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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Living close to a school with a program doesn't mean you'll be admitted to the program.

Also, OP, I doubt you'll have any difficulty in getting into a PEP program.  I have heard good things about Bethesda Elementary being inclusive, but it's faced over enrollment and some kids (without IEPs) were sent to Rosemary Hills in the past.

I do think consulting with an advocate would be helpful in coalescing the anecdotal information you're getting as well as being able to highlight the different schools/programs.

Also, if you do decide to do a private SN school, most require a full evaluation by a developmental pediatrician or educational evaluation by a psychologist.  Given the age of your kid, you'd probably want to go with a d.p.  Probably the easiest route is going through Children's or Kennedy Krieger.

This group hold a SN school every fall at AU:  http://www.exceptionalschoolsfair.com

Lastly, and I'm really not trying to stir up any controversy, but MERLD is no longer in the DSM.  My kid was not on the spectrum (initially diagnosed with MERLD and fine motor issues), the only IEP designation MCPS would consider was autism for several years.  He actually has Specific Language Disorder, but generally getting that diagnosis the kid has to be at least 6 years old (b/c of the testing involved) and don't get me started how long it took with MCPS.   Your kid is very young and diagnoses can be fluid, but I just wanted to give you a heads up.[/quote]

FYI, kids from Bethesda Elem were never sent to RHPS due to overcrowding.  RAther, kids in E. Bethesda were zones to RHPS for K-2 and then zones to BES for 3-5 as part of the effort to integrate the school sytem from the late 70s on.  Recently BES parents lobbied successfully to have their kids removed from this pairing and now they articulate K-5 to BES.  It had nothing to do with overcrowding.  There is zero chance that a child in the BES district could get sent to RHPS due to overcrowding.  An IEP can decide to offer a placement at a special program at another school, but that is different.

Also, on MERLD - yes, the MERLD diagnosis is no longer in the DSM, but it's not like that is some kind of reflection that it was never real.  MERLD is now under a broader category called "communication disorder.". MERLD can encompass a very wide range of skills and ability.  Some kids diagnosed with MERLD are pushed into autism programs on the theory that the degree of lack of communication is the same so the autism program envirknment might work.  Other kids have MERLD but have more funvtional language skills and may timately be categorized with specificlearning disabilty but this doesn't usuall happen hntil kids reach 7 or 8 by which time the expectation to read and write is strong.

Also[/quote]

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