Anonymous wrote:We have almost the identical situation but are in VA. Please post if you have any suggestions there too.

We looked into Fusion and while it sounds interesting, it’s so expensive after we had the initial meeting. We can’t afford it full time right now.

In Northern Virginia - look at the New School of Northern VA. Very low pressure. Very flexible. Great staff and academics.

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Anonymous wrote:My kid with autism, anxiety, and work refusal (not school refusal) is doing great at Nora.

How did Nora handle the work refusal?

Lots of support around anxiety, so child felt safe asking for help. Making most work done in class, instead of homework. Dividing assignments into really, really small pieces so that it wasn't overwhelming.

Thank you! This is really helpful. Were they proactive in implementing these supports when your kid first started there, or only after work was refused?

Proactive. It's really built into their program, available to everyone. And when the already small chunks were still overwhelming, they worked with us to problem solve and have more frequent check ins.

That sounds amazing. I'm over here crying that they don't have a middle school. Hoping we can find an interim solution to get through one more year but we will almost certainly be applying after that.

Nora parent here. MS (at a mainstream private I don't recommend) was hard, really hard. There's no equivalent to Nora that I was able to find for MS.

Maybe you could do a few Fusion classes and supplement with some home school for 8th grade then do Nora for high school.

We have been homeschooling since 2nd semester this year (7th grade), and that's exactly what we are looking at for next year - adding some Fusion classes. We've toured a number of other private schools but haven't found anything else suitable yet.

That sounds like a good plan. You could have your child take 1-2 classes a day at Fusion and he or she could spend a few hours before and/or after in the Homework Cafe with the other kids. I think they get 1 hour of Homework cafe per class that day. That would get kid out of the house and back in a school-like environment with teachers who are used to dealing with kid's issues. Then, make the transition to Nora. Many kids at Fusion are there for a year or so.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid with autism, anxiety, and work refusal (not school refusal) is doing great at Nora.

How did Nora handle the work refusal?

Lots of support around anxiety, so child felt safe asking for help. Making most work done in class, instead of homework. Dividing assignments into really, really small pieces so that it wasn't overwhelming.

Thank you! This is really helpful. Were they proactive in implementing these supports when your kid first started there, or only after work was refused?

Proactive. It's really built into their program, available to everyone. And when the already small chunks were still overwhelming, they worked with us to problem solve and have more frequent check ins.

That sounds amazing. I'm over here crying that they don't have a middle school. Hoping we can find an interim solution to get through one more year but we will almost certainly be applying after that.

Nora parent here. MS (at a mainstream private I don't recommend) was hard, really hard. There's no equivalent to Nora that I was able to find for MS.

Maybe you could do a few Fusion classes and supplement with some home school for 8th grade then do Nora for high school.

We have been homeschooling since 2nd semester this year (7th grade), and that's exactly what we are looking at for next year - adding some Fusion classes. We've toured a number of other private schools but haven't found anything else suitable yet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid with autism, anxiety, and work refusal (not school refusal) is doing great at Nora.

How did Nora handle the work refusal?

Lots of support around anxiety, so child felt safe asking for help. Making most work done in class, instead of homework. Dividing assignments into really, really small pieces so that it wasn't overwhelming.

Thank you! This is really helpful. Were they proactive in implementing these supports when your kid first started there, or only after work was refused?

Proactive. It's really built into their program, available to everyone. And when the already small chunks were still overwhelming, they worked with us to problem solve and have more frequent check ins.

That sounds amazing. I'm over here crying that they don't have a middle school. Hoping we can find an interim solution to get through one more year but we will almost certainly be applying after that.

Nora parent here. MS (at a mainstream private I don't recommend) was hard, really hard. There's no equivalent to Nora that I was able to find for MS.

Maybe you could do a few Fusion classes and supplement with some home school for 8th grade then do Nora for high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid with autism, anxiety, and work refusal (not school refusal) is doing great at Nora.

How did Nora handle the work refusal?

Lots of support around anxiety, so child felt safe asking for help. Making most work done in class, instead of homework. Dividing assignments into really, really small pieces so that it wasn't overwhelming.

Thank you! This is really helpful. Were they proactive in implementing these supports when your kid first started there, or only after work was refused?

Proactive. It's really built into their program, available to everyone. And when the already small chunks were still overwhelming, they worked with us to problem solve and have more frequent check ins.

That sounds amazing. I'm over here crying that they don't have a middle school. Hoping we can find an interim solution to get through one more year but we will almost certainly be applying after that.

Nora parent here. MS (at a mainstream private I don't recommend) was hard, really hard. There's no equivalent to Nora that I was able to find for MS.