Reply to Child with ASD at BASIS

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "Child with ASD at BASIS"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP Here. Thank you to all. I have not toured as he is only in third and we are just thinking ahead for next year. On one hand, if he does get in, I will be sad to have him transition out of his elementary school for 5th grade, but on the other, I know he needs a smaller more structured environment. From what I have read here, it may actually be a good fit, as he is the "nerd facts" type of kid, always reading and reciting how far away are the planets, the names of their moons, etc.

[/quote]

Will he be ok studying/memorizing content that he does not like/inst interested in? [/quote]

We call that "school" and "work" and "life". But you do you.[/quote]

I say this all the time, too, (we all have to do things we don’t want to do), but assume this question was more directed toward how a child with ASD may respond to these demands. I don’t know if it is the same, but my ADHD child can do amazing things that require a ton of work, focus, learning and memorization IF it interests him.  If he is not interested, it’s a lot harder to overcome the executive function challenges.  [/quote]

NP. This is 100% my middle schooler with mild ASD/ ADHD. As a result, her classes at Basis tend to be a mixed experience. The ones she likes, she routinely does the necessary work and gets solid As. The topics she doesn’t like, she skates by on the minimum and both grades and learning suffer. I’m sure that dynamic would exist at any school, but it’s extra noticeable because of BASIS’s high demands and because the kids end up self-sufficient in terms of studying and planning by the time they get to 7th or 8th grade. I think the kids who thrive the most at Basis are the ones who put in the work because the work is due, no matter how they personally feel about the material. Doesn’t mean kids like ours are a terrible fit, just not a perfect fit.

In terms of executive functioning, they do expect students to keep track of assignments and whatnot by themselves, but also there’s a good system using written records of what’s required each day for each class. My kid is quite organized in general, but I’ve been impressed at how quickly and easily she took charge of her own schooling. At this point in 8th grade, she basically gives me anything I need to sign and passes along her grade reports, and that’s it in terms of my involvement as a parent. I’m sure many parents are more involved out of necessity or personal preference, and the teachers do have “parent hours” as well as student hours if anything needs more adult management.

In terms of sensory issues, yes everything is definitely loud. The hallways and stairs are overcrowded and it’s impossible to avoid other students running into you as you’re walking, using lockers, etc. My kid haaaaates that but understands it’s somewhat offset by the smaller school and increasingly small (with each grade) classes. The fact that anyone who applies to Basis tends to be a good student also helps in terms of kids paying attention in class. It’s not utter silence during class time, but it’s not chaos either. Definitely leans toward the calmer end of the spectrum.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics