Anonymous
Post 05/20/2017 08:47     Subject: Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
My kid sounds like yours and I got services through the public schools. What jurisdiction are you in? We got speech and some OT in Arlington. One thing to focus on is not to worry about the school's diagnostic labels. In our case, they always err on the side of what allows them to give him services. Do I think the label is 100% spot on - no, they've over factored in some things - but he's getting the services that I do feel he needs. A SN school for my kid would be total overkill. I also see you said he's 5. Five year olds, especially boys, have a lot of trouble staying on task and being engaged in school no matter what their needs. By 7 -8 my son was doing much better.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2017 08:32     Subject: Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Thanks for all your thoughtful responses. He's a tough case because he doesn't sound as bad on paper as his issues are in practice. He has major sensory issues and has a very hard time self regulating. We won't qualify for speech or ot, we already have an iep, and there's no smaller class in our school district. I could push for an aide but that's unlikely. His ADHD is very severe. Medication helps a bit but not totally. And I suspect his iq is probably in low average/borderline. He got an average nonverbal score but the logic and reasoning was borderline (85). That might be the source of a lot of his issues.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2017 08:05     Subject: Re:Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Have you visited both schools? What does your gut tell you is the right fit?


I just don't know. I think he's too old for the LARC program. But as a parent I don't know if I am making the right decision.


Kingsbury is doing one week LARC programs this summer - maybe try it as a camp and see what you think?

The "25%" delay thing as it relates to eligibility for services doesn't automatically apply to students in a public school in the same way it does for a county/city early intervention program. Did you initiate the IEP process at your public school and the draft IEP was weak? You could consider hiring an advocate -- your child may be more impacted that it looks on paper, and they can help you make a stronger case for in-school services.

From what you've written I think the SN schools you've identified may be 'more' than your child needs.

Wishing you well OP - your child seems to fall into the grey area of having serious needs but perhaps not serious enough for some of the private special needs schools.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2017 20:39     Subject: Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Anonymous wrote:It maybe worth getting an IEP at a public school first and see what kind of supports and services the school will provide: You can always switch to private SNs if there are issues. Certainly, if cost is an issue it makes sense to see what the public schools can offer for free and your DS is so young.

When my kid was 4/5, our public school provided OT and PT for fine and gross motor for things like climbing stairs, playground equipment and dribbling and catching a ball. He also got lots of help with fine motor including using zippers, utensils, handwriting, etc and later touch typing on a laptop, all provided one-on-one. Also, help with pragmatic speech with the SLP but in a small group which for pragmatic speech works well.

At 4, DS had a diagnosis for ASD/Asperger's and developmental coordination disorder. Fully mainstreamed and above grade level academically. We also did private OT but it was useless bc it focused more on "sensory issues" instead of fine motor issues so we stopped private OT.


Agreed. My son got an IEP when entering public Kindergarten and his ADHD diagnosis wasn't even confirmed yet.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2017 20:09     Subject: Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The public school is not going to offer anything. Child has ADHD and dyspraxia but school will not offer services for speech or for fine motor b/c they claim not delayed enough. Child also needs a ton of bevahioral support and would not be able to handle a big class. There are no small classes available in the school district. I could fight them but it would likely cost about the same as tuition at least for this year.


I would also consider Ivymount's Multiple Needs Program. It will be more expensive than either school you mentioned, but it has a much longer school year.


Really can't do $68K. Child is not aggressive or an eloper, bur needs redirection and can get silly.


Most kids at Ivymount aren't aggressive. Also most kids in the MLN program aren't elopers. (Shave off about $20K from what you quoted as the cost--that's for a child who would need a one on one aide.)


OP should go tour the Multiple Needs Program. From his description, his child does not sound severe enough for a SNs school which is the most restricted environment and too young. I am not familiar with the MNP at Ivymount but I know the Model Asperger's Program at Ivymount does not have many K students - they may have 1 kid who is under third grade so there will not be same age peers for a child in K to interact with.

Have you checked out the Lourie center or Maddux? What kind of school does your DC attend now for preschool?
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2017 19:58     Subject: Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
FYI - a DC charter school has just announced to its parent community that it is going to purchase Kingsbury's campus and being operations there as soon as fall 2018.

I can't find any messages on Kingsbury's website about where they may be going, but if you think you may be there for more than 1 year you may want to call next week.

Anonymous
Post 05/19/2017 15:32     Subject: Re:Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Anonymous wrote:We are going to do LARC. I liked that the program is not part of the school and is a separate program. also liked that speech and OT groups are part of the program. Hoping to get a big boost and then decide if we can mainstream or look at a SN placement for the following year.


Could you email me? I would love to talk. I think there are only like three parents signed up so far sooooo...... it would be super helpful to connect!!!

My email is iepplanning2017@gmail.com
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2017 10:54     Subject: Re:Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Have you visited both schools? What does your gut tell you is the right fit?


I just don't know. I think he's too old for the LARC program. But as a parent I don't know if I am making the right decision.


I just looked at the LARC description. He's not too old. Most SN schools have mixed aged classes and if you go back to a mainstream public or private, there will definitely be kids his age b/c holding boys back from K for various reasons is pretty common around here. (Regardless of what people think of the practice, it happens.)

I can relate to what you're saying about the public schools. It's frustrating that a kid won't be given services off the bat. So often they wait until a kid is really struggling and then what they offer is far from sufficient.

If fine motor skills are a concern, I would lean toward Kingsbury. It doesn't matter if a kid is a genius, if they can't hold a pencil correctly or write with any proficiency, how are they supposed to "access the curriculum?" He may need additional OT services than what is offered during the class day, and it will be easier to schedule these services b/c you'll be right there.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2017 10:47     Subject: Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hmmm. Good to know, thanks. I really don't know anything about ivymount. What types of issues is the MLn program serving?


Most kids have autism. There is also a mix of kids with social communication pragmatics disorder, ADHD, motor coordination disorders, CP--for example.


He is extremely social and gets upset when kids are rigid etc. I'm not sure he would do well with a clas full of asd kids. I'm nervous re all of the options for these reasons. Ugh. I don't know what to do.


You'll find kids on the spectrum everywhere. ADHD also makes kids rigid. (When we were at Diener, most of the kids were on the spectrum.)
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2017 10:09     Subject: Re:Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Anonymous wrote:Have you visited both schools? What does your gut tell you is the right fit?


I just don't know. I think he's too old for the LARC program. But as a parent I don't know if I am making the right decision.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2017 08:23     Subject: Re:Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Have you visited both schools? What does your gut tell you is the right fit?
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2017 00:33     Subject: Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hmmm. Good to know, thanks. I really don't know anything about ivymount. What types of issues is the MLn program serving?


Most kids have autism. There is also a mix of kids with social communication pragmatics disorder, ADHD, motor coordination disorders, CP--for example.


He is extremely social and gets upset when kids are rigid etc. I'm not sure he would do well with a clas full of asd kids. I'm nervous re all of the options for these reasons. Ugh. I don't know what to do.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2017 16:23     Subject: Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Anonymous wrote:Hmmm. Good to know, thanks. I really don't know anything about ivymount. What types of issues is the MLn program serving?


Most kids have autism. There is also a mix of kids with social communication pragmatics disorder, ADHD, motor coordination disorders, CP--for example.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2017 16:16     Subject: Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Hmmm. Good to know, thanks. I really don't know anything about ivymount. What types of issues is the MLn program serving?
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2017 15:49     Subject: Diener or kings bury larc for 5 yo with ADHD and pragmatic speech and fine motor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The public school is not going to offer anything. Child has ADHD and dyspraxia but school will not offer services for speech or for fine motor b/c they claim not delayed enough. Child also needs a ton of bevahioral support and would not be able to handle a big class. There are no small classes available in the school district. I could fight them but it would likely cost about the same as tuition at least for this year.


I would also consider Ivymount's Multiple Needs Program. It will be more expensive than either school you mentioned, but it has a much longer school year.


Really can't do $68K. Child is not aggressive or an eloper, bur needs redirection and can get silly.


Most kids at Ivymount aren't aggressive. Also most kids in the MLN program aren't elopers. (Shave off about $20K from what you quoted as the cost--that's for a child who would need a one on one aide.)