Reply to Is a "top" school district really the right choice for special needs kids?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It is for my son, who is intellectual despite his special needs. It’s really been the best of both worlds: strong IEP teams in elementary, middle and high schools, and high academic expectations. He would never be where he is today were it not for teachers looking out for him but also holding him to high standards.[/quote]

OP here.  DS has ASD + ADHD. Although he is intellectual (tested), but the ADHD does affect his ability to sit still and stay focused.  As a result we are a little reluctant to go to a very "top" school district in (NY metro or Boston metro) as they are also known to be "pressure cooker".  I guess it depends on the type of special needs?  We feel that ADHD is probably one condition that could more or less affect academic performance so we are a bit worried.

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PP you replied to. DS has severe inattentive ADHD and mild HFA. We had to medicate him, and with accommodations, he went from failing to straight As and a renewed sense of self. Without meds plus double time and special attention from teachers, it wouldn't’ have been possible.

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Do you mind sharing a little bit about what school district you are in? Like MCPS or FCPS, or somewhere outside DC metro?  Is there some good elementary schools (anywhere in the nation) you could suggest that are good with ADHD + mild/moderate ASD kid?

Also, could I know what kind of "accommodations" are important from school? Pull out therapy service? Or simply classroom teachers pay more attention to DS (which I think is kind of impossible given the 20+ class size in most public schools).

Thanks a lot.

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You need as complete a picture as possible of your child's needs, done by a reputable psychologist, in order to identify what services and accommodations he might need in a school setting. Then go armed with that report to the school, request an IEP meeting and discuss all the things he will need.

Schools in MCPS are very unequal regarding special needs because it very much depends on the Principal setting the tone and making a conscious effort to hire good paraeductors, resource teachers, counselors, and educating general education teachers.

Our son was born premature, received intense PT, OT and speech therapies as a toddler, and was suspected of having severely low-processing speed, ADHD and possibly HFA early so, we had time to research and prepare for his entry to school. We moved to be in-bounds for Bethesda Elementary, because the Principal, assistant Principal and most of their staff had a great reputation regarding students with special needs. He had pull-put services for group speech therapy, which was not so much for speech issues as it was for kids borderline on the spectrum who needed to socialize - the since-retired SLP who ran it was the best SLP we ever had, despite years of paying for private speech therapy. He had pull-out services for writing, because he was slow/distracted/dysgraphic enough not to be able to write a word in the normal time period, and could only accomplish some work by himself with a scribe, then an aide. This was 10 years ago, we've had other kids move through that school since, and we've seen how an inexorable increase in the student population has strained the school, despite an addition (that was too small the year after it was opened!) and the best intentions of its mostly excellent administration and teachers. But while DS was there, it served him well, as much as any school could deal with a child like him.

Then we changed cluster so that DS could enter the Gifted and Talented, Learning Disabled program of MCPS, which is housed only in certain schools, and is open to children with IEPs and with a certain level of IQ. Not far, though, at North Bethesda middle school then Walter Johnson high school (both in the same cluster, next to our home cluster). At the middle school level, every teacher had a co-teacher to look after GTLD students, and those students had a dedicated resource class just for them with excellent support. High school is with regular teachers in regular classes. This is when DS developed more independence and self-advocacy, and at times it's been fraught, since the stakes are much higher and the hand-holding is purposefully minimal. The only accommodation he's had at the secondary level is double time, which has proved absolutely life-saving, due to his abysmal processing speed. Whatever college he goes to will also have to give him extra time. We've been advised to have him re-evaluated soon so that colleges accept the report.

I'll tell you what I tell other parents on this forum. Plenty complain that their children are not given enough attention, services and accommodations. But volunteering for years at Bethesda Elementary and North Bethesda MS has allowed me to observe that resources go to the most impacted children, those who cannot function at all without individualized help. Public schools which are legally required to offer services and accommodations only have so much resources. General education private schools have no obligation to offer these things, and special needs privates cost the earth and don't necessarily provides help that is "worth" the tuition, depending on your child's needs.

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Thank you so much for the detailed response.

Regarding the report, we have an evaluation report from a reputable developmental pediatrician.  But I guess that's different from a report from a neuropsychologist, right?  I assume it's good to get the latter?  Or do you think the developmental pd report is sufficient for now? In the developmental pd report, she detailed about she thinks is needed for school: if we go public, the IEP needs to address a) social communication and social thinking, b) flexibility, c) attention and self-/emotion-regulation; if we stay in mainstream private, we should add 1:1 ABA aide (for social & communication skills and self-regulation skills) and Speech therapy and OT in classroom; or we could go a "SN lite" private which supposedly address all the above.

I heard Bethesda ES used to be good but resources are very limited these days.  Honestly, being the third year into the pandemic, the demands for all sort of SN resources are at historical high yet the supply can't change in one night.  It's long long waiting lists for any SN resources.  Therefore, it's even more important to choose a state where SN resources are relatively ample ...  And I feel that DC metro is not one of these areas (I could be wrong; other places could be even worse).  Please let me know if you have any thoughts ... school selection, or state / area selection.

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