Public or Private School for ADHD Child? | ADHD Information

Oh, wow, thank you for the praise! I'll remember this when we're having one of *those* days!

I'm really just doing what needs to be done, and feel lucky we have the resources to do it right now.

Plus, I have to tell you it has turned out to be a great journey for me, too.

TillyT,

Your a hero in my book! What you are doing for your DS is incredible. You are doing what is best for your child. to read that a 9 yr old feels like a failure just breaks my heart. At the young age of 9 to feel like a failure, that is just so sad.

You are a hero for what you are doing! Your DS is very lucky!!

My 6 year old was recently diagnosed with ADHD and is currently in
kindergarten at a private school. One reason we chose to send him to
private school is because of the smaller classroom size. We've been very
pleased with the school so far and my son is doing very well. He just
started a low dose of meds which has helped tremendously. However, I'm
still trying to determine what services (if any) would be available to help
with the ADHD at a private school that he might get for free at a public
school.

As a start, I know that he could use OT and social skills training. We
haven't discussed the diagnosis yet with the school as we're trying to get
our arms around everything first. It would be nice to not have to spend
the cost for private, but we're willing to do so if it would help my son! I
would love your input on the following:

- What kind of school has your ADD/ADHD child succeeded in? Public or
private and why?
- If you chose the private route, have you had extra services paid for
by the school district or have you had to pay out of pocket? Our
insurance, Kaiser, doesn't seem to pay for OT services. How did you
approach the school with your child's diagnosis and need for services?
Thank you so much! trident it may be worth getting him evaluated first to even see if he would GET OT services and if the school does any kind of social skills groups. The social skill stuff is one of those things money usually doesnt proved for and they dont give out OT services all that easily. I'd hate to see you move him from a school he is doing well in in hopes of those services. It may be worth the money to get those things privately.

Mine is in publice. He was on an IEP until recently. Now is on a 504. He ws receiving speech and OT through the public school. He tested out of special ed, they had him on an IEP to just keep a watch on him and he is doing well academically, but still needs certain special accommodations to continue doing well.

I believe in private that they do NOT have to accommodate your child, it is a private institution and that is their choice. That is why so many of us have our children in public, even though we would prefer private. Our children would not receive the special services nor accomodations.

I believe that you are entitled to after school going to the public schools in your area for such things as speech and OT, but I would check on that in your area. It seems that all states, towns, cities do things different from each other.

I was told that I could place my son in a private school a while back then after school bring him to our local elementary school for speech and OT services. That is just my experience.

I would contact special ed in your town and ask them that question, just in case!!

My son is in private school and receiving services from the Dept. of Ed.  There is no way we could afford to pay out-of-pocket for OT, and none of the pediatric OT's on our insurance (yes, I called EVERY one of them in my city!) treat SID - they are all injury/rehab kinds of practices.

Getting him evaluated by the Dept. of Ed. was a big nightmare, and I really had to push - multiple meetings, reviews, etc.  But he's had OT services for over two years now.  We take him to a sensory gym after school (sevices aren't provided at the school, the way they would be in a public school.)

For my kid, the small student/teacher ratio and small class size is key.  Also, the environment at his school is very orderly - not in a discipline way, but visually.  He's very visually-oriented, and the cluttered, chaotic classrooms in the public schools (no fault of the teachers, BTW - it's all mandated!) would be horrible for him.

My experience has been different from Bethann's.  The private school has been very proactive and helpful about accommodations for my son.  They come to us and come to his therapist to find out how they can best help him.  With the small class size, the teachers are able to give him extra attention when he needs it.  The school has also helped us navigate the special-education system to get services.  Unfortunately, in a public school (in our zone, anyway), there would be so many kids with worse troubles than my kid's, he might not have registered on the radar as more than an "excitable" child.  In hois current situation, his considerable intellectual gifts are being nurtured AND his special needs are being addressed.

 

Of course, it all depends on the laws where you live, and on the quality of the schools - in some places, the public schools are better than the local private schools!  If you can, find someone at your current school (either administrator or parent) who can point the way for you.

I think depends on your situation and the schools in your area.    My daughter is doing great in our parish school.   She doesn't have a 504 and we a few informal accommodations in place - mostly related to handwriting.

A good friend of mine has two sons with ADHD (one is also bipolar).   The parish school was not the right fit for her kids.   Her youngest son first was moved to a small private school specializing with kids with dyslexia and then later moved to the public elementary school.   Her oldest son just switched from the parish school to the public middle school.   She has found that the public school system in our area was better able to accommodate her kids needs.

I also have another friend whose son is ADHD and high functioning autistic.  She researched many school in our area and found that the public school system was also able to best met his needs.
My son is in public school and the school provides OT. It was a nightmare to get it. I had to deal with power stuggles, "politics" galore, and a ridiculous amount of time in meetings to get services on my son's IEP, one of which is OT. I also had to have him labeled Special Education, which is something that I would not enter into lightly. With the SE label comes significantly reduced parental control. Once you get an IEP (which is SE), the IEP team makes the decisions that the parent once made alone. Bottom line: the price that you personally will have to pay to get the school to pay for OT just isn't worth it. It doesn't come on a silver platter. You duke it out. I recommend taking out your checkbook instead, if OT is the only thing that you are looking for.NoTellin39474.9002083333How about neither?

We homeschool our 9-year old DS, who has ADHD and anxiety/depression issues.

The whole IEP/504 thing just didn't work fast enough for us in the public school here, and there are few private options around.

So, we took the leap. Truly, I thought I would go insane, but with meds (Concerta) and relief from the feeling of failure he was getting from school, he is doing very well.

School just doesn't fit him, and as much as I didn't plan my life this way, I am learning a lot too.

Not for everyone, clearly, but it is another option to consider.