Lusaka - Post Report Question and Answers
What accommodations do schools make for special-needs kids?
The school talks a big game when it comes to accommodations, but under recent leadership, support services feel more punitive than encouraging. We don't feel like our quirky kids have the encouragement and space to recognize their unique strengths, like they did before, and instead are being forced into lowest-common-denominator coursework. The school isn't really able to offer any extension work, so we do a lot of extra math and reading at home. My extremely gifted, high-masking AuADHD girl struggles a lot because she's bored silly by the school work, but needs to be with her peer grade level for social development reasons, and the support services available mean she's in "conversation practice groups" with kids who have severe learning disabilities. It hasn't been a good recipe for success. My oldest is also gifted, but in a more "conventional" way, and she's had the most positive experience of the three kids. She still takes full extra math class outside of school just to keep her functioning at the level she's capable of (aka, I'm the meanest mom ever). We feel like we're fighting the guidance counselor every step of the way (I hate being "that parent") and there's an unofficial parent support group where we share similar stories of struggles when it comes to kids who don't easily fit into a neat box. If you have kids with special needs, just be prepared to advocate heavily and be open to doing your own work at home. The school offers some great opportunities when it comes to projects and social-emotional learning, but for academics, individual therapies, or individualized curriculums, it falls far short. - Feb 2026
AISL says they have accomodations but as far as elementary and middle school kids who are a little more advanced, they don't really have anything--no matter what they say. - Nov 2017
AISL has some accommodations; others are inadequate. - Jan 2017
There are options for learning support at the international schools, but not for any severe learning disabilities. Kids with physical disabilities will have difficulty getting around given the layout of the campuses. - May 2016
Not many. - Aug 2014
None at AIS; very unhelpful in accommodating their customers--sorry, students and parents. - Mar 2009
None except for extremely mild cases. - Mar 2009
Most schools make accommodations for mild disabilities. - Oct 2008
I'm not sure. - May 2008
