Public or Private??? | ADHD Information

My son has been in a small private christian school since pre-school.  He is now in the 4th grade.  I am considering making a change to public school and I was wondering if anyone has gone from private to public with success?  Some of the reasons we have stayed at this school is because the class size is only 14 to 15 kids per year, lots of one on one attention, and the school has always supported us in dealing with ds ADHD. (This year is an exception, but thats another story)  Anyway, it seems that as the years go on, there is just so much more work.  All the kids in the neighborhood never seem to have any homework and run the streets all evening while my son is stuck in the house doing projects, reading assignments, ect...not work from the day, but extra work.  This year has been difficult.  The expectations just seem to be so much higher at his school.  The pressure seems to be getting to him more.  Anyway, his teachers have always offered to down size his work load but I've never let my son take them up on that.  Just would like to know if anyone switched and what your outcome was.  Thanks everyone.The down side to private is they don't have to provide a SE child any help like Public school Se kids can get. Some kids can't qualify for assisstance unless the disorder effects their education. I have been told grades 3, 4, 7, 9 are hardest anyhow. Big transition years. I suggest you do a search on what public education expectations are in the grade your child will attend. Some Se kids to be honest would be better at a ld school, Home schooled, Inclusion setting room.In these 3 environments the kid can work at his/her level and speed. Beware the US govt. as of this year is makeing it harder for SE qualifications.In the future  they want only severely disability people to qualify. Unfare and we can only see change if we complain to our politicians. Consider all this before considering public education.   

Momtobug,

My son came to live with us as a foster child right before 3rd grade.  He suffered unmercifully in public school in the third grade, and I found it very difficult to get him the help he needed because everything was attributed to his socio-educational background .  I considered fighting the school, but my son hated it so much that I decided it wasn't worth it.  I put him in private school for 4th and 5th.  He did very well in 4th, but the homework and writing assignments in 5th were a nightmare.  Like your son, mine was doing 2-3 hours of homework a night, while all the kids in public school ran the streets and played.  I had my son assessed for LD's, he was found to have them, and I took this dx to the local public school and enrolled him.  I had to fight the school this year for an IEP, but I did win and got a great IEP, and my son is having the best year academically that he has ever had.  He's in general education with modifications/accommodations/interventions, and it has been so successful, I wish I had fought the public school years ago. 

Homework will always be an issue with my ds, this I know.  What I was trying to explain is that I have come to notice that all my sons friends never seem to have homework.  Yea, they may have a test to study for, or a line or two of english, what I have noticed, and this has been since the 1st grade, that it seems to me private school has more "paperwork".  I'm not trying to get away from a homework situation, I'm just trying to decide whats the best placement now that he is getting older and the expectations are higher.  Although I want my son to shoot for the stars, he has limitations. 

Calicorose,

Writing is the biggest issue that my son has.  Although his thoughts are there, he has the hardest time getting it on paper.  If he does get it on paper you usually can't read it.  We are actually getting some testing done in June and I hope we get some more answers.  For right now his school will except him doing work on the computer at home.  Thanks for your input.

Momtobug, have you looked into the STNR reflex?  Check out Anni's thread on the Aternatives section.  Your son sounds a LOT like mine in the writing department, and they both fit the profile of an immature STNR reflex. 

Unfortunately, he cannot do the crawling exercises that is supposed to correct that, as he just started the DORE program, which also addresses the baby reflexes.  But, I'm doing the crawling exercises, and have learned that getting thought from the brain to paper will be much easier after completing the crawling program.  Anni is a huge advocate for crawling, and I'm becoming one too!  Read the threads, and get a description of the symptoms of an immature reflex and see if your son fits!  Terrible writing, squirmy in the seat, unusual postures when sitting and studiyng; is someone always telling him to "straighten up" and sit properly?  If so, let him sit how's it's comfortable for him.  Proper sitting is very difficult for these folks.  The crawling is an easy fix for all of that!  Check it out!

Oh, and I'm hoping he WILL become more scholarly, and he really shines in MATH, and wants to go to college.  I'm hoping that after the DORE program, when he hits high school, school will be much easier for him.  I hear you with the TIME it takes to get things done.  It was such a struggle, and it was wonderful to hear of these programs that help to make things easier for these kids.

calicorose38855.473599537

Hw is suppose to just reenforce what is taught in the day. Sadly Se kids usually come home with more. SE is available in subjects the child is really suffering in. Since our sons Ld is reading that is why he is going to SE class full time that has 3 others in it for next year.

Go to your SE director I find better help there. This is how I am getting our sons transfer for 06-07 year. She even notified his current school on what we want.

I will let you know how it goes.

That is dysgraphia our school never took care of this we did it. Schools do not evaluate motorskills unless requested. OT can help in this. Most use hwtears for this cause a ot wrote it. Ot happened in our son cause of us. Yes you can buy this online to use at home. I copied her stardegies. Corrected this in our son.

Motor planning problem.

Montessorie schools are great for improveing motorskills. My cousin moved her daughter from public K cause no one was helping her daughter on that problem. Their stuff is taught hands on.

Hello momtobug....

My son is in transition from private school (K-3rd) to public school (4th). It has been a bit of a struggle all year. He was diagnosed with ADHD just a couple of months ago. Fortunately, the school has been very supportive and has helped tremendously in helping through this. You might check into what the new school will do with you son (IEP, 504, etc..). Last night I spoke with my son's principal, teacher, counselor, and a psychologist and they are going to write up a 504 for my son. This will modify his homework, classwork, testing and some other areas and will be kept on record. (They are taking my son's doctor's recommendations and adding to it.) Even though my DS talked about transferring, not going school, trying to fake illness, etc... with the right encouragement and the help of the counselor he is looking forward to 5th grade now!!

Hang in there momtobug & keep posting!!

We switched from private to public at 7th grade.  We did not get much support from the private school, because they did not support 504s and IEPs, whereas the public school does.  There was MUCH LESS homework in public school.  Our experience was just like yours, and it got worse as the years went on.  So much homework and expectations.  We were considering a charter school for Junior and senior high, but don't think my son would do well, so much writing is expected, and his life would be consumed with this.  Writing and reading assigments are difficult for him, and take him so much longer. 

Most private schools do seem to focus on the writing, if that is a strength for your child, if it's a struggle, it might just get harder over the years as the expectations get higher. 

Also, there are more teachers per class, so if one does not work out, there are other options. 

Overall, looking back, I think we should have pulled our kiddo out of private sooner.  He's just not that scholarly, and no amount of whatever is going to change that.

I can't speak to private school as I've no experience there.  My experience with public schools is that while the laws are the same, for all practical purposes there is much variation from school to school.  Go visit and look them all over before you decide. 

Homework tends to increase as kids get older.  At our house completing homework can be a big issue.  You might want to read this blog

http://www.thehomeworkdoctor.com/

There are some interesting ideas.  Guess I am saying that I'm not convinced public school will necessarily solve the homework problem.  That is to say, my son is in public school and the time it takes to complete homework is a problem.  I believe it is more a matter of his ADHD, abilities and interests than what school he may or may not be enrolled. 

Both of my kids spent two years in an esteemed Catholic School in our area, and both did poorly, although both have other issues than ADHD (one is on the autism spectrum and the other has CAPD). Son didn't learn a thing for two years (at the time he was diagnosed ADHD and the teachers just let him not learn things). My daughter, who may have ADD without hyperactivity as well as CAPD, came to public school, when we finally pulled them, as a non-reader in second grade. They didn't catch the problem in the Catholic school, although I kept bringing it up. They have now been in our very cool public school for two years and they both love it. Son is in special ed classroom that I insisted upon and he's learning at a very fast pace. My son simply needs extra help. Daughter's teacher caught her inability to read, and after Title I didn't work, she was tested and accepted into an LD classroom. She almost reads at grade level now and is a math wiz, and no longer tells me, "I'm stupid." I think it depends on your son. If he does need help, he'll do better in public school. If he doesn't, I don't know how he'll do. My kids yell "booooooo" whenever we drive past their old school.