Son with ADHD...MI, Bellevue or Issaquah programs?

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by Jayman80

Hemlock,

Is this transition center only for Pre K or K? Worried that after age 6 that my son would be forced to mainstream before he may be ready for it.

It's for special needs kids grades K-5. They don't have a pre-K, that is centralized and limited to a few locations.

[jjinla]

We are in the middle of a move...hubby out there, me finishing up the year with the kids back here. At any rate, if you can do Redmond and Sammamish you do get more out there. For the same 30 minute commute my husband has now, though, we are pretty limited to MI or western Bellevue. Lots are slightly bigger than where we are now (westchester) but don't forget that they count basements in sq. ft. in Seattle.

My son also has some sensory issues and just can't do a mainstream setting yet. We tried and failed last year and I hate that so many districts think every kid should be mainstreamed unless they have cognitive issues. Not every kid can or should be and in the absence of special classes, you end up with a cobbled together program of a mainstream class along with resource room. I seem to recall either Bellevue or Issaquah had a special program for autism but I think it has to be pretty severe and my son isn't autistic at all. Bellevue also has a pre-k class for special needs but don't let that drive your choice as the districts without it instead send you to private programs which can sometimes be better.

[Issaquah Dad]

I happened to see this thread and thought I could offer some perspective too as I have been going down a path of exploration that may be of help. My son has been in Grand Ridge Elementary in Issaquah Highlands and we like the school a lot, but it is a public school and that has pluses and minus I have learned. He has been in an IEP for reading and writing since second grade and they are good and helpful. But, by law I think, teachers and administrations are not even allowed to speak the letter ADD or ADHD. They don't want their teachers getting in legal trouble or something. I wish they were not so shy about it and we hadn't waited until 4th grade to explore this. The school testing and interest is mostly about academics and tests as it is with most public schools. My son's normal classroom has like 32 kids in a portable - insanely crowed and very distracting for my guy.

I should say, we had a comprehensive, independent evaluation done by Dr. Elizabeth Smith of Kinderminds in Bellevue. She is fantastic, very busy, and a bit expensive, but it was so worth it. We now know much more about what my guy is good at and what he struggles with and where specific help can be found. I think this has been essential for us going forward thinking about the right fit school. There are some great private schools for kids with learning uniqueness, but they seem to be in Seattle (e.g. Latest News). On the eastside, in Kirkland there is Eastside Prep that embraces learning differences and many of the teacher are MIT grads and they just get it. Class sizes are small (~15) like most private schools. There are other private schools on the eastside, but I think they are afraid of ADHD, dyslexia, etc., kind of students really.

On the Eastside, Microsoft employees abound which means more engineers and may very well be more Dyslexic (ADHD perhaps) nerds and kids who may excel at Math or the like. That was some of the inspiration for the founding of Eastside Prep. Also, if you kid is Dyslexic, there is a great resources here as well. Two doctors who the book "The Dyslexic Advantage" are here as well and they have a great web site and are available to help.

One more resource for ADHD specifically. Dr. Theodore Mandelkorn is superb for his knowledge of ADD/ADHD and the proper medication to treat it. I am a currently a big believer in the meds and wondered why I was so hesitant before - read too much media hype I guess. Other doctors who don't specialize in ADD/ADHD meds may by a waste time and lead to less effective doses, without the benefit of treating the ADHD effectively. I'm still a bit in the middle of this, but his knowledge is reassuring. The medication is a bit powerful and I really want to get the best help getting this right. I feel confident he will help me do that. Doesn't accept insurance though. I have to send to bill to my insurance separate. Dr. Pomeroy may be good too, but I don't have experience with him, but he does specialize in ADHD.

Sorry for the long reply. I have just been going down this road a lot this past year and I live in Issaquah. I'd be happy to share more if you would like. Perhaps I can send/share a phone # or e-mail if you'd like.

[jjinla]

Thanks so much for this information, everyone. Immensely helpful.

We have pretty much decided to see how public school goes in WA and if need be we'll go private for him. He has ADHD, my daughter is gifted and the third is too young to tell. I realized that all the schools were pretty similar and the best for one was not going to be the best for the other.

The specialists are great as we will definitely need to have great psychiatrists and neurologists on our side. There is an active CHADD chapter in Seattle too that I plan on joining once our move is complete.