This sounds like us, highly able 4th grader who tested into the language arts 4/5 th grade magnet program in MoCo without us knowing she had dyslexia/dysgraphia. But by the first month into school she was having headaches and stomachaches to the point of not getting out of bed. After much testing we discovered the symptoms were somatic responses to being overwhelmed and mentally exhausted. We have a pretty intense IEP to manage the dyslexia but my DD is still exhausted and wants to try a place where her supports are just a natural part of the day. She is two reading levels above grade and on accelerated math. We visited both Siena and McLean but they seem really focused on remediation and I wasn’t getting any feedback about how they engage kids who are accelerated. We would be seeking a special school for the anxiety of having to balance supports and always feeling like the kid who doesn’t have to do all of the work.

I am so exhausted myself trying to decide what is the best move. I just want to find a stimulating environment that provides an opportunity for our DD to not be so mentally exhausted and having headaches most days. A place that caters to the learning strengths of dyslexic students.

Please share any more thoughts and experiences.
kids

Anonymous wrote:My kid is currently in 3rd grade at a DCPS bilingual school, which we love. We just received a diagnosis of dyslexia, along with test results that indicate giftedness in a bunch of areas. I'd love to hear from families with similar kids:

1. If you sent your kid to private school, which one? Tell me why you like it? We can afford private, but hadn't considered it before the diagnosis because we are generally satisfied with our public.

2. Would you recommend a regular private school or a private school specifically focused on dyslexia for an academically talented kid with ADHD and dyslexia? She has no behavior problems and is a rule-follower. She doesn't like chaos in her classroom (though has learned to deal with some amount of it in large DCPS classes). She loves math, problem-based learning, experiments, etc. She also loves books and creative writing, but she struggles with spelling and speed (does great with audio books, but her reading is very slow).

Thoughts on the best path? We live in NW DC (east of the park).

Thanks!