Anonymous wrote:Op here - what are bridge and lad?

LAD is for kids with learning disabilities, if I am not incorrect. It wouldn't be appropriate for someone with an emotional disability. I have never heard of bridges.

Op here - what are bridge and lad?

Pp is correct that you do not get to choose your placement. It is based on your home elementary school. However, placement into middle school can be different. There are different options than just ed such as bridge and lad. I would focus only on elementary right now and deal with middle school when the time comes.

Anonymous wrote:Op again - what if I don't love the ED middle school we feed into? Can I request a different placement?

My understanding is that you get the ED program for your "zone." My child isn't in the ED program but some good friends actually moved because the ED program for our "zone" was considered less good than the "zone" for Westbrook. So they took their ED diagnosis and placement with them to another neighborhood, and were able to use the program at Westbrook rather than the one they would have used had they stayed here.

Op again - what if I don't love the ED middle school we feed into? Can I request a different placement?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op again - How did you get your child bussed to Westbrook if it is not your home school? How far do you live from there? Are you concerned that there will be no social continuity with middle school? Thank you!!

MCPS has to provide bussing.

Sorry did not read your whole post. Yes I am VERY worried about the social continuity because my kid has very good mainstream friends now who will be going to a different ms which is not our home ms. Also, I don't know what the solution to that is because the ed program continues at Pyle and Whitman. But honestly, I wouldn't worry about that at this point if I were in your situation. I would be more worried about getting immediate help for my kid. I feel like everything else will just have to fall into place and we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Anonymous wrote:Op again - How did you get your child bussed to Westbrook if it is not your home school? How far do you live from there? Are you concerned that there will be no social continuity with middle school? Thank you!!

MCPS has to provide bussing.

All MCPS SN programs offer door (your home) to door (the school) busing.

If a change of placement is determined as being necessary, the county provides door to door bussing. There are 6 ED elementary programs in the county and the location that your child is sent to is the one everyone from your high school cluster goes to. For example, all ED children from the Churchill cluster goes to Westbrook. If you let us know your cluster we can tell you the school.

That said, you might want to make an appointment with the principal at your school and have a frank conversation about whether the current school is best for your child. Alternately, you can call an iep meeting and let them know that the constant calls home aren't working and a better behavior plan needs to be developed.

Op again - How did you get your child bussed to Westbrook if it is not your home school? How far do you live from there? Are you concerned that there will be no social continuity with middle school? Thank you!!

Anonymous wrote:I am not a PP but my child is at Westbrook and I am generally pleased. His behavior is much better and it is nice that they don't blink an eye when he does have an issue. Westbrook is not our home school so he gets bussed there. I am not sure what will happen for middle school as we are not there. Westbrook feeds into a different middle school than our home school. He has been able to meet friends- both in and out of the program, but rarely gets invited for a playdate or party. Sadly this was similar to our home school and is part of the problem with having a special needs child.

Same situation with us. Westbrook has been outstanding.

I am not a PP but my child is at Westbrook and I am generally pleased. His behavior is much better and it is nice that they don't blink an eye when he does have an issue. Westbrook is not our home school so he gets bussed there. I am not sure what will happen for middle school as we are not there. Westbrook feeds into a different middle school than our home school. He has been able to meet friends- both in and out of the program, but rarely gets invited for a playdate or party. Sadly this was similar to our home school and is part of the problem with having a special needs child.

could PPs with kids in MCPS ED classrooms say which schools have been good for them? I have a 4th grader with similar issues and am thinking of moving to MoCo (currently out in VA). Info on middle school programs also welcome.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think your child sounds appropriate for an ED program. He has disruptive behavior, not an emotional disability.

Your child needs a functional behavior analysis (FAB) to help the school come up with better strategies for dealing with his behavior that are more suited to his particular situation and the anxiety that drives it. Ask the school to perform one.

Actually, the ed program sounds like it might be a good fit for this child and a relief for mom because her ds will be getting the attention he obviously needs. I can't recommend it more highly for a situation like this.

Anonymous wrote:Apples and oranges. Yes, anxiety is an emotional disability. That does not however mean that OP's kid would be appropriate for an ED program. Kids in ED programs have much more continual, severe, disruptive behavior. Behavior so disruptive that they cannot be in an inclusion setting, ever, and need constant intervention.

Not sure where you are getting this info but it's not true. Most kids in the ED program are mainstreamed for the majority of the day with an aide but are in their self-contained classroom for special lessons and for subjects that cause difficulty.