Hard to do.

Anonymous wrote:It really pains me that privates in this area are so prejudiced against kids with ASDs. I don't think the same thing is true in other areas of the country. For example I'm sure in college towns that if you exclude kids who appeared to be Aspergers or had diagnoses already you would miss some brilliant children of math and physics professors!

That may be because math and physics professors don't send their children to mainstream private schools in this area because they don't make enough money. It's all lawyers, bankers, and business owners.

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Anonymous wrote:for all of you recommending Field, am interested in where all the kids with Aspergers, etc are at Field-- there are not many. A few, but the classes are by no means filled with kids on the spectrum.

The admissions team at Field told us that Field may be Ok for kids with mild issues (presumably like ADD) but is not the place for kids with more serious LDs; Lab School may be more appropriate in that case. Call them and ask - they were very upfront about it when asked.

Lab does not take kids on the spectrum -- they are a great example of admissions offices/educators who should know better than to paint all diagnoses with a broad brush, yet make decisions based on stereotypes.

But, yes, for kids with more significant academic challenges, Lab would be more appropriate than Field.

Lab specializes in learning disabilities and not Asperger's where the primary issue is with social communication and pragmatics so it serves a specific niche. Not every SN school can serve every SN.

Right, but some kids have both, and many kids with language-based learning disabilities (Lab's specialty) have pragmatic weaknesses. But Lab still has a blanket rule that doesn't take into account the specific needs of specific students. But this is a topic for another thread.

And yet we know a child with a spectrum diagnosis who attends Lab. So who knows how these things work in practice.

And they are probably in an older grade. Lab use to take kids on the spectrum but then they changed their mission to focus on learning disabilities.

Actually, no. Early elementary in this case.

If you call Lab and ask, they will tell you that they do not take kids on the spectrum.

This is one of those phenomena that I find counterproductive. I can sort-of see why Lab says that because they want to focus on helping kids with specific learning challenges and they don't want to open the floodgates to application from parents who believe theirs is a school that treats spectrum issues.

But in the first place, although they say that, it clearly isn't true. For one thing we know two kids there in the elementary school who are diagnosed as being on the spectrum, and I'm guessing that there are plenty more we don't know about. And for a second thing, EVERY school has kids on the spectrum, whether the school has looked over a diagnosis or not.

It would be more accurate and more honest for Lab to say instead, "Our mission is to help kids with the following learning challenges. . ." rather than "we won't accept kids on the spectrum." Saying the latter makes them appear both more closed-minded and less forthright than even mainstream schools. In any case there must be a better way than keeping up what is obviously a facade.

To point out the obvious, that is exactly what the Lab Mission says, "For almost 50 years, The Lab School of Washington has been providing an exceptional, college-preparatory academic experience for bright students (grades 1-12) with ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning differences (often referred to as learning disabilities)."

They don't take kids on the spectrum any longer b/c of the public funding issues. But there are many privates that specifically take kids on the spectrum.

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Anonymous wrote:My ADHD inattentive child graduated from Beauvoir last year and has gone on to another TT school. It was diagnosed while at the school. DC had been increasingly behind, and was already getting extra help at the school's suggestion. They were great, both before and after the diagnosis, and did indicate that there were other kids in the same boat. DC was admitted everywhere we applied, and I credit Beauvoir with keeping up the academics and working with us as we developed strategies and learned more. Plus they were incredibly helpful in helping us find a next school that would be as great as they were.

It is amazing to hear that a school like Beauvoir would be so helpful to you and your DC. Our DC attends a Virginia private with nowhere near the reputation and we have found them to be very unhelpful. They just look at us like "we are so sorry it so frustrating for your child" and then they do nothing. We are thinking about medication for our DC and are reluctant to tell the school we are trying it because we think it will give them cause to say we need a different school for our DC even though we have not asked for anything special other than seating in the front of the room.

This was not our experience. My DC had ADHD and Beauvoir would not make accommodations of any kind and suggested another school would be better. I hesitate to say this, but as an AA kid perhaps that is part of the reason why. We were shocked it happened and very disappointed. We had thought it the perfect place and turned down quite a few other schools to go there and then left with few options as they didn't tell us until after application season.

I'm not the OP but I have a DD with ADHD and Aspergers. She has always been mainstreamed in public. Does well in school, does ok socially, but is not challenged by the curriculum. I have almost settled that there is private school that will take us. She is too high functioning for the special needs schools we've seen and just can't make the cut for privates. The bottom line is I feel like there is a real dearth of schools here. No in betweens and the few that are supposedly -- Field and Burke -- really don't take many of these kids.

WE considered private for our daughter who is high functioning austistic and has ADHD, put none the schools had the level of support offered by MCPS.

16:32 you make me sick.

I have a DC with ADHD who is in mainstream private. I would recommend checking to see if the private has any special ed teachers or just teachers who have certificates in special ed. Many mainstream advertise that they have programs for learning differences, but at closer inspection, no special ed degrees to be found.

Anonymous wrote:To the person with the happy ending who did lots of social work early on, where did you find the best social supports to be. I am desperate for something her. My ds is in a mainstream oublic but really needs private for high school in dc and I really would love to do a couple years of social support therapies before then.

For social therapies for older kids, there is Ivymount outreach. They have a girls only social group that meets on the weekends and a more curriculum based social group where the parents meet while their kids meet, there is the Unstuck and on Target program.

Dr David Black runs the PEERS social program for older kids which also has a parent meet/therapy component.

Anonymous wrote:To the person with the happy ending who did lots of social work early on, where did you find the best social supports to be. I am desperate for something her. My ds is in a mainstream oublic but really needs private for high school in dc and I really would love to do a couple years of social support therapies before then.

Depends on where you live I would imagine, but TLC in Rockville has a lot of good social support therapies.

Good luck to you. I understand that feeling of desperation, but it can work out with the right sustained assistance. I wish your DC all the best, and you too.

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Anonymous wrote:for all of you recommending Field, am interested in where all the kids with Aspergers, etc are at Field-- there are not many. A few, but the classes are by no means filled with kids on the spectrum.

The admissions team at Field told us that Field may be Ok for kids with mild issues (presumably like ADD) but is not the place for kids with more serious LDs; Lab School may be more appropriate in that case. Call them and ask - they were very upfront about it when asked.

Lab does not take kids on the spectrum -- they are a great example of admissions offices/educators who should know better than to paint all diagnoses with a broad brush, yet make decisions based on stereotypes.

But, yes, for kids with more significant academic challenges, Lab would be more appropriate than Field.

Lab specializes in learning disabilities and not Asperger's where the primary issue is with social communication and pragmatics so it serves a specific niche. Not every SN school can serve every SN.

Right, but some kids have both, and many kids with language-based learning disabilities (Lab's specialty) have pragmatic weaknesses. But Lab still has a blanket rule that doesn't take into account the specific needs of specific students. But this is a topic for another thread.

And yet we know a child with a spectrum diagnosis who attends Lab. So who knows how these things work in practice.

And they are probably in an older grade. Lab use to take kids on the spectrum but then they changed their mission to focus on learning disabilities.

Actually, no. Early elementary in this case.

If you call Lab and ask, they will tell you that they do not take kids on the spectrum.

This is one of those phenomena that I find counterproductive. I can sort-of see why Lab says that because they want to focus on helping kids with specific learning challenges and they don't want to open the floodgates to application from parents who believe theirs is a school that treats spectrum issues.

But in the first place, although they say that, it clearly isn't true. For one thing we know two kids there in the elementary school who are diagnosed as being on the spectrum, and I'm guessing that there are plenty more we don't know about. And for a second thing, EVERY school has kids on the spectrum, whether the school has looked over a diagnosis or not.

It would be more accurate and more honest for Lab to say instead, "Our mission is to help kids with the following learning challenges. . ." rather than "we won't accept kids on the spectrum." Saying the latter makes them appear both more closed-minded and less forthright than even mainstream schools. In any case there must be a better way than keeping up what is obviously a facade.

To the person with the happy ending who did lots of social work early on, where did you find the best social supports to be. I am desperate for something her. My ds is in a mainstream oublic but really needs private for high school in dc and I really would love to do a couple years of social support therapies before then.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for all of you recommending Field, am interested in where all the kids with Aspergers, etc are at Field-- there are not many. A few, but the classes are by no means filled with kids on the spectrum.

The admissions team at Field told us that Field may be Ok for kids with mild issues (presumably like ADD) but is not the place for kids with more serious LDs; Lab School may be more appropriate in that case. Call them and ask - they were very upfront about it when asked.

Lab does not take kids on the spectrum -- they are a great example of admissions offices/educators who should know better than to paint all diagnoses with a broad brush, yet make decisions based on stereotypes.

But, yes, for kids with more significant academic challenges, Lab would be more appropriate than Field.

Lab specializes in learning disabilities and not Asperger's where the primary issue is with social communication and pragmatics so it serves a specific niche. Not every SN school can serve every SN.

Right, but some kids have both, and many kids with language-based learning disabilities (Lab's specialty) have pragmatic weaknesses. But Lab still has a blanket rule that doesn't take into account the specific needs of specific students. But this is a topic for another thread.

And yet we know a child with a spectrum diagnosis who attends Lab. So who knows how these things work in practice.

And they are probably in an older grade. Lab use to take kids on the spectrum but then they changed their mission to focus on learning disabilities.

Actually, no. Early elementary in this case.

If you call Lab and ask, they will tell you that they do not take kids on the spectrum.

Anonymous wrote:My ADHD inattentive child graduated from Beauvoir last year and has gone on to another TT school. It was diagnosed while at the school. DC had been increasingly behind, and was already getting extra help at the school's suggestion. They were great, both before and after the diagnosis, and did indicate that there were other kids in the same boat. DC was admitted everywhere we applied, and I credit Beauvoir with keeping up the academics and working with us as we developed strategies and learned more. Plus they were incredibly helpful in helping us find a next school that would be as great as they were.

What was the next school? How has dc handled work load?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for all of you recommending Field, am interested in where all the kids with Aspergers, etc are at Field-- there are not many. A few, but the classes are by no means filled with kids on the spectrum.

The admissions team at Field told us that Field may be Ok for kids with mild issues (presumably like ADD) but is not the place for kids with more serious LDs; Lab School may be more appropriate in that case. Call them and ask - they were very upfront about it when asked.

Lab does not take kids on the spectrum -- they are a great example of admissions offices/educators who should know better than to paint all diagnoses with a broad brush, yet make decisions based on stereotypes.

But, yes, for kids with more significant academic challenges, Lab would be more appropriate than Field.

Lab specializes in learning disabilities and not Asperger's where the primary issue is with social communication and pragmatics so it serves a specific niche. Not every SN school can serve every SN.

Right, but some kids have both, and many kids with language-based learning disabilities (Lab's specialty) have pragmatic weaknesses. But Lab still has a blanket rule that doesn't take into account the specific needs of specific students. But this is a topic for another thread.

And yet we know a child with a spectrum diagnosis who attends Lab. So who knows how these things work in practice.

And they are probably in an older grade. Lab use to take kids on the spectrum but then they changed their mission to focus on learning disabilities.

Actually, no. Early elementary in this case.