Need info about special needs schools in the area (Pittsburgh: attorney, houses)

[Adrienne88]

Hey there -

We are considering relocating to the Pittsburgh area and I have some questions about the local special needs schools.

I won't go into too many details but it's unlikely that my son (12, DD, borderline ID, not autistic, very high functioning in some areas, low in others) will have much success in a traditional classroom. He's not a kid who would do well in an inclusion classroom and a self-contained classroom would probably not be a good fit, either, although it's possible I'm incapable of imagining what good special ed looks like, having never seen it where we currently live. Currently he is homeschooled as we have no reasonable options in our area.

I have been doing research and found several schools in the area that may be a good fit:

Acld Tillotson School
The Children's Institute (maybe - seem to focus heavily on autism and since he isn't not sure it'd work)
Pressley Ridge
Pace School (k-8, so would also need info about later years)

And I found this school: Transformation Learning, but they don't have a website.

I know they're not in Pittsburgh but my husband is looking at a job in Washington so it would be fine. I work at home so I can work anywhere.

I'd love some feedback from people who've had experiences with these schools.

I'd also love to know how hard it was to get into them. I know the proof would be on us to show that our child couldn't function in existing school options, and we have all requisite testing and of course would hire an advocate and an attorney if necessary.

Would love thoughts. PM me if you like.

[Retiredcoach]

All of the schools that you have listed are approved private schools. Their costs are absorbed by the local school districts. The way school funding works in Pennsylvania, you would have to work through the school district, where you will reside, before your child could be placed into any of these schools. The way that special education law works is that school districts must first attempt to educate your child in the least restrictive environment first- a free appropriate public education. It will only be after your child has been fully integrated into a local school district's array of educational options (with the individually needed modifications and/or adaptations met) that an approved private school would even be considered.

With this all being said, western Pennsylvania has long been considered one of the best areas of the country for special education services. With our current governor, however, school districts are still reeling from his budget cuts and special education services were especially hard hit. Pine-Richland was considered among the best districts nationally for delivering special education programs a few years, but I am unsure of the current status.

[Adrienne88]

Thanks, I understand the process. Unless things are done *very* differently in the Pittsburgh area schools, my son will likely flounder. Children and young adults with his diagnosis have a 50% graduation rate, even when you look at alternate/special ed diplomas. I know that first he will have to fail, fail, fail (and we'll get the fallout at home) before anyone considers anything different. Believe me, we've been there and done that where we live now and since there are no other options we homeschool.
Perhaps they will be able to help him in the local public schools. That would be the simplest option.
In the meantime, ideally I'd like to hear from parents whose children go to these schools: what was the process like to get access? What are these schools like?

[Retiredcoach]

My child has a similar diagnosis as yours. Although there were challenging periods of time where we questioned his integration within a public school program, in the end, he flourished. He is now in his early twenties, works full time, and he even drives. He participated in the band in high school and attained his Eagle Scout. Yes, there were times that we, as parents, believed that it would have been much easier on us for him to be in a full-time special education setting. We were lucky, as the school district leaders believed that he would be much better served socially in a more inclusive setting, and his current successes are a tribute to their dedication and efforts to his long-term success. As for the approved private schools that you list- it is extremely difficult to have your child enrolled within them without first having him/her included within the public school setting first, as their waiting lists tend to be quite long

[Hopes]

The fact you're homeschooling further complicates matters. Since it's unlikely your son has an IEP, you're going to have to start from the beginning and have an evaluation done by your new the school district. The evaluators won't have any way to make a determination on his performance since there are no records of his achievement level due to not being school.

All I can do to reassure you is the Pittsburgh metro schools are far superior in special education compared to what's available in North Carolina.

I don't know about the other two schools, but Pressley Ridge and Pace School are schools for troubled children. I wouldn't want my child at one of those schools. School districts send children they can't control there. Every child I knew who went to one of those schools had huge behavior problems. Then again, you say your child has borderline ID. If that's borderline personality/identity disorder, maybe it's the right place for him if he gets violent. If he doesn't get violent, I'd give a school district with a good special education program a try.

[Adrienne88]

We've had all the evaluations done privately that the schools would do. We did this even when he was in school, since the school waited until the last minute to fulfill their obligations. So yes, he'd enter w/o an IEP, but they would have everything they'd need already in place. As homeschoolers we are also required to get yearly achievement tests and the ones I get are way more revealing than the end-of-grade tests they give in our local schools. All they show is that he's not at grade level.

ID = intellectual disability, FWIW. Meaning he has borderline intelligence and has a developmental disability. At our schools here they said that since what he did in school matched his ability they didn't need to do anything to help him.

Thanks for the info about the special ed. at the schools.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Adrienne88

We've had all the evaluations done privately that the schools would do. We did this even when he was in school, since the school waited until the last minute to fulfill their obligations. So yes, he'd enter w/o an IEP, but they would have everything they'd need already in place. As homeschoolers we are also required to get yearly achievement tests and the ones I get are way more revealing than the end-of-grade tests they give in our local schools. All they show is that he's not at grade level.

The school district will do its own evaluation. Your private evaluations won't be used since you aren't arriving with an IEP. They won't even send him to one of these schools you listed without evaluating him. If I were you, I'd plan my move to arrive at the start of summer, enroll him, and request an evaluation in writing the very day you arrive. (You can't request the evaluation until after you are a resident of the school district.) That way the evaluation can be completed and an placement can be designated before the start of the school year. Without an IEP, he will be treated like every other student.

Originally Posted by Adrienne88

ID = intellectual disability, FWIW. Meaning he has borderline intelligence and has a developmental disability. At our schools here they said that since what he did in school matched his ability they didn't need to do anything to help him.

Sorry. ID is also for borderline identity disorder. Anyway, the schools I mentioned are schools where children with discipline problems are sent. They may send other students too, but I know for a fact troubled children are sent to those schools.

Originally Posted by Adrienne88

Thanks for the info about the special ed. at the schools.

Don't be afraid to try special education at the Pittsburgh metro school districts. You're saying you don't think he would do well in inclusion or a self contained classroom. He's already not achieving grade level via homeschool instruction so that's not really working for him either. I don't think he'd do well at the schools for children with behavior problems. He's already missing out on critical socialization via home schooling, and one of those schools would be like throwing him to the wolves IMO. He'd be better off mainstreamed until you can find the right placement for him.

[Adrienne88]

Despite your interesting assumptions about me and my kid, I'd still like information about those schools. You said you don't know anything about them except they're for kids with behavior problems and those the schools can't handle - maybe that's my son. You don't really know, do you? I do, because I live with him. I don't call him behavior disordered, because his behavior is related to the deficits caused by his brain damage. But I suppose to other people he would be behaviorally disordered.
I think a school with high teacher-student ratio and which understands the wide variety of needs of children with brain-based disabilities might be exactly what he needs. If they provide structure and understanding and accommodations and positive movement forward this is what we need. This is why I'm asking about them.Traditional schools are not for everyone. He's not going to achieve grade level no matter what anyone does because he can't. So he needs something different.
I'd love it if someone who has actual experience with these schools would come in this thread.
A
oh - and p.s. I'm not exactly sure the kind of socialization that happens to a child with developmental disabilities in middle school is the kind of "critical socialization" we're looking for. One of the main reasons we homeschool is because a child who is developmentally 5 but physically 12 doesn't really need to be hanging out with a bunch of kids who are chronologically and developmentally 12. That's putting the lamb in with the lions, although it's a lamb who really really really wants to be a lion and will do anything the lions ask of him so they'll like him...

[Hopes]

Since he's that far behind developmentally and has behavior problems, you shouldn't have a problem getting a district to place him in one of these schools eventually. But your evaluations won't be accepted because you don't have an IEP. The school district will need to do its own evaluation. That's why I recommend you arrive at the start of summer so you can get the ball rolling before school starts. All districts wait until the last minute to fulfill their evaluation obligations. If you arrive during the school year, they'll probably place him in a self contained classroom until the evaluations are completed. I have not seen any children that developmentally delayed (intellectually) in inclusion classes so hopefully that will be a reassurance.

Sorry you're not finding the response you want from people with the experience you prefer. It would have been rude for me to assume your child had a behavior problem given the limited information you provided. RetiredCoach was employed by one of the best school districts in the region that also has a highly respected special education department. I know teachers employed at other districts who sold their houses and bought houses in his district so their children could be in its special education program. Most parents with special needs children would be interested in finding out which districts offer superior special education services.

But you only want to hear about these specific schools instead of what we do know about special education in this region and what obstacles you might face getting your child services. It's a darn shame your focus is so narrow because your first post indicates you have no idea what you'll face getting the services you want. Retired Coach shared the school district will try the least restrictive environment first. I shared that a placement will not be made based only on your private evaluations. The districts will expect you to have secured an IEP and kept it current even homeschooling. Without an IEP, you're going to be starting over with a school evaluation.

Let's hope the district doesn't require your son to exhibit behavior problems before agreeing to place him in one of these schools. The most frustrating part of special education is the children who blow up toilets are the ones who easily secure appropriate placement. If your son's behavior problems aren't that severe, it may take longer. Or you could luck out.

[EggMaker]

Adrienne88, here is another Pittsburgh-area school for children with special needs:

The Watson Institute