Twice-exceptional kids find success in Brideun Learning Communties

"Our son wasn't as successful as he should have been in his elementary school. He knew he wasn't succeeding, and it was demoralizing and confusing for him. We chose Brideun when our son was entering middle school as a place where he could engage his gifts and still be accepted for his learning differences. He fit in immediately, and in his first few days made the statement: "I think I'm going to succeed at this school." He has, and we are very glad we found Brideun."

"Our daughter was in third grade when we found Brideun. She had been at a private school since kindergarten. We have known since she was very young that she had learning disabilities and moderately severe sensory integration issues. Even though she had friends and was well accepted and loved at her school, she was not learning. The school just felt she was a kid who might not read and suggested books on tape, and let her slide by. I knew she was really bright and could see her growing frustration at not being able to keep up academically with her peers. By the beginning of third grade, she was in meltdown most mornings getting ready for school, and before we reached home after school. She held it together pretty well at school, but was beginning to do a lot of teasing and getting into more conflicts than ever before."

"In meeting with Marlo we understood that part of the issue was that she was spending so much of her energy just managing sensory issues that she was not available for learning. Academically and behaviorally, she has really thrived at Brideun, and has done better each year. She is reading for pleasure now, and is very interested in learning math and science. She has gone from feeling stupid, to knowing she is smart and can learn what she wants to learn. It has truely been a turning point in our lives to have her at Brideun. We all have great hopes now about what she will be able to do in her life, and that she will have a fullfilling and happy one. Thanks Brideun!"

"The day we found Brideun was the turning point. We found a unique program designed by highly trained professionals who focus on what is positive about and possible for twice exceptional kid. The teachers and administrators provide rich, stimulating academic classes backed up by an ongoing therapeutic environment. Our son feels accepted, understood and even treasured at Brideun. He is blossoming; learning what makes him different, learning to see his differences as positives instead of devastating negatives, he is socially connected to other wonderful children, and he is learning to stand up for himself in the world."

"We cannot say enough good things about Brideun and all it gives our son, and our family."

"We will be forever grateful for the existence of such a unique school environment and for our family's experience at Brideun."

"My son felt comfortable and encouraged at Brideun. He was not the only "different" kid there. He made friends. This was a big win for him. He is now ready for high school and Brideun has played a major role in that. "

"Brideun served our son well. He arrived at the school in the middle of fifth grade frustrated and untrusting of school environments. It was a difficult start for him due to his past experiences of being bored, experiencing sensory overload, or not fitting into a system. Brideun embraced my son for who he was and gave him the skills and the outlets that allowed him to better understand himself and others. I'm pleased to say he transitioned to a small public high school and is a successful, happy and engaged student."

"Nearly five years ago, after being labeled as a slow learner with ADD and dyslexia, and after special education classes had convinced him that he was crazy and stupid, our 9 year old decided that he had had enough of school. It was impossible, without the use of force, to get him to go to school. The school principal suggested to us that she could come to our house and force him to go to school. We declined; he had been traumatized too much by school already."

"Over that spring and summer we looked for alternatives. A friend mentioned that a new school was opening, and that we should look into it. We made an appointment with Marlo Rice, the school's director. We brought in our son's test scores, which ranged from very low in some areas to very high in others. Marlo explained the concept of the "twice-exceptional child" to us, and how children with the skill disparities shown by our son were difficult to teach using traditional methods. It made perfect sense to us, and we wondered why no other professional educator had ever explained this to us."

"We enrolled our son in Brideun starting September, 2001, and, from the first day, our son grew to love the school. He is now in eighth grade at Brideun, and is planning to transfer back to public school next fall, as a ninth grader. Without these last five years at Brideun, our son's life would have been miserable. Brideun has made learning possible, and allowed him to develop relationships with his peers in a very loving and benevolent atmosphere."