Special Needs Education (not Autism) in Seattle Area (Bellevue, Redmond: renting, home)

[JBrown1]

Hi All,

We're moving to the Seattle area in June 2011. Our 8 y/o daughter has special needs (not autism) with moderate mental retardation, developmental delays, and slight physical disability. I want to assess the school resources in the Seattle area to help guide our choice of where to live.

We're considering W. Seattle, Bellevue, Sammamish, Issaquah, and Mercer Island.

I would welcome contact from parents of similar children who live in these communities to learn their opinions and experiences with the special needs education there.

My specific questions, about the school districts serving the above communities, are:

Where are the dedicated special needs facilities for those children not suited to inclusion in mainstream classrooms?

Of the schools with dedicated special needs facilities, which do you think are best?

As a parent of a special needs child, who are your most helpful contacts in the school or district where you live?

Are you aware of better communities for special needs education than those listed above, and where are they?

Thanks, Jim Brown

[Hemlock140]

My wife is a special Education Para-Educator in the Lake Washington School District, in Sammamish. There are several others that work with the 1-2 Special Ed Teachers, and thay have a "transition" room where
those not able to be in a mainstream classroom get the attention they need. This particular school (PM me for name) has become known as having a good program and so their numbers have increased as people seem to move into the area to take advantage of that opportunity.
All of the Lake Washing District schools (Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish)
have good programs. I can't speak about any other districts, but you should be able to find information on their websites. As a proepective parent, before buying or renting a home you can arrange a visit to any school you want and check it out ahead of time.

[jamiejeff]

Hi, I have been searching the forum for information on seattle area and special needs education. We are considering a job there and my son who is five has high functioning autism. He is in a mainstream class with push in support mostly for social challenges during the day. I have heard mixed things about the services up there. We are in a school district with quite excellent services right now so this is a major concern. I would be interested in knowing your thoughts on the elementary schools in the sammamish, bellevue, woodinville areas? Do you know if any of the districts are really on top of things? Thank you for your thoughts.
- Jamiejeff

[kkranga]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

My wife is a special Education Para-Educator in the Lake Washington School District, in Sammamish. There are several others that work with the 1-2 Special Ed Teachers, and thay have a "transition" room where
those not able to be in a mainstream classroom get the attention they need. This particular school (PM me for name) has become known as having a good program and so their numbers have increased as people seem to move into the area to take advantage of that opportunity.
All of the Lake Washing District schools (Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish)
have good programs. I can't speak about any other districts, but you should be able to find information on their websites. As a proepective parent, before buying or renting a home you can arrange a visit to any school you want and check it out ahead of time.

Hi,

I am planning to relocate to Redmond shortly. I am on the look out for a school for my 6 year old daughter which provides individual attention. She is slow to grasp some concepts but is not autistic or dyslexic. If somekid takes 3 attempts to learn something she takes about 6-8 attempts to grasp a concept. However, once she learns it she finds it easy to use the same in her day to day life. Need inputs from this group if you do know of any public schools which meets the above information.

[jjinla]

She may very well have a learning disability like auditory processing disorder or otherwise, but these aren't normally diagnosed for another year or two. You would be wise to have her evaluated ASAP though if you sense something is not right.

Without an IEP she won't get special services. Any decent teacher should be able to make the material approachable for different abilities, but she isn't going to get a tutor or aide anywhere unless something is actually wrong with her.

[kkranga]

Thanks a ton for your feedback. Will get an evaluation done on my child soon and then share the feedback to seek recommendations from this elite forum around the next steps.

Thanks
Ranga