christian schools

[Guest guest]

does anyone know of any christian schools that can accept

autistic/apraxic children? thanks.

[Guest guest]

Trying not to be too jaded here (15+ yrs of Catholic education).In my experience

- in our diocese the Catholic schools have NOTHING to offer kids with special

needs, whether that is learning differences or advanced placement or behavior.

But in this diocese (and I understand there are few like this in the nation) the

tuition is paid through tithing based on income....sort of a Robin Hood theory,

the rich help the poor. There is no annual tuition if you are Catholic, and I

know we paid very little as we were below the poverty line back then. So I think

they provide the best they can on a really tight budget. I know the teachers

make several thousand $$ less a year than the public school teachers. The

facilities are all great and the teachers too for the most part, dedicated and

they want to be there.

There are no social workers, no psychologists, school nurses work on a

volunteer basis. It is sort of the nuts and bolts of education, great for the

middle of the road student but crap for the exceptoinal or delayed student.

Looking back (it hasn't been too many years, and my little sister is 12 in

those same schools) and knowing what I know now there were probably several

students with pretty major problems (SID, PDD, maybe mild autism, Dyslexia) that

fell through the cracks - they were just " dumb " or " had discipline problems " and

were told that they was no place for them (my brother included).

I know this is the opposite end of the spectrum, but an example of how they

are not equipped to deal with kids who aren't middle of the road: My sister, at

age 9 was testing off the charts smart - should skip grades if she could handle

the social aspect. She was reading at a 11th grade level, etc etc. The librarian

wouldn't let her check out books for that reading level. When my mom questioned

it the librarian said, " But what will she read when she is in the 11th grade? " .

Nice Huh.

Socially it is no different than any other school. Yes, we wore uniforms but

that does not hide the economic differences. The rich kids just wear really

expensive shoes, leather back packs, Polo coats, etc. Everyone knows whose mom

picks them up in a Jag or Mercedes and whose is driving a clunker. There are

" queen bees " and cliques, jocks and nerds. The behavior, however, is much more

controlled. Outright meaness and physical violence were absolutely never

allowed. There were no fights, no name calling, no gangs, etc. It all just

happens in a covert fashion.

Another thing to consider for the older student. Most Catholic schools require

a religion class (Apologetics, History of the Bible etc) in addition to all the

state mandated requirements for graduation. For me it was the pits because I

couldn't take all the art/music I wanted to. But I can see how that could be a

problem for a child struggling to get the basics covered.

Not to judge all from my experiences but I would look for a " specialty school "

If the faith part of the education is important. I would think there are some

religious based schools out there for kids with special needs.

Martha

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[Guest guest]

,

I'm so happy to hear of your son's progress. I corresponded with you last

summer. As you may recall, my apraxic, apd, hypotonia, sipd, son entered a

kindergarten program in a parochial school at the age of 6. He is still

there and doing great academically and socially. An FM system has been

placed in each classroom, provided by the district, and if you fight long

enough with the district you will be provided OT and speech/language

therapy. Fortunately for me I was not the only parent so we approached the

district as a group. We also had the support of the teachers.

All the best,

Joanne

[Guest guest]

This thread is interesting to me. I too was educated in Catholic

schools (K-12) and agree with that there were strong and weak

spots (Science for me was one of the strong spots--go figure). One

thing I want to point out is that the attitudes about " slow " kids

back when we were in school(thinking it's behavioral, or due to a

lack of intelligence/talent)was probably the same across the board

regardless of type of school (public, private, religious). Some

folks (paricularly older folks) still think that way, I find. I

have had some well-meaning relatives suggest that my child is just

being stubborn! These people just don't know any better; this is

changing, but it takes time for the new information to make it's way

to everyone. Part of our mission, I think, is to get the word out.

By the way, here in the New Orleans area, the Archdiocese recently

opened a school for autistic children. It was in an area destroyed

by Katrina, so I don't know what their plans are for it now.

>

> Martha,

>

> I would be quite disenchanted with Catholic schools if I had your

> experience. I, too, attended Catholic school for 16 years

> (including college). There were definite weak spots (science and

> art come to mind), but other aspects were excellent. I had a

fifth

> grade teacher who applied for and received government grants to

buy

> fantastic weather equipment, and it remains a highlight of my

> education. Like any school, there are good ones and bad ones, and

> resources and parent involvement are a huge part of that.

> Ironically, I feel that my school didn't focus enough on religion

> and the bible, and I continue to play catch up to this day. (My

> Protestant friends can really whip out the apropos Bible quotes

> without effort. Always impressive.) My daughter's school is much

> better on that front, and she knows way more than I did at that

age

> (and even older!)

>

> I do remember several kids that were " slow " . They received no

> additional help as far as I could tell, and while they had fewer

> friends, no one ever bullied or mocked them. At the time, I'm not

> sure they would have received much help from the public school

> either. Without a parent advocating and pushing, so many kids get

> lost in the cracks. I feel so sad when I think of their gifts and

> talents locked inside and am grateful that we have had the

resources

> to pursue whatever it takes.