2E 5 Yr. old Boy

[FulmerFamily]

Hi does anyone have any experience with Twice Exceptional Child?

We live in NYC and my son was diagnosed with ADHD this year and he is currently attending a private school. Even with mediation they feel like they can't support his needs for when he goes into Kindergarten next year so he has not been asked to come back. They have mentioned he is a 2E child and would be most successful at a special ed school that focuses on 2E children.

Our other option is to send him to public school on the UWS. Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around having to send my child to a special ed school with the fear of the stigma that surrounds it. Also several of these special ed schools seem to be newer and I'm concerned about the success rate and proven track record.

Please help! Thank you!

[80HDmom]

Hi there! We're also in NYC and same problem with schools... school system is cruel here and it can be vert frustrating. My son's school is doing the same thing and we will probably send him to public school. Is where all the resources are and depending on the school, you can bring more resources. The special 2E schools are nice, but by the end of the day it's a private NYC school and if they want kick a kid out for no reason, they do.

[Aspen797]

Hello! Our son is also twice exceptional. In his case with autism, ADD and gifted. It can be bewildering to be confronted with choosing a new school for your child. Unfortunately, since private schools do not need to abide by the IDEA, they often reject students with unique needs. Even if you choose not to go to public school, it would be informative for you to have your son evaluated by the school district. The process is called child find. More here: understood.org/articles/en/.... Once you have met with the special education staff at the public school, you can inquire more into the programming options available. I would also consider contacting your local parent resource center to see what information they can offer. Find yours here: parentcenterhub.org/find-yo.... The more you are able to adequately determine your child’s strengths, weaknesses, and need, the better you will be able to find a suitable school. Schools that focus on twice exceptional children are rare. Special education schools are more common. The former are more often sought after because a public school is not able to adequately challenge a child, the latter are often sought when a school cannot adequately handle special needs. Good public schools are often the best choice as they are required to both address need and challenge. That is where most parents begin. If you haven’t already, it might be a good time to meet with a developmental behavioral pediatrician. They can also more thoroughly identify areas of need that you will want addressed by the schools. Reaching out to 2E organizations might also provide more information. The Davidson Institute and supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted are two such organizations. Local universities may also be good sources of information (both the pediatric/medical side and the special education/teacher education side).

[missbonafide]

Hi! Also NYC here with a 5 year old boy in Kindergarten with ADHD diagnosed last year while in PreK and recently also diagnosed with Mild Autism (all via NeuroPsych). We have our son in NYC Public School and he's in an ICT classroom. It's not perfect and we are still advocating for more. Sorry to hear that the school you have your child is in basically rejecting him. Like the other fellow NYC parents shared best bet for now would be trying Public School for Kindergarten....public schools have to abide by IDEA law. You didn't mention IEP but sounds like your child does not have one and would really benefit from one. I would say that now and days the stigma of 'special ed' although may still be there it really is not how it was back in the day as soooo many students are receiving services these days. And at the end of the day special ed is not a 1 size fits all, it's a service that supports the individual child and just because a child is getting special ed support it does not mean that they are not smart in the case of your 2E child they are brilliant. It's a huge umbrella under special ed. First step would be to let go of what people may think or any stigma you may be expecting from the outside world. What matters is what does your child need help on and how can you get that no matter what others think. And first step would be putting in Kindergarten application on NYC DOE website or email enrollment team: [e-mail] You should get a seat in your zoned public school first. However since your child is currently in PreK you can also reach out to the CPSE (preschool special education) office and get him evaluated as well which would save you time versus waiting to start Kindergarten in the Fall and then have it be a waiting game of let's see how Kindergarten goes and it's more stress for your child and for you if they have a tough time. Good luck!

[MaudQ]

Former New Yorker here, current Chicagoan. Just seconding the boost for public school. My daughter did not do well at her private school and is now on the honor roll at her public school. These big public school systems are intimidating but you can get a lot of services and they have the infrastructure that private schools just don’t. Also everything seems worse when your kid is 5. Once you take the plunge and start working with the system, get the 504 or IEP in place and - most importantly - start meeting other parents who are also navigating public school, it really does get easier.

[abryans]

I live in Montgomery County Maryland. My daughter is enrolled in the GTLD program for kids who are twice exceptional. It is so good! She has a resource room and teacher and resource assistants attend her classes which include typical and GTLD students. She is in all honors and AP classes. They individualize teaching and help students use technology and other resources for areas of disability/learning difference. It includes students who have exceptional talents or very high IQs in at least one domain and a documented disability which could be dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, autism spectrum or any other area. My daughter has done really well. I think NYC could consider a similar approach to improve outcomes for eligible kids- well, I actually think all kids are "GTLD" and should have access to similar resources. Here is the link describing the program here: montgomeryschoolsmd.org/cur...

[missbonafide in reply to abryans]

Wow I just checked out and I'm now a stan of your district! I so wish NYC had something like this! It sounds fantastic! We do have specialized programs for kids on the spectrum which gets raves reviews but there are gifted students that are no on the spectrum that can really benefit from a program like what you shared above. I'm in AWE! Glad your child is benefitting from this. Here in NYC what your child is getting people need to go outside NYC public schools and into a private school which costs almost 100k a year :/ and obviously not everyone can afford that! Thanks for sharing about this.... don't see myself moving out of NYC for personal reasons but good to know that there are public schools out there catering to this unique population of kids with high abilities but also need some support.....