Reply to Do you think FFX County or N Arlington is better for a bright child?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My one issue in Arlington (I have two kids in APS elementary school) is that they don't have as much experience, or seem to know what to do with, a GT/LD kid.  My son is dyslexic, and reading has been a challenge (which he's really overcoming, no beef with the SpEd program) but he also has a freakishly high IQ.  It feels like the school decided that, because of his LD, not to focus on his other needs.  I haven't pushed because, to be honest, he's so excited to be back in the regular classroom this year full time that I'm ok with him not being pulled out for gifted services, but I feel like every time I bring it up I get blank stares from the gifted teacher, like she has no clue what to do with a kid like mine.  My sister, a teacher at a Fairfax County Gifted Center, sees kids like mine all the time, and I feel like he'd be served better in terms of being a 2e kid there.[/quote]

Fairfax has slowly come around (at least in my pyramid).  The current crop of HS kids are the ones whose parents pushed for it and made headway, but it is not the same at all schools.  IME, the larger established local (not Center) gifted programs (called LLIV) in the ES are the ones that have made the difference as well as an excellent Assistant Supervisor for Special Ed and her staff.  She has made 2E education and services on of her priorities.  MS came next (was the hardest to make any headway) and HS seemed to be there waiting for these kids.  It was through the Special Ed teachers in ES, not the  gifted/AAP teachers that headway was made. The IEP to transition to ES helped make headway by establishing all the appropriate accommodations and signing up for the advanced level classes as they entered MS, then vigilence on the parent's part to make sure they were followed. Then teachers, with education from the Special Ed department, and experience with kids with significant accomodations that changed a few teachers (not all).    FWIW, TJ is not a place for a LD/GT kid - if you look a the statistics, they just don't have the experience - that will take a new crop of parents to change.

It takes more time to parent a child with an LD no matter what their intelligence.  Schools, whether private or public, can only do so much.  
It is hard to find the higher level math and number of available AP science courses in the private schools and homeschooling doesn't work for every child or family.  Plus, they tend to concentrate on the deficit (LD) and not the asset (GT).    For my family, we have found it "easier" to do public and supplment with private one on one tutoring.

It takes quite a bit more time parenting a child with special needs and the intense parenting time is elongated.  Whatever your choice, I wish you luck, happiness, patience, and serenity.  :)

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