Q&A with Experts

Private or Public School

Poted Date: Friday, January 15, 2010 Name : Anonymous My 9 year old son is in 3rd grade in a good public school district. He is a patient of Dr. Zelter, who referred me to you. My son has been diagnosed with Dyslexia but still preforms fairly well at school. Additionally, we now believe he has ADD. His executive skills are very challenged. Also, he suffers from GAD and Osteoporosis. This boy has a lot on his plate. We are now in the process of further exploration of treatments/medications. We are in the process of getting his first IEP. The school has worked well with us providing accommodations for him. However, to date we have had to use a private educational therapist to work on his LD and private psychotherapist for his GAD and coping with his medical issues. My son has many friends and to date no behavioral or social problems. His teachers and staff adore him. I am concerned that with the current state of our public educational system and the financial catastrophic fallout. Due to this, I am very concerned that he will not be provided with a top notch support team. There is a private school (Westmark) that seems to be a good fit. The cost is tremendous and is quite a commute from our home. It would require a lot of juggling and of course a financial burden to make this happen, but if it is in his best interest, then we would. I would like your input as to what we should do about 4th grade? Try public where the class size jumps from 22 to 34? And hope that the IEP and our private support team will be enough. Or should we go with the specialized school. Thank you.

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teen suicde

Poted Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 Name : bonny How do you deIal with teen suicde not only home but in general? I would like to be more informed of everything that would possibly have to do with this situation please. Thank You

Caryn Freeman replies:Dec 01, 2009 01:45 PM

If your teen talks about wanting to harm him/herself, you should take him to an emergency room of a hospital to be evaluated for suicide risk to prevent problems; if he/she is depressed, get help from a psychotherapist in a mental health clinic or someone in your insurance plan. There are teen suicide hotlines ...If you google: teen suicide hotline, you will find many websites and numbers to call: try the national suicide prevention hotline 1-800-273 TALK; if you are a parent of a teen who has committed suicide, get psychological help for yourself. This is a major traumatic event for any family.

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