Private schools for kids with dyslexia + ADHD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I and my child are dyslexic, but please, tell me what I don’t understand. Also, “neurodiverse” is not an official term with a standardized definition anywhere, but dyslexia and other learning disorders are very commonly considered part of that term. Even if you do nothing but take two minutes to google it, much less read dozens of books and actually experience it yourself, you could discover that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holy Child- They offer lots of support from what I have heard and kids are happy.

St. John's also has the Benilde program which is enough for some kids.

St. Andrews no longer wants kids who need learning support. When I asked about the school for dyslexic son at an open house - I was told to not apply, because they didn't want to waste my time. (They literally knew nothing about my kid other than the word "dyslexic".)

That’s very sad to hear about St Andrew’s.

St. Andrew's has an over inflated ego lately. The parents' comments on the school have taken a turn for the worse over the last few years. There is a lot of buzz about how the environment at the school has dramatically changed. It isn't the warm, welcoming environment it was known for. The new families don't know any different, but those of us that have been at the school are getting very concerned. The 10th grade class is still having issues even after they kicked out the troublesome girls at the end of last year. One of our children asked to transfer out. We still have one attending, but I think we will only finish out the year. The environment has gotten worse each year since the school started increasing it's grade size. They appear to have increased size by accepting students that shouldn't have. Growth is only good if it improves the overall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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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.

Accept less kids with needs so payroll stays low in the resource room.

[Anonymous]

I am truly curious about the social scene of Sienna?

[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.

Try Congressional.

[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.

What are the growing pains at McLean?

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that they have new leadership, a new class size, and an additional target demographic/dx accepted. As would be expected, they are still getting their feet back under them and will be a few years before the chaos calms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is that they have new leadership, a new class size, and an additional target demographic/dx accepted. As would be expected, they are still getting their feet back under them and will be a few years before the chaos calms.

So on their website they say they target kids who are bright and whose difficulties are not behavioral, social, or emotional. In other words, bright kids with learning differences.

Is that true, or is that outdated info?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not looking for specialized schools like Lab or Siena. I’m interested in which mainstream private schools best support a kid with the following profile:

- Dyslexia
- ADHD (hyperactivity type); mild

99th percentile IQ with particularly strong visual-spatial reasoning and math abilities

Strong interest and aptitude in the arts

We’re currently at a K-8, but I’m trying to get a sense of our options moving forward.

Every school has kids with both dyslexia and adhd. The adhd is the easy part especially if you open to medication at some point (another forum but a game changer for us). The Dyslexia is more complicated but we know kids with this learning issue and it does take outside assistance. Many schools allow tutors to come in and it is not a big deal socially but clearly expensive. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is that they have new leadership, a new class size, and an additional target demographic/dx accepted. As would be expected, they are still getting their feet back under them and will be a few years before the chaos calms.

So on their website they say they target kids who are bright and whose difficulties are not behavioral, social, or emotional. In other words, bright kids with learning differences.

Is that true, or is that outdated info?

That means that start with kids who are bright and then sprinkle in kids who are bright w/ learning differences. If they already have enough of the later group to keep them busy (read raise cost) then they are not going to fill open seats with that group.

[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.

Future as in when? Are you planning on leaving your K-8 soon? If you’re not planning to leave until after 8th it’s too soon to plan. Your kid will have changed soo much and so will schools by then. If you are planning a change before then folks will need to know at what grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Child is social, has school friends across a couple grades, neighborhood friends, and friends from after school activities. Many Siena students thrive in mainstream high schools after MS, and those that that stay until college benefit from its individualized college counseling program. Our plan is for DC to go to mainstream private or public after MS.

It’s been worth it so far for the self advocacy skills and tech accommodations DC has been learning, plus daily reading instruction and acceleration offered in other subjects.

[Anonymous]

Not sure what growing pains others are speaking of when it comes to McLean. We've been there 5 years and couldn't be happier. Yes, the prior Head of School retired after 10 years, and yes, there's an interim head right now (that's normal though for most private schools...when they hire a new head that person has to give a years notice at their current school), and yes, they just expanded and moved Lower School to another campus. We're excited about the incoming head, and love the growth and positive change. I see McLean still staying true to its mission of who it serves and serves well. Every year someone gets on here to complain about McLean taking a "new population" of kids. I don't see this at all. Isn't it likely that maybe they are trying to create a good balance of students in each grade?

[Anonymous]

I’m so sorry OP — this sounds so hard for you and your son.

We have an older child with encropesis and have been referred to this program by our ped GI: https://gbtherapy.org/incontinence-2/

No idea if it would be suitable for your son but thought I would share just in case.

Keep us updated, we are rooting for you! Hugs.

[Anonymous]

^^ sorry posted on the wrong thread!