Does anyone know of any schools in the Fairfax County school system that have a great LD program or a self contained LD school? DS was recently diagnosed with LD and we are looking for the best placement for him. Any information or suggestions would be appreciated. I've had no luck in finding the information on the FCPS website which can be difficult to navigate. Thank you in advance!

Try looking under special education centers. That's the PC term for any and all learning/emotional disabilities, etc.

I don't know if you are looking for elementary schools or HS.
All the schools have LD programs...not all have ED programs.
My son has been in special ed since first grade. He is dyslexic and has processing problems.
He is now a freshman in HS reading on a 5th grade level. Even though I hired educ consultants to help write the IEP, you have no control over its enactment.
I believe FCPS has failed my child and their spec ed programs are poor.
The teachers are stressed and overworked.
I am looking into private school for him now. It's his only chance to learn the skills he needs. FCPS spec ed sucks. good luck.

Wow. Thanks T Cartier. My son is in first grade and we're already concerned about the special ed services available. Have you heard if some schools have better teachers/programs than others? May I ask what city you are in? My son has very similar challenges as your son (processing/dyslexia/language). Since you've been there done that, can you offer any advice for someone just beginning this journey?

FWIW, here's a list of private schools in FX County for LD students:

http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/education/2195.html

In case the link didn't work:

VIRGINIA
• Commonwealth Academy, 1321 Leslie Ave., Alexandria; 703-548-6912. For students 6th–12th grades who benefit from classes of ten or fewer students and/or those with learning disabilities or ADHD.; $24,255; 94 students; www.commonwealthacademy.org.
• Dominion School, 5410 Port Royal Rd., Springfield 22151; 703-321-9091. 7th–12th grade for emotionally and learning disabled; tuition paid by locality. 40 students; www.thedominionschool.com.
• **Leary School of Virginia, 6349 Lincolnia Rd., Alexandria 22312; 703-941-8150. For ages 6–22 with learning or emotional problems; tuition paid by local school system. 101 students; www.learyschool.org.
• Little Keswick School, 500 Little Keswick La., Keswick 22947; 434-295-0457. Therapeutic boarding/special education for boys ages 10–15 with learning or behavioral difficulties; $81,731. 31 students; www.littlekeswickschool.net.
• Oakland School, Boyd Tavern, Keswick 22947; 434-293-9059. Ungraded for ages 8–14 at time of admission with learning disabilities such as dyslexia; $19,600 (day), $37,000 (boarding). Seven-week summer boarding program, $7,000. 86 students; www.oaklandschool.net.
• Oakwood School, 7210 Braddock Rd., Annandale 22003; 703-941-5788. Ungraded (equivalent of K–8th grade) for bright children with learning differences; $23,900. 114 students; www.oakwoodschool.com.
• Phillips Program for Children and Families, 7010 Braddock Rd., Annandale 22003; 703-941-8810. Also at 8920 Whiskey Bottom Rd., Laurel 20723. For ages 6–21 with level-five emotional, learning, and behavioral disabilities; tuition paid by county. 190 students; www.phillipsprograms.org.
• St. Coletta of Greater Washington, 1901 Independence Ave., SE, Washington, DC 2003; 202-350-8680. For ages 4–22 with mental retardation, autism, and secondary disabilities; tuition paid by local jurisdiction. 300 students; www.stcoletta.org.
• Timber Ridge School (Leary Educational Foundation), 1463 New Hope Rd., Cross Junction 22625; 540-888-3456. 18-to-24-month residential program for emotionally disturbed, socially maladjusted, or learning disabled boys ages 10–17. Fee for service. 78 students; www.timber-ridge-school.org.

** Denotes 2006–07 information.

i think West Springfield is an LD school. right?

For High School, I think your child can attend your area high school because they all have self contained learning settings. My child thrived at Robinson.

Why do they offer self contained at Robinson, but not at the elementary level . . . at least they aim for inclusion. Did you son receive services in elementary school? Did you push for self contained?

My son is only in 1st grade.

I would NOT put him in self contained UNLESS he is very severe.

I hired child advocates/education consultants to help me with the process for years.

Still, even with the best written IEP, you do NOT know what they are doing in class. and how could the teacher have the time to do exactly what is is the IEP with so many kids in the class? they can not do what the IEP states...don't let them fool you...

If I could do it all over again I would put my kid in a private school. Over the yrs I have found out and heard that Oakwood school in Annandale is superior, the Commonwealth Academy is superior and the Lab School in DC. I don't know much about the other ones.
I have been begging my freshman son to go to Commonwealth Academy, Even though expensive, I will find a way to finance it.

If you don't work with these disabilities now, he will never get caught up.

FCPS can't make the cut...too many kids...too little resources. Not the best school system, even though they tought they are...
Good luck!

BTW, some of the schools on your list are for MR and emotionally disturbed
kids.ie Phillips program and St. Colletta's. keep a lookout

T Cartier,
THank you for sharing your opinions. Do you know anyone who has been to the schools you mentioned? Is there a reason you have chosen Commonwealth over the others? Also, would you be willing to share the name of an educational consultant or child advocate you would recommend?

Yes, I am already concerned about the IEP and modifications being implemented in all of his classes. Too, I would like to know of specific programs used to help teach reading and math to an LD child as opposed to the traditional teaching methods used in the classrooms. My ds learns differently and the method of teaching in the regular classroom is not working for him.

This is a whole new world for us and we have a million questions. The more we learn the less we know. I'm reading books and exhausting google. If you have any other tips, suggestions, favorite websites/books, etc. I would very much appreciate you posting. Thank you again!

Also, was it worthwhile hiring the child advocate/educational consultant?

Whatever you do,do not put your child in South County Secondary School if he has a learning disability. That school has a reputation of kids bullying. DON'T DO THAT TO YOUR KID!

KTF, Fx County is like an old dinosaur...they don't like change and if it remotely looks like it works, keep on going....
If you think they will implement programs like Lindenmood Bell (sp), forget it.
They stick to standard ways. so, overall, no they don't try different programs recommended for dyslexic children. If fact, you will not hear the word "dyslexic",
Teachers will refer to these children and others with deficit areas as those with "reading issues/problems." Specific labels do not stand. And remember, these teachers have large classrooms and are stressed. They can not accommodate specific areas, only general.

Hiring child advocates/ed consultants was like hiring a lawyer. They went in, knew what to ask for, knew how to write the goals in an effective manner and requested that the teachers "prove" that the child is making progress through formal testing, etc. (things most parents would never think of to ask for)
However, the committee HATE, HATE, HATE having the adv there and you can feel the tension...it does become a "us" vs "them." If you can tolerate the neg tension. ok. The adv I hired were pit bulls in getting appropriate goals set.

The end result obtained specific, excellent goals that pertained to deficit areas. Again, how do you prove they enact/implement the objectives? Obviously, having a son that is still 3 yrs behind in reading along with other deficits tells me that the school system failed him.
I go to his IEP meeting this Thur and it is the same goals for the past 4 years. What does this tell you? I was advised by other mother's to get him out of the program at this pt and hire a tutor to fill in.

I have met people who have had kids in the schools mentioned and have had great success. I wish I had done the same.

We have also hired tutors to help close the achivement/ability gap..but usually the tutor ended up working on helping my son keep up with classwork and reteaching him. If you really want to follow along and measure improvement, hire a private psychologist to do the testing..expensive..but an accurate assessment. School psychologists will only skim the surface and the results are usually bogus.

I agree 100 percent with TCartier. I had to hire a private psychologist and an advocate as well to help me with IEP and other issues. It's sad that we as parents have to hire advocates/lawyers to take care of matters that the school should be taking care of. And you're right, they do hate it when you bring in an advocate, because they know that whatever they are doing wrong or trying to hide will come out.

T Cartier Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would NOT put him in self contained UNLESS he is
> very severe.
>
> I hired child advocates/education consultants to
> help me with the process for years.
>
> Still, even with the best written IEP, you do NOT
> know what they are doing in class. and how could
> the teacher have the time to do exactly what is is
> the IEP with so many kids in the class? they can
> not do what the IEP states...don't let them fool
> you...
>
> If I could do it all over again I would put my kid
> in a private school. Over the yrs I have found out
> and heard that Oakwood school in Annandale is
> superior, the Commonwealth Academy is superior and
> the Lab School in DC. I don't know much about the
> other ones.
> I have been begging my freshman son to go to
> Commonwealth Academy, Even though expensive, I
> will find a way to finance it.
>
> If you don't work with these disabilities now, he
> will never get caught up.
>
> FCPS can't make the cut...too many kids...too
> little resources. Not the best school system, even
> though they tought they are...
> Good luck!


FCPS could provide FAPE but chooses NOT to -- at a cost that is perhaps higher than if it did follow the laws. Look into Mclean School in MD and the Lab School in DC. Most of the other schools are more for ED amelioration than academics.

No direct experience here with FCPS services for students with learning challenges, but we know a family who does have this situation. Several years ago I worked with students in special education programs (in another state). It's frustrating to not get the help your child needs and to be treated like the 'enemy' by the administrators.

This region does not handle people with 'differences' very gracefully. You seem like a conscientious parent, and your child is fortunate you are seeking out answers beyond the pat responses from the system. I wish you the best.

What is FAPE? if you see this "waste" pls respond.

the IEP programs in Fairfax are very good in general.

FAPE is Free and appropriate public education as required by law to all students.

Regardless of whether or not you have an advocate present, it seems like it's you against "them" at these meetings. Rather unfair, really. Parents really have to stand up and fight for services for their children not just here, but everywhere. Schools often try to offer/provide the minimum and sadly your child's needs are not the only thing they are considering (budget, grants, available resources, SOLS, teacher workload/specialists workload, etc.).

With our schools and the current budget it is them against you friend. Fight for your kids no one else will.

Our kids should not have to suffer because of budget cuts. Teachers, administrators and staff of schools, I would think, take on these jobs for our children...to be their mentors. My kids have come home from school telling me how some of the teachers curse at the students. I know that many are frustrated, however, what ever happened to the role models. We teach our children to be respectful and to do the right thing just to have that stripped of them once they go to school!

Check out the Accotink Academy Alternative Learning Center in West Springfield. It's a great program!

who is the best educational consultant in fairfax county?

Falls Church City schools used to have a very good reputation for this type of service. No idea if it is still true, but it is something to look into.

I do think that the willingness of FCPS to work with you depends on the individual school and also on the type of special services are sought. Thankfully we only had to deal with them for a fairly minor issue, but both the ES and the MS were receptive and worked with us. The services that we were seeking though were those already being provided in the school, so they did not have to pay for anything extra, and we were not asking for any significant deviation in teacher routines so there was no disruption to the other childrens education. I can tell you that there are teachers I know at other schools that would seriously bitch about even the minor accomodations that we got.

No idea who the best is-we used someone through Children's Hospital.

I, too have a son who had severe learning disabilities throughout his entire academic career -- dyslexic, difficulty processing information, on and on. He has since graduated high school a few years ago (Thank God), something we were not sure in the beginning would ever happen.

We were in PW County, so I can’t help with what schools your child should go to in FRFX, but will tell just a little of my/our experience. Starting in first grade, I found that teachers were allowing my son to “just sit there” and was told by his teacher, “he can’t do what the other children do”. With a shrug of their shoulders, they couldn’t say what was wrong and didn’t seem to care, not really wanting to talk with me, BUT telling me that he most probably will not be able to learn. What?! Second grade wasn’t much better and I was beside myself. Third grade, we moved to another home, another school and I was scared to death. “They don’t know my son, what if they treat him the same way, what in the world will I do?” When the school year began, I requested a meeting with the Principal, telling of the concerns I had for my child, what his past experience was and that we needed serious intense help, would I be able to find this at this school? I was introduced to their LD teacher who ended up being my child’s angel. Someone who changed his life. This person cared, reeeeally cared about my child. For the next 3 years, she worked with him daily and kept in touch with us regularly through out high school, having become a very dear friend. Sidenote: for dyslexia where the words/letters may run or fall off a page that a person is trying to read, she found that holding a small piece of see-thru thin colored acrylic sheet – in red or blue, over the letters on a page that he was to read --- the letters then DID NOT run off the page any longer. Therefore, his aggravation subsided and he could concentrate on sounding out the word. Give it a try, maybe it will work.

What I learned as the parent of an LD child:
*YOU are your child’s best advocate. FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT and NEVER give up, no matter what is said to you. If someone doesn’t listen to you over here, go over there – just keep on until someone will listen and is willing to help.
Break your neck to get to every single meeting (IEP, whatever) and argue if you need to.
* “Your child learns differently” (is what I was told and it held true). The magic is finding what your child responds to. No, not easy at all, but do-able.
*Who said your child is abnormal?! What’s normal? Don’t we all have areas in our lives that maybe we can’t do or do as well as someone else?
*Yessss, you will have many a sleepless night trying to figure out what to do, just DON’T give up!
*Annnd, yes you will help with ALOOOOOT of school work. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
* Now I know that all feel one way or another about this subject …, but at one point I was told (not by our LD teacher), but someone from the public school system suggested STRONGLY that it would be best to have my child put on one of these drugs—such as Ritalin, Adderall or Dexedrine. Then I was told NOT TO EVER have my child take any of these drugs. Reasoning told to me: “So how will your child cope in life after school and no more drug?” I then refused, no matter what was said to me, to have my child prescribed one of these drugs. I know it’s different for each case, just reeeeally educate yourself on this matter, before jumping in. For some, it really does help and they need it, for others, not.
* Your child can and will be a productive member in society! Don’t ever doubt that.

In the state of Virginia, if your child has a reading problem and has an IEP—by law: during test time, this child can be pulled from class, read the test by a teacher, to be given the answers by the child. Many parents do not know this.

At the very beginning of each year, all the way through and through out high school – I called each teacher, LD teacher and counselor. Told them the situation with my son (many times the individual teachers may not know the full situation or know at all) and kept them on their toes and told them I would—each one of them, e-mailed them each and every week throughout the school year and if they didn’t e-mail back, I called and if I couldn’t get hold of them or get a call back, I went to the school. “How was everything going?, Was there anything he needed to work harder on?, Was he falling behind anywhere?” On and on and it’s a fantastic way to find out what assignments are coming up and if all of their assignments are being turned in or not. Man, I know these people were glad to get me outta the school system! LOL.

The person, whom ever is working with your child: you will be able to tell if they are really concerned with your child or not. Some, you never hear from. These are not the people you want working with your child. Seek out another and don’t be afraid to stand up for your child. Others, you will be kept abreast of what is always being done with your child – that’s what you want.

With ALOOOOOOOT of very hard work, this child whom it was once said will not be able to learn, graduated high school, walked the stage and received his diploma. He is very successful at his place of employment and is now also enrolled in college. You would never know by looking at him or speaking with him that he’s gone through the problems that he has, the ways in which he was taught (differently) boggles my mind, but got him through. He was taught techniques that still get him through to this day and I, Thank God that I fought as hard as I did and never gave up. He is now a very well adjusted, confident young man and he knows more than most that anything is achievable.

It’s a very long haul, No matter how daunting, no matter how exhausted -- DO NOT GIVE UP, I pray for each of you and truly hope that all works out.

Just for everyone ones information...Accotink Academy Learning Center located in West Springfield is a program designed specifically for LD and related disabilities. It is a excellent program and can be found on the web at www.accotinkcenter.com.

I totally concur with Moose. My son was diagnosed LD, ADD when he was in 3rd grade. A very observant classroom teacher noticed it and brought it our attention. We followed up with testing, etc. We went to the neighborhood school in our area and had a meeting with the school pyschologist and local screening committee and they determined that he didn't need any special services. I was treated like I was a nuisance. We were fortunate enough to be able to place him at another school, for an unrealted program. Fortunately at this second school there was a very caring LD teacher and principal who really cared, and this was an FCPS school. So, to me the moral of the story is that there are some very sincere, hard working, caring, and capable people in the public shcool system but it is if you are lucky enough to find them. It is unfortunate that it takes heroic efforts of individuals rather than being the norm.

As an aside, my son went on and did great in high school, graduated from college with an impressive GPA and got a great job. My wife and I spent countless hours working with him (that was not a burden at all) but I believe it was the care and compassion by the LD teacher and the principal that instilled the confidence in him that allowed him to succeed.

It is possible for kids with LD and ADD, dyslexia, etc to succeed, so good for you and keep fight and advocating for your kid!!!!! God Bless You!

Many parents will consult a lawyer specializing in education issues. They'll threaten to sue FCPS unless it provides the tuition for the child to attend private school. Millions of tax dollars annually are funneled toward private schools for this purpose. The folks behind the Lab School, the Phillips Programs, Accotink Academy, New School of Northern Virginia exist as a result of such lawyers.



KTF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know of any schools in the Fairfax
> County school system that have a great LD program
> or a self contained LD school? DS was recently
> diagnosed with LD and we are looking for the best
> placement for him. Any information or suggestions
> would be appreciated. I've had no luck in finding
> the information on the FCPS website which can be
> difficult to navigate. Thank you in advance!

I have had very good experiences in Fairfax with my too with mild learning disabilities. They indentified and extensivly tested them > I did have to follow up on certain items and Ihad to do extra work with them at home But I found the county accomodating. you need to go in as part of the team and smile and be accomodating . Write your questions down before you go in . If you do not like answer have them explain it again > do not get ugly or nasty

If you go in to the schools to fight about special education, you will get a fight. There is nothing to be gained by fighting; it only serves to feed your own ego and to line the pockets of advocates and attorneys. An adversarial relationship with the school staff will only alienate you from the team and increase your suspiciousness. Remember, you want the staff to like you and to like your kid, not avoid and dislike you. When advocates & attorneys get involved in the mix, the "tension in the room" mentioned by someone here is just because the staff is thinking what an idiot the advocate is and they are biting their tongues trying to maintain professionalism.

Noooo, not all staff are blameless, but you will get more accomplished with a collaborative approach than an adversarial one.

Like many others in this thread, I am the mother of an LD male with short-term memory and processing LD. In addition, he is ADHD. FCPS performed the assessment to determine eligibility for services. This process took 7-months. During that time we were fortunate to get him enrolled at the Oakwood School in Annandale. At the final meeting with the FCPS psychologist, she stated "I recommend that you keep your son at Oakwood because he will not get adequate services from FCPS." So, we refinanced our home to pay the Oakwood tuition for the remaining years. We did the same for his high school education. This same son just graduated from college and Oakwood was a significant contributor to his success. When our son was 9-years old, a private psychologist told us thatour son most likely could finish high school if he did not fall into a life of crime, drugs, or alcohol. He said we needed to be prepared for life of police involvement and problems. Thankfullly, he was wrong. I encourage parents to pursue the private school option for their children with special needs. FCPS tolerates LD children but does not have sufficient resources to nurture their different learning styles.

Teacup, if you go in with a coniliatroy approach you will only get what those indiviudals feel like giving you, not necessarily what is deserved, needed, or mandated.

The IEP for any student is BS. (I'm a high school LD teacher so I speak from experience.) If your student is LD, the only pages that are important are about the accommodations and summary of services. Goals are pointless. Make sure your student has the accommodations you think he/she needs, and then make sure he/she has the best teachers in the school. Be the squeaky wheel at this - talk to counselors, principals, department chairs to get teachers with proven track records. The reason that many schools have sub-par services is because special ed is the easiest teaching track to enter because it's such a high-need area. I work my a** off so that my students are successful, get them all the accommodations (and thensome) they need, but I hate the IEP.

For what it's worth, I'm in the process of switching to gen ed so I don't have to deal with parents who hire educational consultants who think they know better than I do about what their children need in the classroom. Remember - you are the parent, I am the teacher - I don't claim to know what goes on at home, so you shouldn't tell me what I should do in the classroom. Educational consultants have little to no experience actually teaching and ONLY create tension at these meetings.

This thread was started 2 years ago...update...I REALLY regret not sending my child to a private school...even with the best IEP written and ed consultants, he can not write a paper or for that matter, sentences...

FCPS has failed many students....

BTW, the Accotink Academy is primarily for ED students. They have quite a number of students that come from DC. I was NOT impressed with the school.

and wisegal, I am glad you are getting out of spec ed. I AM going to tell you what to do with my kid and I am glad I spent the thousands of dollars for the advocates/ed consultants for help...if I have to bully my way to get help, I have and I did.
I am your nightmare parent....

Take it from someone who has been thru the system,fcps does not do a good job at all for students with learning problems.The system failed me miserable and i am paying the price in a very big way.

Fairfax schools seem to bend over backwards for establishing GT programs. The school board should utilize those resources to the students with special needs.

My sister has a special needs child who was failed by the Fairfax system. She moved to Fauquier county to gain acess to their special needs schooling and it has made all the difference in the world. I strongly urge you to take a look at Fauquier as all the county services are miles beyond anything in Fairfax.

FCPS is HORRIBLE with dyslexia. They do not recognize it, understand it, or treat it properly. Do not even waste your time or money on an advocate. Think about it: is it really worth forcing a school to do something for your child that they don't understand? When I found out that no one at the school had anything but a two-day training in Wilson, I ran like hell.

The earlier you remediate a dyslexic child, the better. Do not wait on a school that knows little about this fairly common learning issue to help your child.

BTW, my DD was diagnosed in 1st grade and now (no thanks to FCPS) she is an excellent reader and speller. There is hope -- if you get early remediation from people who know what they are doing.

Please tell me what you did for your child that helped her become a better reader. My son is experiencing this now. I have a private tutor so far. Thank you!

Reisa, I used the Barton program (www.bartonreading.com). It is an Orton-Gillingham based program, which is what you need to remediate dyslexia. It is not the best program, but it works. I used it because I tutored my daughter myself (there are a few Barton tutors in the area, but they have pretty long waiting lists). If your tutor is using an Orton-Gillingham based program and you do it frequently enough, your son should be ok. Susan Barton also has a great website (www.dys-add.com) with a lot of informative videos that should be helpful.

My best piece of advice is to educate yourself to make sure your son gets what he needs and not rely on the school. I also want to give you hope: when my daughter was diagnosed, I never thought she would be a very good reader. But she is in 7th grade now, and honesty, she reads more than her friends do and her reading comprehension tested five years ahead grade level. (She is also highly gifted, which many dyslexics are, so that is also a factor.)

The other bit of advice that I have is to make sure your child understands his LD in a positive way. I told my daughter stories about many successful dyslexics who had difficulty reading and in school. In fact, some of the most brilliant thinkers are dyslexic.

I can hear it now. It her kid had full day kintergarten her son would not have this problem. They got some good teachers in those programs who put up allot. Praise them and try to work with them.

Oh what I could tell each of you about the private school's you mentioned, the lawyers...the advocates... and special education in general. I do not claim to have any specific knowledge about Fairfax County, but about special education in general I have loads of experience. The bottom line is this, none of these will work unless you take your child's education into your own hands, look at your child's needs and address them in your home. "Wisegal" is right, special education teachers do not have the time to work individually with your child, they have loads of paperwork, and administrative tasks, they know very little of the strategies that work with any specific disability...and they have their own lives. What parents need to understand is that by law, the school system is not obligated to help your child improve their skills, get over dyslexia, emotional issues or whatever the disability. The law only obligates a school to make sure your child has access to the general curriculum....That's it. The only reason your child's disability is identified and addressed is for the school to document how this child can have access to grade level standards. So what if a lawyer or advocate gets an IEP written, even if everything on that IEP were done specifically, there is no guarantee your child's skills would improve. The only thing that legally matters is...did your child have a chance to access the general curriculum. Lawyers, advocates, and private schools (most of them are a joke, I know...I've been to and dealt specifically on a regular basis with almost every school named in this thread) will do your child no good. Bullying a school is a waste of your child's precious time. If you really want to see your child progress you have to attack their issues at home. Do your own research on their disabilities and find out what works for them. And yes...I'm speaking from personal experience. I never expected a school to do what I as a parent needed to do myself (taxes or not) it's my child....my responsibility.

Terry Cartier Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This thread was started 2 years ago...update...I
> REALLY regret not sending my child to a private
> school...even with the best IEP written and ed
> consultants, he can not write a paper or for
> that matter, sentences...
>
> FCPS has failed many students....
>
> BTW, the Accotink Academy is primarily for ED
> students. They have quite a number of students
> that come from DC. I was NOT impressed with the
> school.
>
> and wisegal, I am glad you are getting out of spec
> ed. I AM going to tell you what to do with my kid
> and I am glad I spent the thousands of dollars for
> the advocates/ed consultants for help...if I have
> to bully my way to get help, I have and I did.
> I am your nightmare parent....

I mean I gotta say I don't I'm sorry you feel FCPS has failed your child...then again, you never told us what your child's issue's are. The school system has failed to teach your student to write a sentence or a paper...I mean I can believe it anymore with the writing I see in my high school classroom from sophomores. However, it begs the question what have you the parent done? Have you consulted numerous writing experts on how to tell teachers how to teach or have you actually sat down with your child and helped him/her learn these skills. Don't sandblast the system if all you're doing is "advocating."

Your the parent, you need to play an active role in your childs education...numerous people in this thread have said that yes their child was diagnosed early and they took time to make it a point to help their child. And where are those people's kids? They made it through elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and have jobs because they're parents were right there. Frankly, that's where you need to be along side your child being his/her cheerleader/tutor/teacher/etc.

You sandblasted, wisegal, why? Because she told the truth. The only pages of an IEP, I ever look at our accommodations. And I've seen countless numbers of them...the goals say Billy will be able to do 70% of math problems by the end of the 1st quarter; or advocate for himself 50% of the time. I teach social studies and usually the accommodations, I have to deal with our extended testing/project time. Preferential seating. Really what do you want a teacher to do with any of that. Most teachers already give extended time to everyone on everything; it's called self-advocacy. Problem is most kids don't self-advocate because their parents fight the battles for them. And preferential seating; okay Billy sit up front and be singled out...or will use a planner and keep a notebook or can use a calculator on tests.

Sounds to me like wisegal was someone you would have liked to have as a case manager in the future for your child instead she doesn't want to deal with the BS of it all anymore or nightmare parents like you. Frankly, I can't blame her...95% of the SPED teachers work harder then anyone else in their buildings; and they burn out faster than anyone else.

When you break it all down...in about 10 years every kid in the country will have an IEP. For their "ADD" because of "educational consultants" and evaluators. I'm not denying their are kids out there with all kinds of learning disabilities, emotional behavior issues, and other serious things but it's a sad state when you realize that sooner rather than later; we'll be making a piece of paper that says every should needs special treatment.

And I close with saying; if after two years, you are so frustrated with the FCPS way of doing things and you feel the private schools won't help. Then home school your child; if you feel the system is that broken then why do you remain part of it. Please don't give us claptrap about cost because given your discussion of your childs perfectly written IEP and the money it costs to pay an educational consultant to evaluate your child and the fact that you can consider private school a viable 12 year option then it's clear that you've got the money to stay home with your child and teach him yourself.

take it easy there Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Terry Cartier Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > This thread was started 2 years
> ago...update...I
> > REALLY regret not sending my child to a private
> > school...even with the best IEP written and ed
> > consultants, he can not write a paper or for
> > that matter, sentences...
> >
> > FCPS has failed many students....
> >
> > BTW, the Accotink Academy is primarily for ED
> > students. They have quite a number of students
> > that come from DC. I was NOT impressed with the
> > school.
> >
> > and wisegal, I am glad you are getting out of
> spec
> > ed. I AM going to tell you what to do with my
> kid
> > and I am glad I spent the thousands of dollars
> for
> > the advocates/ed consultants for help...if I
> have
> > to bully my way to get help, I have and I did.
> > I am your nightmare parent....
>
> I mean I gotta say I don't I'm sorry you feel FCPS
> has failed your child...then again, you never told
> us what your child's issue's are. The school
> system has failed to teach your student to write a
> sentence or a paper...I mean I can believe it
> anymore with the writing I see in my high school
> classroom from sophomores. However, it begs the
> question what have you the parent done? Have you
> consulted numerous writing experts on how to tell
> teachers how to teach or have you actually sat
> down with your child and helped him/her learn
> these skills. Don't sandblast the system if all
> you're doing is "advocating."
>
> Your the parent, you need to play an active role
> in your childs education...numerous people in this
> thread have said that yes their child was
> diagnosed early and they took time to make it a
> point to help their child. And where are those
> people's kids? They made it through elementary
> school, middle school, high school, college, and
> have jobs because they're parents were right
> there. Frankly, that's where you need to be along
> side your child being his/her
> cheerleader/tutor/teacher/etc.
>
> You sandblasted, wisegal, why? Because she told
> the truth. The only pages of an IEP, I ever look
> at our accommodations. And I've seen countless
> numbers of them...the goals say Billy will be able
> to do 70% of math problems by the end of the 1st
> quarter; or advocate for himself 50% of the time.
> I teach social studies and usually the
> accommodations, I have to deal with our extended
> testing/project time. Preferential seating.
> Really what do you want a teacher to do with any
> of that. Most teachers already give extended time
> to everyone on everything; it's called
> self-advocacy. Problem is most kids don't
> self-advocate because their parents fight the
> battles for them. And preferential seating; okay
> Billy sit up front and be singled out...or will
> use a planner and keep a notebook or can use a
> calculator on tests.
>
> Sounds to me like wisegal was someone you would
> have liked to have as a case manager in the future
> for your child instead she doesn't want to deal
> with the BS of it all anymore or nightmare parents
> like you. Frankly, I can't blame her...95% of the
> SPED teachers work harder then anyone else in
> their buildings; and they burn out faster than
> anyone else.
>
> When you break it all down...in about 10 years
> every kid in the country will have an IEP. For
> their "ADD" because of "educational consultants"
> and evaluators. I'm not denying their are kids
> out there with all kinds of learning disabilities,
> emotional behavior issues, and other serious
> things but it's a sad state when you realize that
> sooner rather than later; we'll be making a piece
> of paper that says every student needs special
> treatment.
>
> And I close with saying; if after two years, you
> are so frustrated with the FCPS way of doing
> things and you feel the private schools won't
> help. Then home school your child; if you feel
> the system is that broken then why do you remain
> part of it. Please don't give us claptrap about
> cost because given your discussion of your childs
> perfectly written IEP and the money it costs to
> pay an educational consultant to evaluate your
> child and the fact that you can consider private
> school a viable 12 year option then it's clear
> that you've got the money to stay home with your
> child and teach him yourself.

Apologies for my poor grammar and misspelled or misplaced words

Moose Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I, too have a son who had severe learning
> disabilities throughout his entire academic career
> -- dyslexic, difficulty processing information, on
> and on. He has since graduated high school a few
> years ago (Thank God), something we were not sure
> in the beginning would ever happen.
>
> We were in PW County, so I can’t help with what
> schools your child should go to in FRFX, but will
> tell just a little of my/our experience. Starting
> in first grade, I found that teachers were
> allowing my son to “just sit there” and was
> told by his teacher, “he can’t do what the
> other children do”. With a shrug of their
> shoulders, they couldn’t say what was wrong and
> didn’t seem to care, not really wanting to talk
> with me, BUT telling me that he most probably will
> not be able to learn. What?! Second grade
> wasn’t much better and I was beside myself.
> Third grade, we moved to another home, another
> school and I was scared to death. “They don’t
> know my son, what if they treat him the same way,
> what in the world will I do?” When the school
> year began, I requested a meeting with the
> Principal, telling of the concerns I had for my
> child, what his past experience was and that we
> needed serious intense help, would I be able to
> find this at this school? I was introduced to
> their LD teacher who ended up being my child’s
> angel. Someone who changed his life. This person
> cared, reeeeally cared about my child. For the
> next 3 years, she worked with him daily and kept
> in touch with us regularly through out high
> school, having become a very dear friend.
> Sidenote: for dyslexia where the words/letters may
> run or fall off a page that a person is trying to
> read, she found that holding a small piece of
> see-thru thin colored acrylic sheet – in red or
> blue, over the letters on a page that he was to
> read --- the letters then DID NOT run off the page
> any longer. Therefore, his aggravation subsided
> and he could concentrate on sounding out the word.
> Give it a try, maybe it will work.
>
> What I learned as the parent of an LD child:
> *YOU are your child’s best advocate. FIGHT,
> FIGHT, FIGHT and NEVER give up, no matter what is
> said to you. If someone doesn’t listen to you
> over here, go over there – just keep on until
> someone will listen and is willing to help.
> Break your neck to get to every single meeting
> (IEP, whatever) and argue if you need to.
> * “Your child learns differently” (is what I
> was told and it held true). The magic is finding
> what your child responds to. No, not easy at all,
> but do-able.
> *Who said your child is abnormal?! What’s
> normal? Don’t we all have areas in our lives
> that maybe we can’t do or do as well as someone
> else?
> *Yessss, you will have many a sleepless night
> trying to figure out what to do, just DON’T give
> up!
> *Annnd, yes you will help with ALOOOOOT of school
> work. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
> * Now I know that all feel one way or another
> about this subject …, but at one point I was
> told (not by our LD teacher), but someone from the
> public school system suggested STRONGLY that it
> would be best to have my child put on one of these
> drugs—such as Ritalin, Adderall or Dexedrine.
> Then I was told NOT TO EVER have my child take any
> of these drugs. Reasoning told to me: “So how
> will your child cope in life after school and no
> more drug?” I then refused, no matter what was
> said to me, to have my child prescribed one of
> these drugs. I know it’s different for each
> case, just reeeeally educate yourself on this
> matter, before jumping in. For some, it really
> does help and they need it, for others, not.
> * Your child can and will be a productive member
> in society! Don’t ever doubt that.
>
> In the state of Virginia, if your child has a
> reading problem and has an IEP—by law: during
> test time, this child can be pulled from class,
> read the test by a teacher, to be given the
> answers by the child. Many parents do not know
> this.
>
> At the very beginning of each year, all the way
> through and through out high school – I called
> each teacher, LD teacher and counselor. Told them
> the situation with my son (many times the
> individual teachers may not know the full
> situation or know at all) and kept them on their
> toes and told them I would—each one of them,
> e-mailed them each and every week throughout the
> school year and if they didn’t e-mail back, I
> called and if I couldn’t get hold of them or get
> a call back, I went to the school. “How was
> everything going?, Was there anything he needed to
> work harder on?, Was he falling behind
> anywhere?” On and on and it’s a fantastic way
> to find out what assignments are coming up and if
> all of their assignments are being turned in or
> not. Man, I know these people were glad to get
> me outta the school system! LOL.
>
> The person, whom ever is working with your child:
> you will be able to tell if they are really
> concerned with your child or not. Some, you never
> hear from. These are not the people you want
> working with your child. Seek out another and
> don’t be afraid to stand up for your child.
> Others, you will be kept abreast of what is always
> being done with your child – that’s what you
> want.
>
> With ALOOOOOOOT of very hard work, this child whom
> it was once said will not be able to learn,
> graduated high school, walked the stage and
> received his diploma. He is very successful at
> his place of employment and is now also enrolled
> in college. You would never know by looking at
> him or speaking with him that he’s gone through
> the problems that he has, the ways in which he was
> taught (differently) boggles my mind, but got him
> through. He was taught techniques that still get
> him through to this day and I, Thank God that I
> fought as hard as I did and never gave up. He is
> now a very well adjusted, confident young man and
> he knows more than most that anything is
> achievable.
>
> It’s a very long haul, No matter how daunting,
> no matter how exhausted -- DO NOT GIVE UP, I pray
> for each of you and truly hope that all works out.

I will say I am happy your child was successful and is currently in a good place. A lot of what you mentioned is true as teachers, we don't know everything we don't get the full story....lemme be honest sometimes we don't want it. You need to know though, that unless your the childs case manager then you are not entitled to all the detail...the math/science/english teacher doesn't get to know the little intimate details and frankly, if they have 8 mainstreamed students in each of their 5 classes that'd be a lot more stuff for them to deal with on a regular day to day basis.

I am fairly positive each one of those teachers wanted to ring your neck everytime they saw an email pop or a message on the phone. Then again, I bet about 4 each year were so on top of things that you never had to worry about them.

My biggest question is did your son ever stop actively advocating for himself? Did you help him to learn that sometimes he needs to be responsible for what happens?

We see this so often in teaching not just among regular students but SPED students and ESOL students that parents don't let their kids accept responsibility. At some point, did you ever think that emailing every week was excessive or when your son was a second semester sophomore or junior that every two weeks would be okay for an email or that maybe he should have started to step up and ask each of his teachers the questions you were asking? And then you following up with him about what he was told?

All I'm saying is that this generation of kids; these are the skills they lack most personal responsibility and self-advocacy. It's unfortunate because in the real world; there are repercussions for not knowing these skills.

Does anyone know the name of a "pit-bull" lawyer or advocate that can we can bring to the IEP meeting to help our learning disabled, severely ADHD child get a private school paid for by the county? We cannot afford the private schools, and he is not getting what he needs through Fairfax County. Please help. THANKS!!

KTF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know of any schools in the Fairfax
> County school system that have a great LD program
> or a self contained LD school? DS was recently
> diagnosed with LD and we are looking for the best
> placement for him. Any information or suggestions
> would be appreciated. I've had no luck in finding
> the information on the FCPS website which can be
> difficult to navigate. Thank you in advance!


is DS short for down

DS means Darling Son :o)

ConcernedMomplshelp Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know the name of a "pit-bull" lawyer
> or advocate that can we can bring to the IEP
> meeting to help our learning disabled, severely
> ADHD child get a private school paid for by the
> county? We cannot afford the private schools, and
> he is not getting what he needs through Fairfax
> County. Please help. THANKS!!


Get another job and stop trying to get taxpayers to pay for your piss poor decision to smoke during your pregnancy! Asshole.

Unless he's really low functioning, I'd try to get him in teamed classes, with two teachers. If you get him in self contained, small classes, he'll be stuck in there with a bunch of dumb,undisciplined niggers, illegals, and nearly retarded whites. He won't be able to learn much at all.

ConcernedMomplshelp Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know the name of a "pit-bull" lawyer
> or advocate that can we can bring to the IEP
> meeting to help our learning disabled, severely
> ADHD child get a private school paid for by the
> county? We cannot afford the private schools, and
> he is not getting what he needs through Fairfax
> County.

If you are not able to afford private school, how do you expect to be able to afford that pit bull lawyer? I am not asking this to be a troll. Instead it appears that you see hiring a lawyer as a cheap alternative to private school costs, which it is not.

Your lawyer isn't going to get results for you by acting like an asshole, throwing names around and threatening to sue everyone in the room. They've all heard it before. Your lawyer will get resuls, if he gets any, by knowing more than anyone in the room. That means large amounts of preparation, time with experts and probably outside testing, all of which cost money. SERIOUS MONEY. And LAWYERS DON'T TAKE THESE CASES ON CONTINGENT FEES. You are probably going to have to come up with a large portion of this money up front. If the IEP hearing does not turn out as you like the next step is court which means even more serious money. And once you are done with the entire process your kid might still end up in FCPS.

So are you really ready to max out the credit cards, mortgage the house and raid the 401k to get a lawyer just to take a shot? If so, couldn't that money be used just as well to supplement your child's education at FCPS?

Bill N., thanks for your advice. Like alot of the people on here, I didn't smoke while pregnant..I just ended up with a special needs kid and I want to do my best to help him be the best he could be. I can't imagine anyone being able to pay the 30K/yr for a good private school. I am not saying that the services he has been getting at FCPS are bad. My son has lots of potential. I don't want to be one of those parents that look back and wish I sent him to a private school. I don't want him to slip through the cracks in public school, when they focus on a lot of kids with special needs at a time (some a lot more severe than him...others whose bad behavior he imitates.) Thanks again for not admonishing me and for your advice. Maybe I will save my money and try to continue to advocate for him myself.

A lot of us send our kids to private school. Not everyone can afford it. If they could, all the stupid ass kids would be attending. We can't have that. Get in where you fit in.

KTF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know of any schools in the Fairfax
> County school system that have a great LD program
> or a self contained LD school? DS was recently
> diagnosed with LD and we are looking for the best
> placement for him. Any information or suggestions
> would be appreciated. I've had no luck in finding
> the information on the FCPS website which can be
> difficult to navigate. Thank you in advance!


Fairfax High School Elected a M.R. OR ID, kid as homecomming king so you could check that school out

I beg you to take your child out of the FCPS system. They do not give two shits about kids who have any sort of special needs.

My child was bullied for a whole year and the school did nothing! She was seven at the time. I cry thinking of how I may have failed her. I am her to protect her for the rest of her life.

Good luck!

ConcernedMomplshelp Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone know the name of a "pit-bull" lawyer
> or advocate that can we can bring to the IEP
> meeting to help our learning disabled, severely
> ADHD child get a private school paid for by the
> county? We cannot afford the private schools, and
> he is not getting what he needs through Fairfax
> County. Please help. THANKS!!


No. Your kid is LD and has ADHD. I'm sure FCPS has plenty of programs that can provide for a kid with these disabilities. The taxpayers should not have to pay for your kids private schooling.

Update:

Been responding to this thread for about 4 years....son graduated this year. I ended all spec ed services beginning of sr year. Glad I did...
He still can not write a paper...period. He tested at NOVA and another Community College. His scores on all the exams were very low and was told he would have to do remedial classes for Eng and Math, no matter what school he selected.

He is going to try a community college.

I made the mistake of keeping him in FCPS..and will pay the price now and down the road as he struggles to get by.

IF your child has LD/ADHD of any type, DO NOT SEND THEM TO PUBLIC SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY CAN NOT HELP HIM....FCPS is a loser system.

Terry Cartier Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Update:
>
> Been responding to this thread for about 4
> years....son graduated this year. I ended all spec
> ed services beginning of sr year. Glad I did...
> He still can not write a paper...period. He tested
> at NOVA and another Community College. His scores
> on all the exams were very low and was told he
> would have to do remedial classes for Eng and
> Math, no matter what school he selected.
>
> He is going to try a community college.
>
> I made the mistake of keeping him in FCPS..and
> will pay the price now and down the road as he
> struggles to get by.
>
> IF your child has LD/ADHD of any type, DO NOT SEND
> THEM TO PUBLIC SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY CAN NOT
> HELP HIM....FCPS is a loser system.


Stop blaming the school system for you and your Son's failures.

I think we need to ban together to get FCPS to pay attention to our special needs children.

I am tired of being treated like garbage when I try and advocate for my child. Enough!

Class action lawsuit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think we need to ban together to get FCPS to pay
> attention to our special needs children.
>
> I am tired of being treated like garbage when I
> try and advocate for my child. Enough!


Right, good luck with that. Here's an idea. How about you try stepping up to the plate and being there more for your kid. Do more to provide for YOUR child's special needs and stop looking for everyone else to pick up the slack. You created it, you deal with it. Act accordingly.

Whaaaaaa, my kids a retard. Whaaaaaa, It my fault I bred him/her but now I want the taxpayers to flip the bill. Whaaaaaaa, I should of aborted him. Whaaaaaa, maybe my kid would listen better if I gave him that needed ass kicking as a kid but now he doesn't listen so we'll just say he's LD. Whaaaaaa, help me, I know more then teachers who actually teach. Whaaaaaaa, maybe I shouldn't of been on crack when I was pregnant. Whaaaaaa, whaaaaaaa, whaaaaaaa.

Oh cut the crap. Whether your kid comes out "normal" or "special" is quite often a matter of winning the genetic lottery or other luck. Sure there are kids out there who are fucked up because Mom was on drugs or followed some other lousy prenatal practices, but many of those "special" kids ended up that way despite what their mother did while the kid was in utero, not because of it. And if you know anyone who has tried to raise these kids you'd know that it involves a hell of alot more work than what most people spend on their "normal" kids just to get them as far as they do.

The sad reality is that much in public education is a zero sum game. Providing additional resources for "special" or "gifted" kids means taking away resources from "normal" kids. Giving "gifted" kids their own programs may enhance their learning experience, but it lowers the learning experience of "normal" kids who probably won't be exposed to as much. Mainstreaming "special" kids may enhance their learning experience, but it quite often disrupts the learning experience of "normal" kids. And these groups are not homogenus, so that what might work for one "special", "normal" or "gifted" kid won't work as well for another. An involved parent probably does know better what works for his/her kid than the typical teacher, but that parent isn't in as good a position as the teacher when it comes to striking an overall balance.

One advantage of private school is that parents have a much better opportunity to place their kids in the kind of learning environment that works best for the kids. Sadly many parents will instead squander it by choosing a schools based on different criteria.

Rant over.

Unless you are a parent of a special needs child you need to STFU. I will not describe all we have gone through and what we have paid out of pocket to help our child. I am not complaining but enough bashing those who really need help.

no, just bashing those looking for a free ride while taxpayers foot the bill. come up with a solid plan that YOU are heading to finance YOUR kids needs. man, i see where the kid gets it from.

can't pay the costs of private school working at your ass. admin. job? hit the street corner nancy!

I was not the one asking for a gov't handout. 25-30K for private is a lot many cannot afford. No one would ever wish to have a child with special needs. We just step up to the plate and do the best we can. I love my child and would do anything for her. We go without so she can have a better life.

Good luck to you! I hope your life is all peaches and cream. God forbid you ever have to deal with anything major. I do not think you could handle it.

Ask Gordon Blvd where he went to school.

Why subsidize this and expose our kids to this using our tax dollars?
Attachments:

Private schools costs Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was not the one asking for a gov't handout.
> 25-30K for private is a lot many cannot afford. No
> one would ever wish to have a child with special
> needs. We just step up to the plate and do the
> best we can. I love my child and would do anything
> for her. We go without so she can have a better
> life.
>
> Good luck to you! I hope your life is all peaches
> and cream. God forbid you ever have to deal with
> anything major. I do not think you could handle
> it.


Eh, I have a lot of fucking money and I'm a bit sociopathic, so I'm good to go.

Those who are truly wealthy do not talk about it.

You are a douche.

Not true. In fact, I have mentioned it a few times here in the very post to some of you dumb poories who think financing your own retards special needs should take a backseat to your used Escalade as you cry about us not wanting to foot the bill for you. Fuck you and fuck your drooling kid too. Take care of your own shit. If you do not want to, why did you have the lopsided lil bastard? Clearly, it got this way from your genes. Dad was obviously the smart one, which is why he isn't in the picture.

Z3RO- Pretty sad you spend so much time on these boards bashing everyone else who doesn't have as much as you claim to! You may have money, but you have no life. Maybe you are just pissed because your wife left you and you were stuck footing the 25-30k/yr bill for private school each year.

LD? Gone are the days when we used to just call them what they were, democrats

Z3RO...get a life! Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Z3RO- Pretty sad you spend so much time on these
> boards bashing everyone else who doesn't have as
> much as you claim to! You may have money, but you
> have no life. Maybe you are just pissed because
> your wife left you and you were stuck footing the
> 25-30k/yr bill for private school each year.


Get a career, lose the tard and stop mooching of everyone else, you pathetic loser.

Aaaand this is why America is going down the tubes. Instead of focusing our collective efforts on gifted & talented programs ( I.E. Thomas Jefferson HS) we expend resources on the lowest common denominator. So, instead of nuturing and developing a future Albert Einstein or Henry Ford, we put out efforts into Derp, Derp the cart boy at the Supermarket.

Thanks to guilt and the deluge of lawsuits brought by unscruplous lawyers, school systems are forced to do this in fear of being sued.

To put it in simple terms, the educational system is like an inverted pyramid, where the bulk of the money is wasted on the lowest common denominator (top in this case) and little if any real effort is spent on the bottom (top 10%).

PS: If you birth it, you deal with it. why should we waste tax $$$ on your half-wit becuase either 1. You smoked too much pot (mutagen) 2. You were too old when you conceived 3. Your genes suck and maybe you should have adopted 4. Dr. Durka was your Obstetrician and squeezed too much with the forceps.

Yes I'm harsh, but so is life and the world is eclipsing us.

truthhurts Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Aaaand this is why America is going down the
> tubes. Instead of focusing our collective efforts
> on gifted & talented programs ( I.E. Thomas
> Jefferson HS) we expend resources on the lowest
> common denominator.

Nope. It went downhill when we started focusing our collective efforts on those at both extremes rather than devoting our resources towards improving the lot of the largest number of individuals located in the middle. Sure the original idea was good; if you throw some additional resources at those small number of exceptional cases, good or bad, it will improve things for them. The problem is that once we start handing out goodies to any one particular group, those on the margins want to get in on it as well. This causes the population in those "special" programs to swell up causing even more resources to be re-directed from the mass of ordinary students which then brings even greater numbers applying to get into those special programs.

The most helpful information given on this forum has been from fairfaxmom. Thank you. I am pursuing the initial screening with the school system for my mild ld child. If he qualifies I will consider testing, but I do not feel obligated. I just want to know from other professionals if I am correct in what I am seeing in my son. I most definitely prefer to adjust his education on my own, ie using the barton reading program. Thank you, fairfaxmom.

WARNING:....had kid tested BY "professionals" in the FCPS...they said my son was borderline retarded....

PAID a private psychologist to test my son....she found dyslexia...he has an avg IQ

A reading specialist in FCPS told me "off the record" PCPS do NOT recognize dyslexia..

CAn you IMAGINE if I believed FCPS what his life would have been like in the educational system??
FCPS does very poorly in the testing area...and remediation. they are , in fact, horrible.

check your health insurance and find someone who does testing..worth the money.

I have a similar disabled child. I've never touched ONE cigarette, I've never smoked marijuana even ONE time, and did not have one single drop of alcohol during my pregnancy. It's not always the parent's fault. You are extremely judgmental & karma will come back to you.

let's see, 50% of students need special plans for their special children in the form of IEPs, extra aides, free lunch, etc... are you the same people who complain about the FCPS budget shortfalls AND complain about sales tax increases?

parents who feed their own children, clothe their own children and send them to school with their homework completed drag their own asses out of bed every morning to go to work so they can afford to take care of their own and not burden society - these parents are the real losers.

In my experience, FCPS employees may mean well, but they just don't have the resources or training to help in cases of extreme dyslexia. This can require special one-on-one training for 60 minutes or more per day, five days a week. FCPS can't do that. It goes beyond the definition of "appropriate" in FAPE.

What are your choices? Cross your fingers and hope that the IEP will actually be followed and that the school will find extra help just for your kid?

Or, suck it up and pay $25K a year in tuition for a 7 year old with the hopes that he will learn how to read and not become a HS drop out.

BTW, FCPS prefers you take the second option.

Do you have a name of a special needs advocate or lawyer with a good reputation??? Many thanks

Stay away from Woodson. Worst LD program in the County.

Is there a school in the county that has a good dyslexia program?

FCPS doesn't even recognize dyslexia as a learning disability.. We tried for years to get my son help through FCPS to no avail. Hired a private tutor who specializes in dyslexia and it was the best money we have ever spent. My son who could barely read in 2nd and 3rd grade now is one of the best readers in his 6th grade class. We give all the credit in the world to his tutor..FCPS was no help at all.

How did you find your tutor, seeingbackwards? Is he/she still in the county?

Ask Gerry.

It's Dyslexia Awareness Month. Spread the word.

NBF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Unless he's really low functioning, I'd try to get
> him in teamed classes, with two teachers. If you
> get him in self contained, small classes, he'll be
> stuck in there with a bunch of dumb,undisciplined
> niggers, illegals, and nearly retarded whites. He
> won't be able to learn much at all.


WOw...it's wasn't bad enough that you were racists, but your also calling innocent children with learning disabilities "retarded", shame on you

Concerned Mom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Do you have a name of a special needs advocate or
> lawyer with a good reputation??? Many thanks

Bill Browning comes to mind. Be prepared to pay, if you go this route. I think one of the other poster's hit the nail on the head. If you can afford a Special Education Attorney, you can afford private school. Personally, I would try the private school route first, as it would likely be cheaper.

The SpEd programs in FCPS are sufficient for students who are somewhat motivated and whose parents are actively involved at home helping their child. Most FCPS SpEd teachers are over taxed with their caseload and cannot give each SpEd student the level of attention most of their parents expect. A SpEd student needs to work harder and not less than the gen ed student and that is not really understood by their parent - much of that work needs to happen at home. With the current trend against homework, a SpEd student's parent is really harming progress.
With my own child, I realized she needed assistance in reading - I DID IT MYSELF!!
I really is not a mystery as to what is needed - it is practice! That is how they all get good at video games - when they don't succeed they don't give up (like they do with school work) they try again.

I am a life long LD/special ed man. Now fully grown. I suffer from and have always suffered from dyscalculia which is basically dyslexia for numbers. Fortunately my dyscalculia is NOT comorbid with dyslexia. My reading level, ability to write etc. has been Grad school level since the 4th grade. Unfortunately even now at 41 my dyscalculia is still prevalent enough that my math skills are just below the 6th grade level.

First I will say to all the concerned Ffx parents with LD kids hire a private psychologist for your child. Do whatever it takes to keep your LD children OUT of FCPS and in a private school. I was fortunate enough to spend my elementary years at a private school. The level of education I got was through the roof. Teachers were allowed to apply different teaching techniques to different students in the same class. This private school also had its own special ed program(this is back in the 1980's)that was world class. Class size was kept to no more than 5 at a time. The teacher went out of her way to watch for and recognize how to get through to you to where you actually understood what they were trying to teach.

Then BAM! The school tuition rate went up and all the sudden Im in the FCPS system beginning 7th grade at Walt Whitman. Total chaos. Way to many kids not enough staff an assistant principal that got busted molesting a 7th grade girl yet did not get fired. Lets see, drugs everywhere, 17 year old 7th graders, lots of fights etc. Class sizes were far to large.

Somehow I survived Whitman as they had nothing to really teach me. My 4th grade private school education was better than anything being taught at either Whitman or the cesspool Mt.Vernon HS that I ended up in. Help with my dyscalculia ended with my exit from private school. FCPS is a very Fd up school system that caters to and favors rich kids/kids of parents of influence and pushes their GT programs hard.

In Mt.V I just still could not do the math. The classes were freaking enormous you could barely hear the teacher even speak over the 37 kids most of whom just wouldnt shut the F up.

Once my poor math skills were noticed by my counselor who was and is actually a good guy I got railed by County "specialists" I dont even know if they were actually psychologists. At the time(early 1990's)Mt.V did not have any real form of legit special ed programs let alone IEP's written. It was a disaster. The school was dangerously over crowded there were nowhere near enough staff for us all. Gangs ran rampant drugs where freaking everywhere fights all the time etc.

The varsity football team were all taking the steroid Dianabol it was even encouraged by the coach guess it worked cause they usually won.

I gave the F up and just stopped going literally for fear of my own life and sanity. Mt.V had a file on me as one of the problem kids likely dealing drugs or transporting drugs. Damn near everyone was on drugs then from the football team to coked out rich preppy kids it was freaking awful. So a couple of my friends were stoners they were good dudes just trying to be happy and live through the school day.

I never really gave a crap about who I talked to or would be seen hanging out with as long as they were not assholes. This got me blacklisted and put on track to be set up and expelled out of Mt.V on accusations that I sold and transported drugs of course there was zero evidence.

Getting kicked out of Mt.V was a great thing. I ended up at one of the counties "last ditch" schools and was incorrectly slapped with the "emotionally disabled" label by the county without ever even being seen or interviewed by a County psychologist or psychiatrist which was pretty evil. Luckily the last chance school I ended up at was small, classes were small, all the teachers specialized in special needs education and it was the only time I remember seeing teachers with doctorates in education in a FCPS class room.

The overwhelming situation of Mt.V was finally off my back and I could actually go to this school without fear of getting shot and actually go to class relaxed. All the teachers there were amazing they all understood and taught different methods as we all learn differently. Unfortunately FCPS does not recognize dyslexia let alone dyscalculia but I was fortunate enough at this last ditch school to have a math teacher that did see it and knew it was a problem. Unfortunately there was and is no county approved program or teaching technique to deal with it. This math teacher did all he could with the materials provided him by the school I will always commend him but in the end his hands were tied.

I finally graduated in 1994 after 5 years 3 at Mt.V and 2 at Quander. Had it not been for this last ditch school I am 100 percent certain I would not have lived to see graduation at Mt.V Quander Road literally saved my life. Quander was far from perfect but it was just on a higher level due to the more educated than average teachers and small class sizes.

IEP's. I personally know two public school counselors one at an elementary school another at Mt.V. These counselors are under pressure to be able to write up as accurate an IEP as possible and they both do it very well. But...IEP's are almost never correctly let alone fully carried out.

FCPS actually has a fat budget but wastes its money like drunken sailors. FCPS still seems totally ignorant that the influx of kids from south of the border is not only not going to stop it will just increase. For example NOW Mt.V has had extra building built on etc. to actually be able to handle the number of kids there. It took 20 years for FCPS to do what should have been done well 25 years ago.

If you are a parent of a special needs/education child once again hire a private psychologist for your child. If you cannot afford private school for your child go out of your way to make sure whatever FCPS your child ends up in that your child goes to classes with the least amount of kids in them. I have seen many parents actually take a couple days off their high pressure gvt jobs to follow their child around through the school day to really see what actually goes on.

If you can do this for your child if you have a possible FCPS picked out. Actually go to their classes with them. Stand or sit in the back of the room best way to get your point across is to dress like a gvt worker, pay rapt attention to the teacher during each class. Folding your arms and standing instead of sitting Ive seen get across quite clearly how seriously the parent takes the performance of the teacher being observed. Standing instead of sitting also gets your point across to the point of being intimidating without being rude.

FCPS in the end is today what I would call a beautiful disaster. It will just be another 4 or 5 years before the non stop flood of south of the border kids has county schools turned into unmanageable hell pits like Mt.V was in the early 90's. There are many ways to counter and prepare for this certainty but FCPS is run by egomaniacs more interested in winning an argument than actually being correct thus no common sense planning for this increase is really even being discussed.

Move to another county. Fairfax County is ground zero for everyone from everywhere no matter the socio economic status for some reason and the result is chaos.

Loudon County public schools are amazing. Well funded, well run, clean, great teachers etc. class sizes are nothing compared to Ffx. Arlington County? Not as bad as Fairfax but still overcrowded schools with crap special ed programs.

Hire private tutors. Expensive but do your research and you can home school your special needs kid with private tutors for less than the cost of private school.

Move to Finland. I am not joking here. Finland currently has the best public education system in the world on all points.

My son got great special ed services at fox mill elementary school in herndon he is at a good college now . they really were wonderful

I'b am'b spchul Ed. My name is Ed. I'b am'b a'b retard'b. I'b awwlso teach at Mount Vernn. We'b be all'b about SPED at MV.

CelticCross74 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am a life long LD/special ed man. Now fully
> grown. I suffer from and have always suffered from
> dyscalculia which is basically dyslexia for
> numbers. Fortunately my dyscalculia is NOT
> comorbid with dyslexia. My reading level, ability
> to write etc. has been Grad school level since the
> 4th grade. Unfortunately even now at 41 my
> dyscalculia is still prevalent enough that my math
> skills are just below the 6th grade level.
>
> First I will say to all the concerned Ffx parents
> with LD kids hire a private psychologist for your
> child. Do whatever it takes to keep your LD
> children OUT of FCPS and in a private school. I
> was fortunate enough to spend my elementary years
> at a private school. The level of education I got
> was through the roof. Teachers were allowed to
> apply different teaching techniques to different
> students in the same class. This private school
> also had its own special ed program(this is back
> in the 1980's)that was world class. Class size was
> kept to no more than 5 at a time. The teacher went
> out of her way to watch for and recognize how to
> get through to you to where you actually
> understood what they were trying to teach.
>
> Then BAM! The school tuition rate went up and all
> the sudden Im in the FCPS system beginning 7th
> grade at Walt Whitman. Total chaos. Way to many
> kids not enough staff an assistant principal that
> got busted molesting a 7th grade girl yet did not
> get fired. Lets see, drugs everywhere, 17 year old
> 7th graders, lots of fights etc. Class sizes were
> far to large.
>
> Somehow I survived Whitman as they had nothing to
> really teach me. My 4th grade private school
> education was better than anything being taught at
> either Whitman or the cesspool Mt.Vernon HS that I
> ended up in. Help with my dyscalculia ended with
> my exit from private school. FCPS is a very Fd up
> school system that caters to and favors rich
> kids/kids of parents of influence and pushes their
> GT programs hard.
>
> In Mt.V I just still could not do the math. The
> classes were freaking enormous you could barely
> hear the teacher even speak over the 37 kids most
> of whom just wouldnt shut the F up.
>
> Once my poor math skills were noticed by my
> counselor who was and is actually a good guy I got
> railed by County "specialists" I dont even know if
> they were actually psychologists. At the
> time(early 1990's)Mt.V did not have any real form
> of legit special ed programs let alone IEP's
> written. It was a disaster. The school was
> dangerously over crowded there were nowhere near
> enough staff for us all. Gangs ran rampant drugs
> where freaking everywhere fights all the time
> etc.
>
> The varsity football team were all taking the
> steroid Dianabol it was even encouraged by the
> coach guess it worked cause they usually won.
>
> I gave the F up and just stopped going literally
> for fear of my own life and sanity. Mt.V had a
> file on me as one of the problem kids likely
> dealing drugs or transporting drugs. Damn near
> everyone was on drugs then from the football team
> to coked out rich preppy kids it was freaking
> awful. So a couple of my friends were stoners they
> were good dudes just trying to be happy and live
> through the school day.
>
> I never really gave a crap about who I talked to
> or would be seen hanging out with as long as they
> were not assholes. This got me blacklisted and put
> on track to be set up and expelled out of Mt.V on
> accusations that I sold and transported drugs of
> course there was zero evidence.
>
> Getting kicked out of Mt.V was a great thing. I
> ended up at one of the counties "last ditch"
> schools and was incorrectly slapped with the
> "emotionally disabled" label by the county without
> ever even being seen or interviewed by a County
> psychologist or psychiatrist which was pretty
> evil. Luckily the last chance school I ended up at
> was small, classes were small, all the teachers
> specialized in special needs education and it was
> the only time I remember seeing teachers with
> doctorates in education in a FCPS class room.
>
> The overwhelming situation of Mt.V was finally off
> my back and I could actually go to this school
> without fear of getting shot and actually go to
> class relaxed. All the teachers there were amazing
> they all understood and taught different methods
> as we all learn differently. Unfortunately FCPS
> does not recognize dyslexia let alone dyscalculia
> but I was fortunate enough at this last ditch
> school to have a math teacher that did see it and
> knew it was a problem. Unfortunately there was and
> is no county approved program or teaching
> technique to deal with it. This math teacher did
> all he could with the materials provided him by
> the school I will always commend him but in the
> end his hands were tied.
>
> I finally graduated in 1994 after 5 years 3 at
> Mt.V and 2 at Quander. Had it not been for this
> last ditch school I am 100 percent certain I would
> not have lived to see graduation at Mt.V Quander
> Road literally saved my life. Quander was far from
> perfect but it was just on a higher level due to
> the more educated than average teachers and small
> class sizes.
>
> IEP's. I personally know two public school
> counselors one at an elementary school another at
> Mt.V. These counselors are under pressure to be
> able to write up as accurate an IEP as possible
> and they both do it very well. But...IEP's are
> almost never correctly let alone fully carried
> out.
>
> FCPS actually has a fat budget but wastes its
> money like drunken sailors. FCPS still seems
> totally ignorant that the influx of kids from
> south of the border is not only not going to stop
> it will just increase. For example NOW Mt.V has
> had extra building built on etc. to actually be
> able to handle the number of kids there. It took
> 20 years for FCPS to do what should have been done
> well 25 years ago.
>
> If you are a parent of a special needs/education
> child once again hire a private psychologist for
> your child. If you cannot afford private school
> for your child go out of your way to make sure
> whatever FCPS your child ends up in that your
> child goes to classes with the least amount of
> kids in them. I have seen many parents actually
> take a couple days off their high pressure gvt
> jobs to follow their child around through the
> school day to really see what actually goes on.
>
> If you can do this for your child if you have a
> possible FCPS picked out. Actually go to their
> classes with them. Stand or sit in the back of the
> room best way to get your point across is to dress
> like a gvt worker, pay rapt attention to the
> teacher during each class. Folding your arms and
> standing instead of sitting Ive seen get across
> quite clearly how seriously the parent takes the
> performance of the teacher being observed.
> Standing instead of sitting also gets your point
> across to the point of being intimidating without
> being rude.
>
> FCPS in the end is today what I would call a
> beautiful disaster. It will just be another 4 or 5
> years before the non stop flood of south of the
> border kids has county schools turned into
> unmanageable hell pits like Mt.V was in the early
> 90's. There are many ways to counter and prepare
> for this certainty but FCPS is run by egomaniacs
> more interested in winning an argument than
> actually being correct thus no common sense
> planning for this increase is really even being
> discussed.
>
> Move to another county. Fairfax County is ground
> zero for everyone from everywhere no matter the
> socio economic status for some reason and the
> result is chaos.
>
> Loudon County public schools are amazing. Well
> funded, well run, clean, great teachers etc. class
> sizes are nothing compared to Ffx. Arlington
> County? Not as bad as Fairfax but still
> overcrowded schools with crap special ed
> programs.
>
> Hire private tutors. Expensive but do your
> research and you can home school your special
> needs kid with private tutors for less than the
> cost of private school.
>
> Move to Finland. I am not joking here. Finland
> currently has the best public education system in
> the world on all points.


I am really glad things ultimately worked out for you. We looked at hiring a "Special Education Attorney". When we learned what this type of attorney charged, and compared this to the tuition, the decision was made easy. To get through the process using an attorney, would have likely cost us two years of Private School tuition, and in the end we would risked having nothing to show for it.

This is why I say, if you can afford a Special Ed Attorney, you can afford private school.

Hello,
I am looking for an educational consultant and special education lawyer. You mention that you have been using a consultant. Can you recommend one or two?
Thanks!

CelticCross74 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Loudon County public schools are amazing. Well
> funded, well run, clean, great teachers etc. class
> sizes are nothing compared to Ffx.

LOL! There is very little about the LCPS that is different from FCPS and a lot of it is worse. Are we comparing Woodgrove with Mount Vernon or Langley with Park View?

It is an indisputable fact that the demographics at most LCPS high schools are similar to most FCPS high schools. Never ceases to amuse me when people move to Loudoun County and are surprised that 1/3 or more of the kids in their school are non-white. They didn't do their research.

Nice joke about LCPS being well-funded.
http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/loudoun_supervisors_adopt_nearly_2.5_billion_county_budget432

The approved spending plan, while increasing the county's allocation to the school system by 5.5 percent, still falls nearly $17 million short of Loudoun County Public Schools' adopted $1 billion budget. The School Board will soon begin deliberating what should be sliced from its budget.

Sound familiar?

FCPS won a court case in the 4th District Court of Appeals last year (Case 14-1994 decided in Oct 2015) called O.S V. FCPS Board. The conclusion of the Court was "In this circuit, the standard remains the same as it has been for decades: a school provides a FAPE so long as a child receives some educational benefit, meaning a benefit that is more than minimal or trivial, from special instruction and services."

FCPS was found to be in compliance with this legal standard.