Chelsea was our second choice. I really liked the program, and they made a list of the top 50 special needs schools in the country.

My child is at Baltimore Lab School. We chose it over Chelsea because the arts-based curriculum was a better fit.

No school is perfect!

Regarding 19:08's experience, this is an issue across the board for pretty much every SN school. The school population draws upon a wide geographic range so sometimes geography is a barrier. However, it's not impossible. There are also so many outside groups for sports, etc. that a kid can definitely experience many typical activities.

Small class size is a deliberate choice at SN schools. They need to be small to give your kid the attention they need.

Tour the school to get a sense of what it's like.

bumping this. I know its an old thread but I am considering Chelsea for DS so wanted to get any additional feedback?

Our child made almost no progress in any area (none of the IEP goals were met) over a two year period.
There were tremendous social limitations to attending Chelsea. Very small classes leads to limited friendships and the students are from all over DC & Md. Getting together
With friends is a hassle as they are scattered. A very small school population means hardly any after school activities/sports teams/clubs. A prom with 15 kids, no homecoming, limited clubs- hardly a least restrictive school experience.
Half of the teachers are quality, caring people and the other
Half were terrible because they did not communicate well or return parent emails-ever!
Our local public was no gem but at least they have many extra curricular activities and tons of neighborhood kids for my kids to build relationships with, not to mention
That our child is close by. Our child disliked Chelsea and did not like several if his teachers who did not seem to have the patience required to work with ADHD/LD kids. Our child also disliked the very long commute.

My wife refers to Chelsea as our very expensive mistake.

I would also ask the school to speak with current parents. (I'm sure they'll send you the "cheerleaders," but it still may be helpful.)

Do you have a child attending the Chelsea School? I've visited their new location, and really liked everyone and their methodologies. Not a huge fan of the lack of green space, though.

How do you like it? Happy with your child's education?

Thanks