, the other point is that most school applications specifically ask whether your child has been evaluated or is receiving any therapy, and you have to sign something saying that you have revealed all information.

Have you experienced this yourself - had a child with issues, disclosed everything to private schools, and still gained admission?

[Anonymous]

I recently had an open and honest discussion with the school after a flat out rejection and upon hearing all the work we were doing with our DS they actually told us they would reopen the file. So you never know. Sometimes schools see things on the play date that they think they won't be able to handle, and sometimes they hear things that they think they won't be able to handle, but sometimes a complete discussion of the issues and insight into the work that's being done to address them can help.

[Anonymous]

I agree with those that recommend discrete/careful disclosure. The schools will know what they need to know from the testing scores & comments, teacher recs, and playdate. You of course must choose a school that is ABLE to meet your child's needs. But given the competitive nature of admissions, no need to give a school a reason to NOT choose your child as long as you feel comfortable that your child will do well at the school. You should understand, of course, that the school can ask you to leave if your child cannot succeed at the school, needs services not available, or is causing distractions/problems for other children. So consider the situation carefully for your child's sake as well as others'. I'm sure that you would.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Of course, the other point is that most school applications specifically ask whether your child has been evaluated or is receiving any therapy, and you have to sign something saying that you have revealed all information.

Could you elaborate - what do they ask specifically? What qualifies as an "evaluation?" We recently met with a child psychologist to address some sleep issues but she also had DS play with some puzzles etc while he was there, and the Dr filled out a sheet on his performance (did not discuss with me or give me a copy but I saw mostly if not all Cs?)... is that deemed an evaluation?