Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We moved near downtown Bethesda specifically because the Bethesda Elementary School had a good reputation SN-wise.
We were not disappointed. They agreed to create an IEP, they lined up services I wouldn't have dreamed of asking, they cared for him.

Bethesda Elementary is a great school, as is Westland Middle. Both are very demanding, imo. Not as demanding as my kid's previous Private British School, but good schools. I found that my kids did better there due to so much structure than after we moved further north. But they are having more fun in a school that is easier, so not all bad. Receptionist, however, was extremely rude all the time. I felt so bad when I listened to her talk down to a nice Dad(immigrant with somewhat poor English) who had 2 kids attend Bethesda and were now in Westland and they changed some attendance zone or they changed the address, not sure, and he brought his youngest child to school, and she told him they had to leave as his kid is now zoned for a different school. I had to bite my tongue the whole time, she was just so out of line, especially given that two of his kids spent 5 years there. This was a few years ago.

Please complain, in writing, to the principal about what you heard. That is appalling. I live in the BCC cluster and I find, unfortunately, that there are still teachers and professional staff (bus drivers, administrators, etc.) who are racist, rude or mean. It is the exception rather than the rule. But, they should be called out.

dcgrl15 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What services does your child need? It would help to know. If he is ED, there is an amazing ED program at various schools in the county that are excellent. There are programs at certain schools for kids with learning disabilities. There's a school for highly gifted but learning disabled students. Some schools have programs specifically geared toward kids on the spectrum. Schools without specialized programs are often times woefully unprepared for kids with special needs. They simply do not have the appropriate staff with training and experience to be able to handle certain situations.

Thanks for your reply. My son is a preschooler who has an IEP- receives speech and OT. A private eval identified his speech issue as "mixed receptive/expressive language disorder" and he has sensory processing issues. So he requires extra prompting in the classroom. Its so hard to pick a house not knowing if the schools will end up being good for him! Ahhh, so tough.

My DS was diagnosed with MERLD prior to K. MCPS refused to give any IEP or services until K. It took me three meetings. I had to pay for private assessments. Then, even when we demonstrated that he was significantly behind (which he wouldn't have been if he'd gotten services in K) and had additional diagnoses like ADHD and dysgraphia and reading disorder, etc., he still didn't get the special instruction he needed. What MCPS provided was more support and prompting in the regular general ed classroom with the general instructional materials. What he needed (and we kept asking for) was a explicit, repetitive instructional program in reading and spelling and writing.

We finally gave up in 4th grade and moved DS to a special private school for kids with language-based learning disabilities. DS improved and we were able to go back to MCPS for MS. MCPS doesn't fight any more about giving him an IEP, but we still have difficulty getting accommodations. It's always a fight to get the teacher to do what is on the IEP. In addition, we've given up on "specialized instruction". We just provide private tutoring in reading and spelling and writing for DS.

FWIW, Bethesda Elementary has one of the better reputations for special ed.

But, what you get will vary with the specific facts of your case. Our school system was terrible to us, but another student who had a terrible accident during the year and needed accommodations due to the lasting effects of the medical issues, was treated very well. Of course, that child had a sympathetic situation and a demonstrated track record of being a "smart kid".

Anonymous wrote:
We moved near downtown Bethesda specifically because the Bethesda Elementary School had a good reputation SN-wise.
We were not disappointed. They agreed to create an IEP, they lined up services I wouldn't have dreamed of asking, they cared for him.

Good to know, thanks!

Anonymous wrote:
We moved near downtown Bethesda specifically because the Bethesda Elementary School had a good reputation SN-wise.
We were not disappointed. They agreed to create an IEP, they lined up services I wouldn't have dreamed of asking, they cared for him.

Bethesda Elementary is a great school, as is Westland Middle. Both are very demanding, imo. Not as demanding as my kid's previous Private British School, but good schools. I found that my kids did better there due to so much structure than after we moved further north. But they are having more fun in a school that is easier, so not all bad. Receptionist, however, was extremely rude all the time. I felt so bad when I listened to her talk down to a nice Dad(immigrant with somewhat poor English) who had 2 kids attend Bethesda and were now in Westland and they changed some attendance zone or they changed the address, not sure, and he brought his youngest child to school, and she told him they had to leave as his kid is now zoned for a different school. I had to bite my tongue the whole time, she was just so out of line, especially given that two of his kids spent 5 years there. This was a few years ago.

We moved near downtown Bethesda specifically because the Bethesda Elementary School had a good reputation SN-wise.
We were not disappointed. They agreed to create an IEP, they lined up services I wouldn't have dreamed of asking, they cared for him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question if somebody can help, it is about MoCo schools. I am taking my DD to Dr. specialist to see if he thinks she has ADHD. She is 15 and so far we managed, she is extremely social, she is forgetful, she can't stop moving, does homework, forgets to submit 3 out of 5 times... etc. Knows material but messes her tests all the time. Never stops talking, over kids, often rude to adults, defensive...DS has a diagnosis too, but at this time I can't afford extensive testing, and psychiatrists prefers to have that done and insurance won't pay for it for educational purposes. DS is in a private school, so I don't know what services MoCo offers and pays for and what is my DD entitled and how to go about getting some help from them, so we don't end up with thousands of dollars in bills for evaluation. I appreciate any information even if you can just point me to a web site and how to navigate it.

You are entitled to free evaluation by the school. Just email the principal or guidance counselor and say that you'do like your child to be evaluated for an IEP. Tell them you suspect ADHD, tell them why, and tell them if you have any other concerns.

Clarifying - email the principal at the public school your child would attend if not in private.

Thank you so much! I had no idea, we traveled a lot and moved here from overseas, and when we saw her pediatrician, she told me I would have to pay on my own and maybe insurance will cover a part of it.

Don't get your hopes up. We're in public and we had a diagnosis and asked for further evaluation for an IEP. Got nowhere. I mean they wouldn't even move us past the first meeting where they determine whether there is a "suspected" educational issue which there was because the teacher had contacted us numerous times about DC's problems. When this happens that means no testing, no IEP.

Oh, I just got my hopes up. They might refuse for my DD as well, as she has As and Bs and one C, so not failing school, but if her friends are telling me that she never stops talking and is hyper, and I see it all at home, then what to do? I mean I am like some kind of run over personal manager to high profile rock star, facing tantrums and keeping track of everything and the all non stop activities. I don't know that she needs medication but some help at school to keep her from forgetting to submit homework, forget clothing, lunch and staying on task would be really helpful. I guess I will see what the specialist says. I have tried many things, the problem is she starts being defensive as soon as I suggest something, and it escalates right away, really without any reason to escalate. I will look over other threads to see if there is some more advice and start my own if needed. Thanks!

It sounds like what you're actually looking for is a 504 plan, which provides accommodations/support, but not special instruction. To get a 504 either your specialist or the school (it's usually not the school) would have to diagnose ADHD, etc and then you would show educational impact from the forgetfulness and the staying on task.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question if somebody can help, it is about MoCo schools. I am taking my DD to Dr. specialist to see if he thinks she has ADHD. She is 15 and so far we managed, she is extremely social, she is forgetful, she can't stop moving, does homework, forgets to submit 3 out of 5 times... etc. Knows material but messes her tests all the time. Never stops talking, over kids, often rude to adults, defensive...DS has a diagnosis too, but at this time I can't afford extensive testing, and psychiatrists prefers to have that done and insurance won't pay for it for educational purposes. DS is in a private school, so I don't know what services MoCo offers and pays for and what is my DD entitled and how to go about getting some help from them, so we don't end up with thousands of dollars in bills for evaluation. I appreciate any information even if you can just point me to a web site and how to navigate it.

You are entitled to free evaluation by the school. Just email the principal or guidance counselor and say that you'do like your child to be evaluated for an IEP. Tell them you suspect ADHD, tell them why, and tell them if you have any other concerns.

Clarifying - email the principal at the public school your child would attend if not in private.

Thank you so much! I had no idea, we traveled a lot and moved here from overseas, and when we saw her pediatrician, she told me I would have to pay on my own and maybe insurance will cover a part of it.

Don't get your hopes up. We're in public and we had a diagnosis and asked for further evaluation for an IEP. Got nowhere. I mean they wouldn't even move us past the first meeting where they determine whether there is a "suspected" educational issue which there was because the teacher had contacted us numerous times about DC's problems. When this happens that means no testing, no IEP.

Oh, I just got my hopes up. They might refuse for my DD as well, as she has As and Bs and one C, so not failing school, but if her friends are telling me that she never stops talking and is hyper, and I see it all at home, then what to do? I mean I am like some kind of run over personal manager to high profile rock star, facing tantrums and keeping track of everything and the all non stop activities. I don't know that she needs medication but some help at school to keep her from forgetting to submit homework, forget clothing, lunch and staying on task would be really helpful. I guess I will see what the specialist says. I have tried many things, the problem is she starts being defensive as soon as I suggest something, and it escalates right away, really without any reason to escalate. I will look over other threads to see if there is some more advice and start my own if needed. Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PEP has a very good reputation in MCPS. You may have a tough time keeping the IEP for elementary if it's just for OT and speech but the PEP folks may be able to help you keep those services for K.
We were told MCPS does not provide OT for sensory issues. IME they only provide in very serious cases of kids with physical disabilities.
Unless he has really serious delays or issues speech is also very difficult to get.
It may be easier to get in the less wealthy part of the county but I would not count on it if you're looking at places like Potomac, Bethesda, Chevy Chase. The schools expect you to go private and if you fight them you'll end up spending thousands on advocates to get the services. The speech services they provide are often also in a group so it may not be exactly what your child needs although your child will have his or her individual goals. So you may as well go private because of this anyway.

Thank you so much for this info. He also gets OT for fine motor skills. His fine motor skills are pretty delayed. We are targeting Rockville for housing. Thoughts on that?

Well, from a livability standpoint, Rockville has great libraries, parks, restaurants, and depending on where you are metro access. I feel like it's so hard to generalize about school experiences since b/c they seem to be all over the place in MCPS.

Thanks for the feedback.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question if somebody can help, it is about MoCo schools. I am taking my DD to Dr. specialist to see if he thinks she has ADHD. She is 15 and so far we managed, she is extremely social, she is forgetful, she can't stop moving, does homework, forgets to submit 3 out of 5 times... etc. Knows material but messes her tests all the time. Never stops talking, over kids, often rude to adults, defensive...DS has a diagnosis too, but at this time I can't afford extensive testing, and psychiatrists prefers to have that done and insurance won't pay for it for educational purposes. DS is in a private school, so I don't know what services MoCo offers and pays for and what is my DD entitled and how to go about getting some help from them, so we don't end up with thousands of dollars in bills for evaluation. I appreciate any information even if you can just point me to a web site and how to navigate it.

You are entitled to free evaluation by the school. Just email the principal or guidance counselor and say that you'do like your child to be evaluated for an IEP. Tell them you suspect ADHD, tell them why, and tell them if you have any other concerns.

Clarifying - email the principal at the public school your child would attend if not in private.

Thank you so much! I had no idea, we traveled a lot and moved here from overseas, and when we saw her pediatrician, she told me I would have to pay on my own and maybe insurance will cover a part of it.

Don't get your hopes up. We're in public and we had a diagnosis and asked for further evaluation for an IEP. Got nowhere. I mean they wouldn't even move us past the first meeting where they determine whether there is a "suspected" educational issue which there was because the teacher had contacted us numerous times about DC's problems. When this happens that means no testing, no IEP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PEP has a very good reputation in MCPS. You may have a tough time keeping the IEP for elementary if it's just for OT and speech but the PEP folks may be able to help you keep those services for K.
We were told MCPS does not provide OT for sensory issues. IME they only provide in very serious cases of kids with physical disabilities.
Unless he has really serious delays or issues speech is also very difficult to get.
It may be easier to get in the less wealthy part of the county but I would not count on it if you're looking at places like Potomac, Bethesda, Chevy Chase. The schools expect you to go private and if you fight them you'll end up spending thousands on advocates to get the services. The speech services they provide are often also in a group so it may not be exactly what your child needs although your child will have his or her individual goals. So you may as well go private because of this anyway.

Thank you so much for this info. He also gets OT for fine motor skills. His fine motor skills are pretty delayed. We are targeting Rockville for housing. Thoughts on that?

Well, from a livability standpoint, Rockville has great libraries, parks, restaurants, and depending on where you are metro access. I feel like it's so hard to generalize about school experiences since b/c they seem to be all over the place in MCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question if somebody can help, it is about MoCo schools. I am taking my DD to Dr. specialist to see if he thinks she has ADHD. She is 15 and so far we managed, she is extremely social, she is forgetful, she can't stop moving, does homework, forgets to submit 3 out of 5 times... etc. Knows material but messes her tests all the time. Never stops talking, over kids, often rude to adults, defensive...DS has a diagnosis too, but at this time I can't afford extensive testing, and psychiatrists prefers to have that done and insurance won't pay for it for educational purposes. DS is in a private school, so I don't know what services MoCo offers and pays for and what is my DD entitled and how to go about getting some help from them, so we don't end up with thousands of dollars in bills for evaluation. I appreciate any information even if you can just point me to a web site and how to navigate it.

You are entitled to free evaluation by the school. Just email the principal or guidance counselor and say that you'do like your child to be evaluated for an IEP. Tell them you suspect ADHD, tell them why, and tell them if you have any other concerns.

Clarifying - email the principal at the public school your child would attend if not in private.

Thank you so much! I had no idea, we traveled a lot and moved here from overseas, and when we saw her pediatrician, she told me I would have to pay on my own and maybe insurance will cover a part of it.

Welcome back. Just as an FYI, you can always (and it's encouraged) to start your own thread if it's not quite on topic to the existing thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question if somebody can help, it is about MoCo schools. I am taking my DD to Dr. specialist to see if he thinks she has ADHD. She is 15 and so far we managed, she is extremely social, she is forgetful, she can't stop moving, does homework, forgets to submit 3 out of 5 times... etc. Knows material but messes her tests all the time. Never stops talking, over kids, often rude to adults, defensive...DS has a diagnosis too, but at this time I can't afford extensive testing, and psychiatrists prefers to have that done and insurance won't pay for it for educational purposes. DS is in a private school, so I don't know what services MoCo offers and pays for and what is my DD entitled and how to go about getting some help from them, so we don't end up with thousands of dollars in bills for evaluation. I appreciate any information even if you can just point me to a web site and how to navigate it.

You are entitled to free evaluation by the school. Just email the principal or guidance counselor and say that you'do like your child to be evaluated for an IEP. Tell them you suspect ADHD, tell them why, and tell them if you have any other concerns.

Clarifying - email the principal at the public school your child would attend if not in private.

Thank you so much! I had no idea, we traveled a lot and moved here from overseas, and when we saw her pediatrician, she told me I would have to pay on my own and maybe insurance will cover a part of it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question if somebody can help, it is about MoCo schools. I am taking my DD to Dr. specialist to see if he thinks she has ADHD. She is 15 and so far we managed, she is extremely social, she is forgetful, she can't stop moving, does homework, forgets to submit 3 out of 5 times... etc. Knows material but messes her tests all the time. Never stops talking, over kids, often rude to adults, defensive...DS has a diagnosis too, but at this time I can't afford extensive testing, and psychiatrists prefers to have that done and insurance won't pay for it for educational purposes. DS is in a private school, so I don't know what services MoCo offers and pays for and what is my DD entitled and how to go about getting some help from them, so we don't end up with thousands of dollars in bills for evaluation. I appreciate any information even if you can just point me to a web site and how to navigate it.

You are entitled to free evaluation by the school. Just email the principal or guidance counselor and say that you'do like your child to be evaluated for an IEP. Tell them you suspect ADHD, tell them why, and tell them if you have any other concerns.

Clarifying - email the principal at the public school your child would attend if not in private.

Anonymous wrote:PEP has a very good reputation in MCPS. You may have a tough time keeping the IEP for elementary if it's just for OT and speech but the PEP folks may be able to help you keep those services for K.
We were told MCPS does not provide OT for sensory issues. IME they only provide in very serious cases of kids with physical disabilities.
Unless he has really serious delays or issues speech is also very difficult to get.
It may be easier to get in the less wealthy part of the county but I would not count on it if you're looking at places like Potomac, Bethesda, Chevy Chase. The schools expect you to go private and if you fight them you'll end up spending thousands on advocates to get the services. The speech services they provide are often also in a group so it may not be exactly what your child needs although your child will have his or her individual goals. So you may as well go private because of this anyway.

Thank you so much for this info. He also gets OT for fine motor skills. His fine motor skills are pretty delayed. We are targeting Rockville for housing. Thoughts on that?

Anonymous wrote:I have a question if somebody can help, it is about MoCo schools. I am taking my DD to Dr. specialist to see if he thinks she has ADHD. She is 15 and so far we managed, she is extremely social, she is forgetful, she can't stop moving, does homework, forgets to submit 3 out of 5 times... etc. Knows material but messes her tests all the time. Never stops talking, over kids, often rude to adults, defensive...DS has a diagnosis too, but at this time I can't afford extensive testing, and psychiatrists prefers to have that done and insurance won't pay for it for educational purposes. DS is in a private school, so I don't know what services MoCo offers and pays for and what is my DD entitled and how to go about getting some help from them, so we don't end up with thousands of dollars in bills for evaluation. I appreciate any information even if you can just point me to a web site and how to navigate it.

You are entitled to free evaluation by the school. Just email the principal or guidance counselor and say that you'do like your child to be evaluated for an IEP. Tell them you suspect ADHD, tell them why, and tell them if you have any other concerns.