Is Private School Right for My Neurodivergent Child?
BY AMANDA CIANI
A cademic growth. Accommoda- tions. Communication. Discipline. Flexibility. And so on. Parents of neurodivergent children have many things to consider when it comes to their child’s education. They may ask themselves if private school is a good option for their child’s education. “Yes” or “no” are not really valid answers to this question; let’s go with “may- be” for now, because every private school is as unique as each neurodivergent child and their needs. To help answer the question at hand: “Is private school right for my neuro- divergent child?” we rounded up even more questions which parents can ask prospective school officials. Do you accept students with learning disabilities? Would a student with learning differences be a good fit for this school? Get the obvious questions out of the way
from the jump. If a school doesn’t accept students like your child, take your money elsewhere. Does the school offer an alternative system of support to aid students with different needs? While REPs, IEPs and 504 Plans are not legally required, private schools have the ability to create their own substitutes. These internal systems which can be adapted to individual students may include Student Support Plans (SSPs), Learning Profiles, Accommodation Plans, Direct Support Services, and more. What kind of support staff members are employed at this school, including Intervention Specialists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, and counselors? Follow this up with clarifying questions on
how often those employees are in the build- ing, and how service hours with individual students are determined. Is there an additional cost for students to receive ser- vices from these providers? Having an SLP or OT on staff is great, but ensuring they work with your student on a regular basis is much more important. How many teachers have been trained specifically to work with neurodivergent students? Smaller class sizes are an appealing aspect of private schools because students are given more individual attention from teachers. In fact, many private schools make their teacher to student ratio known. Yet neurodivergent parents can take this thought process one step further: How many of those teachers know how to effectively teach neurodivergent students? Knowing how
22 JANUARY 2026 | BRPARENTS.COM
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