ADHD and fairfax county.... (home, neighborhoods, best school)

[marialysgruneiro]

Hi all!


We are thinking of moving to North Virginia. We know Fairfax has one of the best school systems in the country. We have a daughter with ADHD. We are flexible on neighborhoods but are looking for the BEST possible school for our daughter. I appreciate all your help in guidance in advance.

[car54]

I'm not up on all the latest terminology but unlike general ed kids that go to a neighborhood school, special needs kids go to the school that specializes in his or her needs, regardless of where they live.

Of course the closer you are to that school, the shorter the bus ride (or car commute).

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by car54

I'm not up on all the latest terminology but unlike general ed kids that go to a neighborhood school, special needs kids go to the school that specializes in his or her needs, regardless of where they live.

Of course the closer you are to that school, the shorter the bus ride (or car commute).

A student with ADHD, barring some other issues, will go to the base school. Any school will be able to work with an ADHD student.

marialysgruneiro,
Does your child have an IEP?

[leighland]

Originally Posted by marialysgruneiro

Hi all!


We are thinking of moving to North Virginia. We know Fairfax has one of the best school systems in the country. We have a daughter with ADHD. We are flexible on neighborhoods but are looking for the BEST possible school for our daughter. I appreciate all your help in guidance in advance.

Any Fairfax County Public School (known as FCPS) will be excellent with great resources for any disabilities.
Your Pediatrician must test your child then provide letter in writing stating the child's disability.
The letter will go to the Special Education team- there is a team in every fcps school.
The Special Education team will take the letter and with some testing and interviews, will create a special plan specific to your child called a 504c or an IEP.(google those yourself)
FCPS is the 10th largest school district in the nation with more than 185,000 students in the system. It is also the 3rd largest employer in Virginia. They do great work

[Nancy in Nokomis]

My son had ADHD and the school did not "work with" him at all - he had other sensory problems so they wanted to ship him off to one of their crappy "special needs" schools - the best way to go is private -

[leighland]

Originally Posted by Nancy in Nokomis

My son had ADHD and the school did not "work with" him at all - he had other sensory problems so they wanted to ship him off to one of their crappy "special needs" schools - the best way to go is private -

Not true in Fairfax County
This woman who does not live in Virginia should not be trusted
My children have attended Private, Public and I home schooled one for a year
Plus my sister in law is a special needs resource teacher in public schools
Fairfax County is really the best

[Carlingtonian]

I have ADD. Thanks to the wonder of methylphenidate, I'm a far more successful adult than I was a student. When I hear about special schools or getting the educationist bureaucracy to forever label your kid as "special needs," I cringe.

Get him to an MD psychiatrist and on some medicine. That's what I did. It works great.

Meanwhile, unless your kid has other issues, forget the IEPs and involving the teachers and the school in any way. If he's going to succeed in the real world, he has to be able to do the work without help from anyone. Drugs can help focus, but no one in the professional world is going to cut him any slack.

And thinking of himself as "special" (euphemism for "disabled") is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If ADD or ADHD is all he has, tell him he's probably smarter than most of the other kids (which is likely) but just needs help with the focus part. Think of it like Lipitor.

Expecting objectivity from those who have a vested interest in special (including segregated) school programs is like asking the tree-removal guy if your 200-year-old oak is OK.

[leighland]

Carlingtonian,

The best thing about FCPS is autistic/adhd/etc.. kids are integrated into each class. They have the same teachers, homeroom, lunchtime, etc as every other 'normal' student. Kids with ieps may have extra classes during the schoolday, such as speech therapy, but those classes are schedules during "specials (what I called EC classes)" time so the kids miss extra library time during their therapeutic class.

As in all disabilities, some people need meds, some don't. Each person, no matter what age, needs to be evaluated properly for what is best for them.

I will say that in FCPS I am familiar with some medicated children and they are in the same therapeutic classes as those without. Extra skills are great for all kids, disabled or not.

Carl, what was your opinion on the meals tax?