Elementary School Recommendations for High Functioning Autism / ADHD (Atlanta, Roswell: attorneys, private school tuition)

[LightBE]

Hi there--I'm hopeful that someone may be able to jump in and advise on any recent positive experiences they've had with public or private elementary school systems in metro Atlanta that support kids with high-functioning autism and/or ADHD. I've reviewed/searched posts but haven't seen any recent responses on elementary schools and know that school programs and experiences change every few years. My son is 6 and currently attends a private preschool with a transitional kindergarten program and is progressing (we've made leaps and bounds since he was diagnosed at 3), but clearly needs to have a low teacher-student ratio (and often) direct attention to achieve learning goals. I also think we are likely going to have an ADHD diagnosis for him shortly, and believe issues with regards to attention, motivation and processing speed are our challenges. I live in Dekalb County and did get an IEP for him, although what we receive in terms of services is limited because I didn't want to pull him out of his private transitional kindergarten program. I know that our assigned Dekalb County School is not an option for us--we did not have a positive experience getting through the IEP process. We are now in a position of looking at schools for first grade and it is daunting. I've toured private schools (MDE School in Marietta, Cloverleaf and The Community School in Atlanta, and Porter Academy in Roswell) and think he would thrive at a couple, but the cost is almost prohibitive. I understand attending a public school for a year will allow for either 1. school choice to move within the district the following year or 2. qualification for SB10 funds (however I hear that the amount is based on the number of hours/services qualified for in the most recent IEP). I've also read things about St. Francis School but can't seem to find any references that it supports kids on the autism spectrum or ADHD. Anyway... I am looking for any thoughts/suggestions from parents who may be a couple of years ahead of me and can advise on great experiences in public school settings or if you have gone the private route and can advocate for a specific school. Thank you so much in advance.

[lastminutemom]

Originally Posted by LightBE

Hi there--I'm hopeful that someone may be able to jump in and advise on any recent positive experiences they've had with public or private elementary school systems in metro Atlanta that support kids with high-functioning autism and/or ADHD. I've reviewed/searched posts but haven't seen any recent responses on elementary schools and know that school programs and experiences change every few years. My son is 6 and currently attends a private preschool with a transitional kindergarten program and is progressing (we've made leaps and bounds since he was diagnosed at 3), but clearly needs to have a low teacher-student ratio (and often) direct attention to achieve learning goals. I also think we are likely going to have an ADHD diagnosis for him shortly, and believe issues with regards to attention, motivation and processing speed are our challenges. I live in Dekalb County and did get an IEP for him, although what we receive in terms of services is limited because I didn't want to pull him out of his private transitional kindergarten program. I know that our assigned Dekalb County School is not an option for us--we did not have a positive experience getting through the IEP process. We are now in a position of looking at schools for first grade and it is daunting. I've toured private schools (MDE School in Marietta, Cloverleaf and The Community School in Atlanta, and Porter Academy in Roswell) and think he would thrive at a couple, but the cost is almost prohibitive. I understand attending a public school for a year will allow for either 1. school choice to move within the district the following year or 2. qualification for SB10 funds (however I hear that the amount is based on the number of hours/services qualified for in the most recent IEP). I've also read things about St. Francis School but can't seem to find any references that it supports kids on the autism spectrum or ADHD. Anyway... I am looking for any thoughts/suggestions from parents who may be a couple of years ahead of me and can advise on great experiences in public school settings or if you have gone the private route and can advocate for a specific school. Thank you so much in advance.

Have you looked at Hawthorne Elementary School in DeKalb? I believe it is the school where the higher functioning kids from Coralwood progress to. Not sure what their class size is. It is probably worth researching.

I wouldn't judge the IEP process as a reason alone to avoid DeKalb schools. You can use advocates/attorneys for lots less than private school tuition. There are plenty of other reasons though, class size being the biggest.

Is your child going into K or 1st next year?

[LightBE]

Thank you for your swift reply, Lastminutemom! My son will be going into 1st grade. And just to clarify, I'm not avoiding Dekalb County schools--just don't really have an interest in attending my assigned Dekalb County school. I will look into Hawthorne as well. Thank you so much!

[dblackga]

Another school to check out is Barnwell Elementary in Johns Creek -- it's public. Also check out The Lionheart School and the Alexsander School, both in Alpharetta.