Anonymous wrote:If you don't tell his school, his behavior looks like he's "bad" or "lazy" and that stays in his record forever. He's going to get labeled regardless -- would you rather it be with a medical diagnosis and accommodations or by his failure to meet expectations?

The only exception is if he is getting good grades, not having any social or behavioral problems, and doesn't need accommodations -- but then he probably wouldn't have been diagnosed.

My DS has ADHD and attends a selective private school and is doing great with meds and accommodations.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve worked in several DC-area private schools. I can assure you that they all have many ADHD students, sometimes as much as 25 percent of the student population. Some schools offer extensive accommodations and design a curriculum that helps neurodivergent kids as well as neurotypical children to be as successful as possible. Other schools will only offer preferential seating and extended time on formal assessments. You have to know your child, know what recommendations your child’s care team recommends, and know the school to navigate it well.

As for “permanent record,” please don’t worry about that. ADHD is a medical diagnosis, so schools cannot share it with anyone without your consent. When the diagnosis is documented, teachers are more likely to communicate about effective interventions and accommodations that worked for your child. This means greater consistency and support between academic subjects and when your child advances to the next grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think ADHD is a big deal to most schools as a diagnosis. It's really how it manifests and what supports the kids need. Mainstream privates are fine chunking assignments, extra time on tests, and giving class notes. What they don't want to deal with is behavior issues like kids melting down, aggression, oppositional behavior. And they want parents that don't expect that teachers will step in and do constant coaching for the EF issues like turning in assignments, etc.

I'd disclose but be really open about what your child does and doesn't need, what outside supports you are willing to employ, and I think your daughter will be fine.

Yes I agree with this. We disclosed ADHD diagnosis at a private elementary school and were told, no problem. But two years later we were counseled out because the behavior was more than they could handle. Private schools generally have less tolerance for behavior issues and less resources to assist. So it depends on how the ADHD manifests.

Getting counseled out was awful and I wish we had just stuck with public.

What grade? We started a private at PreK, they started having a bunch of meetings with us mid 1st grade, by January, we were told to look at more schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think ADHD is a big deal to most schools as a diagnosis. It's really how it manifests and what supports the kids need. Mainstream privates are fine chunking assignments, extra time on tests, and giving class notes. What they don't want to deal with is behavior issues like kids melting down, aggression, oppositional behavior. And they want parents that don't expect that teachers will step in and do constant coaching for the EF issues like turning in assignments, etc.

I'd disclose but be really open about what your child does and doesn't need, what outside supports you are willing to employ, and I think your daughter will be fine.

Yes I agree with this. We disclosed ADHD diagnosis at a private elementary school and were told, no problem. But two years later we were counseled out because the behavior was more than they could handle. Private schools generally have less tolerance for behavior issues and less resources to assist. So it depends on how the ADHD manifests.

Getting counseled out was awful and I wish we had just stuck with public.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think ADHD is a big deal to most schools as a diagnosis. It's really how it manifests and what supports the kids need. Mainstream privates are fine chunking assignments, extra time on tests, and giving class notes. What they don't want to deal with is behavior issues like kids melting down, aggression, oppositional behavior. And they want parents that don't expect that teachers will step in and do constant coaching for the EF issues like turning in assignments, etc.

I'd disclose but be really open about what your child does and doesn't need, what outside supports you are willing to employ, and I think your daughter will be fine.

Anonymous wrote:You really want to disclose this at the front and hear if they are willing to accommodate. Do not try to sneak your kid in to a school that won't accommodate him, you are asking for trouble down the road. If your child has ADHD and the school doesn't have resources to support them, you need to know that before you commit. Don't put your kid in an environment where he will fail.