Hello Everyone. New here. So glad I've found this place. My DS-6 will be 7 soon and entering the 2nd gr in the fall. He is currently in a charter school that is NOT working out. They did a psych eval on him end of March and diagnosed him with Asperger's/ADHD. They recommended I get him tested for giftedness so that's why I did. The psychologist who tested him for this disagrees with the AS/ADHD diagnosis by the way. Says that the problems they see in school are common with children of his ability. He has an IEP in place at school that started in May. It's not working. Perhaps because the diagnosis was wrong? Anyhow, long story short we will not be going back to the school in the fall. They want to put him in special ed half the day in another school for kids with behavioral issues. I asked them if he was challenged academically if some of these issues would go away and they said no. They suggest I medicate him. They also told me now that he's been identified as gifted that they don't have anything for him.
So, DS is seeing a psychologist once a week $$$ to work on his high anxiety, anger towards the school, frustration tolerance etc. Now, we are in a position where we have to look for a new school that can accommodate his needs. We're even in touch with an educational consultant who told us to not reveal his IQ to the schools we're interested in because they wouldn't want to deal with a PG child. Sigh. She gave me a list of schools to call that "might" be a good fit for him. All private. $$$ But, since enrollment for the Fall has passed my options are very very limited.
Anyone deal with this? How do I begin to help my DS? I knew he was bright but I didn't expect this. I feel like he's never learned how to learn. He's never been challenged. So, now he has bad habits. He doesn't care for school and I don't blame him. He's had 2 years at 2 different schools with the same problems. The public schools are not equipped to handle a gifted child. His self-esteem took a dip this year as well. He keeps saying he's the worst student ever and that his teacher hates him etc. Poor guy.
Where do I begin? How do you know what type of school is a right fit? How do I help him unlock his potential. How do I help his spirit soar? What do I do if we can't get into any private schools? Home school? That scares me.
