Questioning whether an LD school is a good idea.

Ask a lot of questions when you visit this LD school. What programs are they using, are they up-to-date programs with excellent success rates? Do all their student become literate? What is their philosophy about the learning disabled. I checked into one such school and was very surprised by the answers to my questions. Their main concern was to teach the student to become comfortable with their learning disability. They admitted that not all their students learned to read, dispite the fact that they hand picked their students, accepting only about 5% of the applications they received. They would only take children with no behavior problems and kids whose profiles showed the most likely possibility to be remediated. They had never heard of Lindamood Lips program, didn’t use OG. Only 20% actually graduated with a highschool leaving certificate. I have heard some special education programs referred to as the golden garbage can, and wasn’t will to take the risk on this one. I decided against send my child theire, I hired my own tutor and supervised the programs used. There are excellent schools out there, ask to talk to parents who have children enrolled there, what success have their children experienced?

They use 3 programs and students are placed in one based on their profile…association, alpha-phonics (or somethimg like that) and SEE.

They have id’d him as a good candidate for their program. Most kids who graduate from there go on to college. Many only go there 3-6 years and then return to their home school. They don’t promise a cure. They don’t take primary behavior problems.

Everyone I know who has kids there swear by it.

I have two boys. Both are dysgraphic/ADHD/Gifted.
13 and 12. They attend a very small private school that specializes in gifted lders. It has been the best thing we have ever done. I too would worry about the lack of enthusiasm,this is definitely not the issue with their school:-) It can be a virtual madhouse of activity. They absolutley love it,and I don’t think they would want to return to public school. The school uses FFW,LMB,OG,to name a few. The beauty of the program,to me,is the creativity ,hands on experiences,and the priority that is placed on emotional wellbeing. I have seen other schools,I am glad I found this one. It wasn’t the first one I saw either.

Learning is very serious thing for most LD children. Many of them need quiet to concentrate and a fairly rigid structure. If it’s possible, try observing the children at the school at recess, lunch, or P.E. If they’re listless and too well-behaved during these times, the school may not be a good fit for your child if he doesn’t have social issues.

Don’t confuse quiet behavior necessarily for lack of enthusiasm. The boisterousness of public school made my son feel isolated and edgy. His private school has been a godsend. He approaches every school day with a vigor that I’ve never seen before. Yes, it is a well-insulated cocoon, perhaps a bit too sheltered, but that is a plus for a child who has a hard time being social.

In an LD private school, since so many of the children have had such a difficult time, I’ve found that the students are more compassionate with each other and the parents are not so brutally competitive about the achievements of their children. It’s refreshing.

I would visit a few more times in different classrooms. Pay attention to the curriculum. How engaged are the children? How involved are they? Is it hands-on and multisensory? Are they sitting doing work sheets all day? I would look at the materials that are being used, talk to teachers and speech therapists, etc. The more detailed information you get, the better.

Have you visited other LD schools and compared? I think there is a huge continuum of LD schools and philosophies. They can be terrific or very disappointing.

I visited one school that talked extensively about preparing children to go back to mainstream classes. Their facilities and teacher:student ration were impressive. Two of my friends ended up sending their children to this school for 5th grade. The school’s expectations for these smart LD kids were appallingly low. They did not challenge them at all and there was nothing creative about the curriculum. Both kids basically wasted a year. The line espoused by the administrators did not match reality!

Good luck making your decision!

I would agree with linda w. There is a huge variation and not all schools are a good fit for all kids. My son does terrible in a very structured environment. He needs to move, explore, be creative. If he feels stifled he shuts down. He is also very social, animated and has his name called out when I walk down the halls with him at school.

I think there is just such a wide variance with ld kids that you have to find the school to fit the kid.

I wish we lived in FL and could go to the school Socks kids go to. Now that would be a perfect fit for us.

Thanks for the input. My son is going to spend several days there to see how it goes. It is multi-sensory. No worksheets. Ratio is 6-8 kids in a class.

This is not the only LD school we considered. It’s interesting to see the LD school’s different atmospheres. One is very small - 10 kids per grade - and is very very religious. Consequently, that school believes fully in corporal punishment. I don’t agree with that.

Another school is bigger, but their population also includes kids who have been kicked out of their regular ed private schools. Those kids don’t necessarily have LDs. Of course, the school claims to be just an LD/ADHD school. That school is very strong in science and art.

There are two other schools too, but I haven’t visited so don’t have a feel for them. It does help to compare!

and the school we are looking at sounds similar to yours: very stringent admissions criteria, no behavior problems, high IQ with reading problems their main kind of kid. Most kids stay 3 years and are mainstreamed, w/out support, and are college bound.

My son’s present school is a place of happy chaos, progressive and colorful. When we first looked at the LD school it seemed sterile to me, but I have come to realize that its just different, not bad. Its quiet also, probably because there are only 10-12 kids in the class. But the kids look happy and they are definitey learning. I’ve seen the work they do, and also spoken to many parents - and not one doesn’t rave about it.

We believe that immersing my son in the right school environment could change his life so we are going to do it if they offer us a spot. Good luck with your decision!

Thanks, Karen. Does the school you are applying to require the student to visit? I think the multi-day visit will really make it obvious what the right decision is - obvious to me and the school. Hopefully, we will come to the same conclusion, whatever it may be.

Yes, he spent 2 full mornings there. ANd he liked it. It also lends weight to their recommendation that he come if they have space, because they really really invested in knowing him. (They also did reading and psychological testing while he was there) The other school we looked at , but won’t go to, met him for 45 minutes. So we know right there that the screening isn’t as selective.
Keep us posted. I’ll certainly be posting when we get our letter in the mail from this school!

Hey Karen,

Have you seen any changes in your son’s reading due to Seeing Stars? We’ve been trudging along doing some Seeing Stars and just wondering.

Beth

Karen,
just to comment on your “quiet” school observation…

My son (for the first time) admitted that he knows what to do in the new school because it is so quiet and he can hear what is said. It took my son 5 months to realize that he was missing a lot of instruction because of the “open class room” setting and noise in his old school.

Of course he did not know that then, but now once he experienced the difference he knows that it was the case.…