Lake Braddock or Robinson for daughter with ADHD & Dyslexia?

[Anonymous]

DD is a bright girl but also has some challenges, including ADHD (the full type with hyperactivity) and dyslexia. She does well in a public school environment and is quite social so one of the small private schools that specialize in ADHD wouldn't be her cup of tea. Our current middle school is lousy, based on experience with another of our children, and we're considering moving to the Burke/Fairfax Station area. Any feedback on how Lake Braddock or Robinson handle special needs in middle schoolers and high schoolers? Or is there another school you'd recommend?

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a bright girl but also has some challenges, including ADHD (the full type with hyperactivity) and dyslexia. She does well in a public school environment and is quite social so one of the small private schools that specialize in ADHD wouldn't be her cup of tea. Our current middle school is lousy, based on experience with another of our children, and we're considering moving to the Burke/Fairfax Station area. Any feedback on how Lake Braddock or Robinson handle special needs in middle schoolers and high schoolers? Or is there another school you'd recommend?

Thanks in advance!

I don't know the answer to your question as we live in a different part of the county, but he had a horrific experience in MS BUT the HS in the same pyramid has been fantastic. Don't necessarily go by the MS expereince as a guide.

[Anonymous]

Both schools are very good and will accommodate your DD. Do you already have either a 504 or IEP on file to ensure the proper accommodations are in place? The key difference between the schools that you may want to consider is that Lake Braddock is an AP school and Robinson is an IB school.

[Anonymous]

Have you considered just a few streets over at Irving/West Springfield?

That pyramid has the advantage of offering separate campuses for middle (7th & 8th) and high school. Because of this, both schools are smaller. Irving is actually under capacity. The test scores of all three schools are very comparable and they tend to jockey back and forth for things like rankings, SATs, etc. All three have similar types of families (educated, involved parents, smart, motivated kids).

Irving is a very nurturing school. I think it wpuld be a great place for a kid who needs a little more time or attention.

Based on the limited info in your post, I would recommend WSHS/Irving for your child.over the other two schools.

[Anonymous]

I do not have personal experience with Lake Braddock but I am a special education teacher in the county and have heard not so great things about their sped program. But that was about...5 or so years ago from a co-worker who had a child there but transferred him out b/c of how bad it was. And I did hear from one other co-worker that they didn't think LBSS's sped program was that great. But that's just two people. Everyone's experience is different.

I do have personal experience with Robinson's sped program through a stepchild who is there and have been happy with them in general. This year, however, I am starting to lose my cool with them over a situation involving a sped teacher who is not doing her job and a department chair who is non-existent when we try to reach out to her for assistance. I would not write off the entire program because of this one bad experience but it's definitely starting to make me wonder...

I work at a middle school and we are consistently praised by parents for the services we provide but then we hear horror stories about the high school we feed into.

I really think it's hit or miss and despite the somewhat negative feedback I've heard regarding LBSS and my recent negative experiences with Robinson, I think you have a pretty good shot at getting decent services from either of them since, overall, they are both very good schools.

[Anonymous]

OP, here. DD does have an IEP with a lot of accommodations that are critical for her so I'd like to avoid places with major red flags but am also realistic in that it can really depend on teachers that year, individual situations for your child, etc.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and ideas!

[Anonymous]

Robinson has been wonderful for my son who has ADHD. He is thriving.

[Anonymous]

Is he in IB? How well do these kids do with all the writing in IB?

[Anonymous]

My sophomore DD with ADHD is at LBSS with a 504 and the LBSS staff and teachers have been very supportive with her accommodations (so far).

[Anonymous]

You don't have to do IB, just like you don't have to take AP classes. You can take IB classes and not go for the IB degree. IB is to teach you to thrive in college, AP is to get you out of college classes - IB vs AP should be low on your worry list.

I would also second the story on middle school and HS aren't the same. My co-worker had a horrible time with her ADHD DS at LB for middle school, but LB for high school has been great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't have to do IB, just like you don't have to take AP classes. You can take IB classes and not go for the IB degree. IB is to teach you to thrive in college, AP is to get you out of college classes - IB vs AP should be low on your worry list.

I would also second the story on middle school and HS aren't the same. My co-worker had a horrible time with her ADHD DS at LB for middle school, but LB for high school has been great.

Both sounds important then. We aren't wealthy enough to pay for our child's college in full and we want our child to be prepared but not overwhelmed. Likely he'll still need some accommodations in college to help with organization even if he does well in high school. I took AP classes and was over-prepared for college back in the day so I'm skeptical that one program helps you thrive and another doesn't. I'm sure IB is more closely aligned with the way college classes are taught, but that doesn't necessarily mean my child is ready for that level of independence and depth of writing in high school. My question was how does your ADHD child do with IB classes, particularly with the writing? No whether one is better for college or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't have to do IB, just like you don't have to take AP classes. You can take IB classes and not go for the IB degree. IB is to teach you to thrive in college, AP is to get you out of college classes - IB vs AP should be low on your worry list.

I would also second the story on middle school and HS aren't the same. My co-worker had a horrible time with her ADHD DS at LB for middle school, but LB for high school has been great.

This is incorrect. Both programs offer rigorous classes that prepare students for college and both can "get you out of college classes".

[Anonymous]

I'm the previous poster with the son at Robinson. He is now in tenth grade and is in both AP and IB. He really had to learn to be well organized. We bought him a laptop and he checks Blackboard daily.

He also is in a study club at school. He has come a long way since sixth grade.