Outside School

Special Circumstances

You can count on my being honest with you, and I expect the same from you!

Applying between 10/1 and 2/14 of the current school year (for a start 15 calendar days after your application is received)?

1. Include current school reports, and a contact and permission to contact them in case I have additional questions.

2. Include your reasons for removing your child from their current program.

3. Explain whether or not your child was expelled, was in the process of expulsion procedures, or asked not to return for the next program year, and what those circumstances were.

4. Add a non-refundable application fee of $50.

Current or Past Illnesses:

If your child has any current or past illnesses, include a note from their pediatrician about the causes, severity, and whether any medication is necessary (see “Medication(s)” below).

Allergies:

If your child has any allergies, include a note from their pediatrician about the causes, severity, and whether any medication is necessary (see “Medication(s)” below).

Medication(s):

If your child takes any medication(s), include a note from their pediatrician about dosage, when it’s taken, for what reason(s), whether that medication needs to be carried in your child’s backpack for administration during school hours or for emergency use, how the medication needs to be administered, and whether or how it may affect your child at Outside School (e.g. exposure to sunlight, needs to be taken with food, may cause your child to become drowsy or excited, or when it’s necessary to call for emergency services).

If your child has experienced the following within one year of applying, please wait until the following school year to apply:

-Polypharmacy.

Special Needs, Suspected of Having Special Needs, or Behavioral Issues (Returning Students):

As always, keep me apprised of any changes, successes, and challenges.

Special Needs, Suspected of Having Special Needs, or Behavioral Issues (New Students):

I’m here to be part of Team (Your Child’s Name)! I want to support them and you. This may seem like a lot right now, but I want you to review the following, then provide additional documentation with your application for a few reasons:

-I want families to be honest with me. Over the years, I’ve had families who have hidden or minimized their children’s issues. Ultimately this hurts their children because they are refusing to fully accept their child's condition and offer them the additional support they need.

-I often have at least one child with special needs in my groups, but I am not a counselor or therapist. I have experience working with a wide variety of special needs children, but I do not have specific special needs training. I have worked with their families, therapists (including occupational and speech), past and future teachers, and school districts. All of us are “works in progress.” We will chat about needs as often as necessary. I am happy to incorporate recommended therapies into my teaching, as well as welcome occupational or speech therapists into our space if need be.

-If your child has or is suspected of having special needs, please go ahead and apply! Make sure to include as much information as you can; please see the list below for what to include. I will read through these to ensure I understand your child’s (and family’s) needs. If you are in the process of working through these things, please make a detailed note of that so I can understand where you are in the process.

-Over the years I have learned more about what my own limits are, and who I may or may not be able to accommodate. I will take you and your child’s needs into consideration, along with the needs of others already enrolled in my program. In some cases I may not be able to accommodate your child at all (and will refund the first tuition payment you included with your application, but no other applicable fees). In other cases, I may ask you to apply to be on our waiting list if I need to see how other, previously enrolled students are getting on with us first, before adding your special needs child- especially if there are others with similar diagnoses.

-I cannot accept children who are prone to eloping (running away), may be violent toward themselves or others, or are psychologically able to exclude or diminish another person/people or to round up others’ support to exclude or diminish another person/people. NO EXCEPTIONS.

-“Invisible” disabilities (e.g. autism spectrum disorder or sensory processing disorder) are usually highly “visible” to others who are developing neurotypically. Your honest communication about your child with everyone in our community will help answer questions that may arise, and will help everyone develop empathy, understanding, and kindness more quickly toward those who are “different.” It can be particularly helpful for everyone to know things like, “My child loves x and y, but also needs a lot of help when z happens. That kind of help can look like a, b, or c.” After your application has been accepted, we can come up with a game plan together on how to best address your particular situation with our group. A week before we start the program, I send an email out to all the families and share a link with everyone’s contact information. That is one possibility for this sort of introduction.

-Depending on your child’s typical behaviors, you may need to consider that we are in a public park, and all behaviors and interventions will be fully visible and audible to all passersby.

-Outside School is not a “normal” school and I am not a “normal” teacher. If your child has been able to hide their special needs under typical school room circumstances, they won’t when they’re with us. Rather, if there are issues the child has within the family, they will usually exhibit those same behaviors at Outside School as soon as they’re comfortable in our environment. That’s okay! But, we have to remember that we’re a team and there will be some days that are better than others. These children need a lot of additional support, and most of all they need firm boundaries and stability. When you apply, I’m expecting you to stay the course and continue to keep your child enrolled for the entire time period (as is the case for all my enrolled families), even when we’re going through difficult times. I cannot understate how all children seek boundaries and security. This often isn’t easy and can take a lot of time to develop, and this is almost always far more pronounced with those who are neurodiverse. To me, this is an investment worth making! (I have also seen a lot of families in those circumstances, when things are difficult, hop around from program to program. I view this as detrimental to finding security and relationships that are so essential to emotional wellbeing, especially when the same needs express themselves repeatedly but are never sufficiently addressed.) I need you to give me as much background information as you can so I can best help your child and our entire group. Here’s the additional information required for your application:

1. Is there an IEP or 504? If yes, attach a description from your point of view and include the forms. I will be incorporating recommendations into my teaching. If you’re not comfortable sending these electronically, you may send them snail mail (address given on the application page).

2. Include your physical and/or behavioral notes, along with any diagnoses. Attach descriptions from your point of view along with clinical documentation and contact information and permission to contact the doctors, therapists, or other professionals. In many cases I have more questions that I’d like to ask of them.

3. Your exhaustive notes and general timelines if they’re not included in any other reports. When did you first start noticing things seemed to be different? When and why did you seek help? What type of help did you seek? Where are you in that process now? What interventions have worked and which have not? How does each family member address these in the home?

4. If there is any additional information you think I should know, please include it. There is no such thing as too much information here! I am here to support your child, your family, and our entire group. I need full disclosure from you in order to support us all.

-If I have more questions after reviewing your completed application (including supporting documentation as described here, plus tuition and any applicable fees), then I will schedule a phone call with you (and perhaps even a visit before your child’s first day). I cannot appropriately assess whether your family will be a good fit without receiving this information. I need to study the objective paperwork first, so please do not ask for a phone call before applying. NO EXCEPTIONS.