Schools/neighborhoods for ADHD

[Anonymous]

My brother just got a promotion and will be working near the navy yard part of DC, so they will be moving at the end of summer to come live near his new job. They currently live out of state so no idea about schools. I live in far-out VA and don’t have kids so I can’t give good advice, but they will have my 6yo nephew (with ADHD and some sensory issues and possible ODD) and his 3 yo sister (who doesn’t have a diagnosis yet but probably will based on some similarities to big bro at her age). If you live in that general area (or in VA suburbs), and have a similar age/diagnosis I would love any tips on schools/programs/services they should look into! Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I'm in Reston. Have an ADHD kid with a language disorder. We are at Terraset Elementary in Reston.

It would be a hell of a commute but we are super happy, both with the Reston community and the school, which has a phenomenal principal and even had an ABA therapist on staff for a child last year.

(DH commutes to the Pentagon and it's not fun but it's doable.)

[Anonymous]

PP here. I have a second grader; this is our third year at the school.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! Does your DH commute on 66?

[Anonymous]

If they want to live very close to his job, the in-bounds elementary school is Van Ness and it gets good reviews. It is fairly small and only will have grades PK through 3 next year. I don't know how the special ed curriculum is, but it would be worth talking to the principal and other teachers. Since DC has free PreK, it's possible that both kids could go to the same school (the little one would have a preference if her older brother enrolled, giving her a very good shot of getting in). Having a short commute to work and a single drop off might leave time and energy for doing other therapies and activities.

Other schools they might want to consider are Bridges and Creative Minds (both charters that say they have a focus on inclusion of kids with special needs) and School Within School (a citywide magnet that seems to have more outdoor time and a staff that's open to kids with special needs).

[Anonymous]

Fairfax County. We live in West Springfield and the schools have been great for my DS with a similar diagnosis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they want to live very close to his job, the in-bounds elementary school is Van Ness and it gets good reviews. It is fairly small and only will have grades PK through 3 next year. I don't know how the special ed curriculum is, but it would be worth talking to the principal and other teachers. Since DC has free PreK, it's possible that both kids could go to the same school (the little one would have a preference if her older brother enrolled, giving her a very good shot of getting in). Having a short commute to work and a single drop off might leave time and energy for doing other therapies and activities.

Other schools they might want to consider are Bridges and Creative Minds (both charters that say they have a focus on inclusion of kids with special needs) and School Within School (a citywide magnet that seems to have more outdoor time and a staff that's open to kids with special needs).

Keep in mind all 3 of these options are subject to the DC school lottery, which is in the spring.

Honestly I'd move to N. Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Do the kids have IEPs? I'd get an consultant. Trying to pinpoint a school can be an exercise in futility without a good IEP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the kids have IEPs? I'd get an consultant. Trying to pinpoint a school can be an exercise in futility without a good IEP.

Nephew does. Little sis not in school yet (SIL is a SAHM in order to work with nephew but it also means money is very tight so no preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they want to live very close to his job, the in-bounds elementary school is Van Ness and it gets good reviews. It is fairly small and only will have grades PK through 3 next year. I don't know how the special ed curriculum is, but it would be worth talking to the principal and other teachers. Since DC has free PreK, it's possible that both kids could go to the same school (the little one would have a preference if her older brother enrolled, giving her a very good shot of getting in). Having a short commute to work and a single drop off might leave time and energy for doing other therapies and activities.

Other schools they might want to consider are Bridges and Creative Minds (both charters that say they have a focus on inclusion of kids with special needs) and School Within School (a citywide magnet that seems to have more outdoor time and a staff that's open to kids with special needs).

With a job at Navy Yard? I don't know where they could afford to live, but that sounds like commuting nightmare to me.

Also I don't believe for a second that bridges is all it's cracked up to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they want to live very close to his job, the in-bounds elementary school is Van Ness and it gets good reviews. It is fairly small and only will have grades PK through 3 next year. I don't know how the special ed curriculum is, but it would be worth talking to the principal and other teachers. Since DC has free PreK, it's possible that both kids could go to the same school (the little one would have a preference if her older brother enrolled, giving her a very good shot of getting in). Having a short commute to work and a single drop off might leave time and energy for doing other therapies and activities.

Other schools they might want to consider are Bridges and Creative Minds (both charters that say they have a focus on inclusion of kids with special needs) and School Within School (a citywide magnet that seems to have more outdoor time and a staff that's open to kids with special needs).

With a job at Navy Yard? I don't know where they could afford to live, but that sounds like commuting nightmare to me.

Also I don't believe for a second that bridges is all it's cracked up to be.

What are your concerns about Bridges? Do you have firsthand experience?
Actually, I think any of these schools would be quite doable if you lived up near Bridges or CM (somewhere between Petworth and Ft. Totten) or Capitol Hill (SWS). As long as you live pretty close to a metro station you could get down to Navy Yard pretty handily. The problem is getting in -- as PPs noted, you have to get a seat through the lottery. There are no guarantees and you won't know if you have a seat until March 2018 at the earliest. Bridges has a special lottery for kids in the non-categorical classrooms, but sounds like these kids don't need that restrictive of an environment. OP: your brother or sister in law could always call Bridges and discuss the needs to the older child to see if a non-cat classroom would be good for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they want to live very close to his job, the in-bounds elementary school is Van Ness and it gets good reviews. It is fairly small and only will have grades PK through 3 next year. I don't know how the special ed curriculum is, but it would be worth talking to the principal and other teachers. Since DC has free PreK, it's possible that both kids could go to the same school (the little one would have a preference if her older brother enrolled, giving her a very good shot of getting in). Having a short commute to work and a single drop off might leave time and energy for doing other therapies and activities.

Other schools they might want to consider are Bridges and Creative Minds (both charters that say they have a focus on inclusion of kids with special needs) and School Within School (a citywide magnet that seems to have more outdoor time and a staff that's open to kids with special needs).

With a job at Navy Yard? I don't know where they could afford to live, but that sounds like commuting nightmare to me.

Also I don't believe for a second that bridges is all it's cracked up to be.

What are your concerns about Bridges? Do you have firsthand experience?
Actually, I think any of these schools would be quite doable if you lived up near Bridges or CM (somewhere between Petworth and Ft. Totten) or Capitol Hill (SWS). As long as you live pretty close to a metro station you could get down to Navy Yard pretty handily. The problem is getting in -- as PPs noted, you have to get a seat through the lottery. There are no guarantees and you won't know if you have a seat until March 2018 at the earliest. Bridges has a special lottery for kids in the non-categorical classrooms, but sounds like these kids don't need that restrictive of an environment. OP: your brother or sister in law could always call Bridges and discuss the needs to the older child to see if a non-cat classroom would be good for him.

To be eligible for the non-cat classroom at Bridges, you must already have an IEP with 16-24 hours support outside the general education classroom. http://bridgespcs.org/spedlottery/

[Anonymous]

If OP's niece and nephew are able to be mainstreamed and need some additional support, I think Van Ness is the easiest option.

Renting or buying a 3-br there is going to be expensive, though. If the kids can share for a couple years it would be a lot easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fairfax County. We live in West Springfield and the schools have been great for my DS with a similar diagnosis

Do you mind sharing which school specifically?

[Anonymous]

OP, I have a kid with an ASD/ADHD diagnosis and live on Capitol Hill.

Unless they think their kids can't be mainstreamed, they should just buy or rent inbound for one of the desirable nearby schools, which include Brent (best overall reputation, but most expensive real estate), but also Ludlow-Taylor, Peabody/Watkins, and nearby Vanness.

I also agree with an above poster that the best overall nearby school for mainstreamed kids with SNs is School within a School, though the child would need to get in through the lottery, which is near impossible. (That said if the older has a HFA diagnosis then they may be able to enter SWS specialized program.)