It really depends on her temperment and how her ADHD manifests. A lot of girls do really well in montessori, myself included, but it's not the answer for everyone, for example, I started DS in montessori, but he was too impulsive (read - a dicipline problem), regardless of some of the best and most caring teachers ever, and we got asked to leave the school.
Montessori is child directed learning and doesn't work very well if the child is going in 15 different directions ;) however the concrete, hands on, highly tactile environment is awesome and the relaxed structure works really well for keeping kids engaged. If your DD is displaying more of the hyperfocusing tendencies or has a LD, montessori could be a great opportunity. There's actually a school for kids with ADHD and LDs in my area that uses a modified montessori environment. Awesome school.
We opted for the highly structured private school environment after the montessori option bombed out. We picked a christian school with the idea that they would be more understanding and willing to work with a kid who had issues (which they were). The teachers at our school are there because they believe they have been called to teach, so they really love working with the kids. We've gotten a good education and have been able to prevent DS from being labled as a problem child or put in any special programs prior to diagnosis (we received official diagnosis at the end of K) though they were really happy when we started treating his ADHD in time for 1st grade. In fact, it's been so successfull we're moving DS to a more academically focused christian school in the fall.
I can't tell you anything first hand about public schools, but you can check out the ADHD Issues in Schools board for more info there. If your DD needs formal accommodations or special services, public seems to be the way to go, since a lot of private schools don't have the resources to assist.
graciepoints38796.6087962963Hi SJSmom,After this year, 3rd grade for my 8 year old daughter, we have just enrolled her in a small private, alternative school. I have heard good things from other parents with ADD/ADHD children who have attended the school We did let them know her issues and she visited the school for a day and did great and she loved it also. It is a very non-traditional type of school that is geared toward "normal" children that are not expected to sit in a chair all day and keep quiet. They encourage activity, variety, speaking their minds (appropriately) and being extremely creative. They go outside for short recesses 5 times a day to get the ants out of their pants, etc. It's not cheap but I can't imagine putting my daughter through one more year of criticism and ridicule from the public school administrators.
I suggest Montessorie to get the basics down then can switch to public. This gives the grounded foundation they need. There are other private schools that can work well. We have stayed public only cause of cost and therapies. We can't afford anything put public. I also like their focus on eating well also.I had a very bad experience with private schools and my ADHD/dyslexic son. My son was not allowed in the local Montessori school because he was too hyper. I put him in a small alternative school, and all went well the first year. The second year, when his learning disability became more and more evident, the school was unwilling to modify assignments for him, and all of his difficulties were blamed on a lack of attention. I continually received calls from the school asking me to up my son's ADHD meds, and he would come home with hours of homework each night, much of which were reading and writing assignments he did not complete in class because he could not. I decided to put him back in public school and get an IEP because I knew he was going to need the protection IDEA gave him. I had to fight like hell for the IEP, but he did get it, and this has been the best year he has had in school since moving in with us as a foster child four years ago. Until this year, school had been a nightmare! He flat out refused to go to school the first year he lived with us, and I ended up home schooling him.
I think each child is an individual and what works well for one child may not work well for another. Public and private schools vary greatly from one district to another and from one city to another. As a parent, we have to explore what schools are available to our children, and we have to learn what our children need to be academically successful. Then, we have to put those two things together and come up with the best option.
Hi SJSmom,Thanks for your great suggestions. Its a tough decision and this is all so new to us, but we want to make some quick decisions in time for fall enrollment. This info. definitely helps!
Both of my children have LD problems, especially my daughter (my son is on the autism spectrum). My daughter MAY have inattentive ADD. For certain she has auditory processing problems. We tried three things with both kids: homeschooling, Catholic school, public school. My experience with homeschooling was not good. I'm not the best teacher and the kids spent a lot of time not doing their cirriculum and my daughter really missed having classmates. Next we tried Catholic school. Total bust for both our kids. There was a nun who worked with kids who needed help, but there was ONE nun for the whole school and my daughter and son were lucky to get 1/2 hour extra help three days a week. Both declined in their studies in that environment. Now they're both thriving in a public school in a small town. My son is at a neighboring school. He spends half a day in a class for children with mild cognitive problems, although his IQ is normal. He is leaping in his learning, socializing, and understanding of life. The kid is SHINING in a smaller classroom where there are less distractions and a program modified just for his need. My LD daughter was a non-reader in second grade when she was put in the school's LD program for a half a day. She's a different child now, again in a small classroom geared to her unique learning style. She's in 4th grade and reading at 2.5. Now that may not sound very good, but in second grade, when she started in this program, she had so much confusion sounding out words that she couldn't read at all. This, in spite of an IQ of close to 120. Her math skills are right on target. She gets help reading the story problems. For us, public school was the obvious choice that really helped our kids. Private schools do not need to make accomdations. As for Montesorri (I had my oldest and "gifted" kid start out at Montesorri), I'm not sure if your Montessorri (I can't spell it...lol) goes thru high school, but, when we pulled our child, he had trouble transitioning to regular school, and he is BRIGHT with no learning disorders. He also liked public school the most. We pulled him for a college prep school for a few years, but he begged to go back to public school for high school. He just wanted to be a normal kid. Good luck with you decision. OlderMom38797.375474537