[marykath]

We have been in school panic mode for quite some time.

Our youngest, about to turn 5, has sensory issues, emotional issues, attachment issues and possible processing problems (although they have not yet ben diagnosed). She does have an ADHD diagnosis, although I am not sure how much of that is sensory and how much is true ADHD.

Our OT runs a very small private school for children with sensory issues and learning disabilities. Four kids, staffed by her and one aide. It's in a house, and is adjacant to her OT practice. She started it because her nephew and neice have sensory issues.

We have started to think about sending our daugther there.

We are very fearful of sending her to our neighborhood public school...we have had two IEP's so far and she hasn't qualified for any services...we pay privately for OT and think it is helping. We just can't imagine her "surviving" public school.

Our plan is to get a full neuropsyc eval (we have a July appointment), hopefully get a formal diagnosis (other than ADHD, which we already have) and request another IEP. If the district still will not do anything for her, I am not sure what else to do.

The pluses: A comfortable environment; lots of sensory imput (they use the OT facility during the day); one-on-one instruction.
Our worries: Are we selling her short? (maybe she could make it in "regular" school); the kids will all be older than her by a few years; they are not exactly ideal models of social skills.

Thoughts?

[athikers]

I wonder about this same thing for my son who has severe SPD.

Would the school accomodate half-days for her first year... spending the other half day at this small private school?

That way she would get the socialization/good peer modeling AND the attention of the sensory based private school.

[mommytoEli]

i pulled my adhd 5 year old out of school last year after watching him continuously struggle with no intervention on the part of the school. he is excelling at home! when i watch my 3 year old with spd.....i think good Lord....if my adhd kid wasn't successful and no one helped him, what will become of my child that makes carpet angels when nervous but is already reading? lol. i am looking into other options for him bc i know i have only 2 years to find him a place in a school that will make sense of what he does and help him to succeed despite his needs. if i found a sensory school, i'd enroll and look for social role models elsewhere. lol.