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U.S. Schools for Aspergers Children

Question

My husband and I have just started looking into special schools for our 11 year old with Aspergers. He's very bright and does well in the public school academically, but suffers from the usual social problems of an Aspergers child. His psychiatrist also does not think his intellect is being sufficiently challenged or developed by the public school curriculum. Can anyone suggest some school that is not too far from the Essex County area?

Answer

I’m not sure where Essex County is located. Here are a few schools below. Consider contacting the school closest to you and ask a staff member if he/she knows of any schools near Essex County.

• Baltimore, Maryland-- The Millennium School Opening Fall of 2004: The Millennium Day School in Baltimore, Maryland will open its doors in the Fall of 2004. The school will have a fully integrated social skills curriculum and will serve the needs of children with Aspergers and related disorders in an inclusive environment. For further information, visit their web site at www.MillenniumSchool.com

• Belmont, Massachusetts-- Pathways Academy: This school is for AS children from ages 1st -12th Grade. McLean Hospital is a Teaching Facility of Harvard Medical School and an Affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital. McLean Hospital / 115 Mill Street / Belmont, Massachusetts 02178 / 617-855-2847 / For more information send an e-mail to Sarah Medeiros at medeirs@mcleanpo.Mclean.org / Visit their web site at www.mclean.harvard.edu/cns/pathways.htm

• Bethlehem, Connecticut-- Woodhall School: Boys residential school. For information contact: Woodhall School / PO Box 550, Harrison Lane / Bethlehem, CT 06751-0550 / Phone: 203-266-7788

• Boiceville, New York—ASPIE: The School for Autistic Strength, Purpose, and Independence in Education: This Day school is for teens with AS, HFA, PDD and cousin disabilities. Serves students within busing are of Boiceville, New York. For more information contact: Valerie Paradiz, Ph.D. / Program Director / ASPlE / The School for Autistic Strength, Purpose and Independence in Education / P.O. Box 489 / Boiceville, NY 12412 / (845) 657-7201 / email to: info@aspieschool.org / Visit their web site at: www.aspieschool.org

• Boston, Massachusetts-- McLean Hospital - Kennedy Hope Academy: The Kennedy Hope Academy is a 13-bed residential school providing intensive treatment for children with pervasive developmental disorders who have serious psychiatric illness or behavior problems. If you are interested in more information about this program, please contact David Rourke, MS / Program Manager / (617) 779-1670 or visit our website at www.mclean.harvard.edu/patient/child/kha.php

• Carbondale, Illinois-- Brehm Preparatory School: "Empowering Students with Complex Learning Disabilities to Optimize their full potential." For more information contact: Brehm Preparatory School / 1245 East Grand Avenue / Carbondale, IL 62901 / 618.457.0371 / fax 618.529.1248 / Email to: brehm1@brehm.org / Visit their web site at: www.brehm.org

• Cherry Hill, New Jersey and Medford Lakes, New Jersey-- Y.A.L.E. School: The Y.A.L.E. School offers specialized program options for children with Aspergers. Serves children ages 8-15. This program offers rich academic environment, speech and language services, social skill training and positive motivational systems. For additional program information or to schedule a program tour, contact Jim Conley at 856-795-3566 ext. 106 or Dr. Mieke Gooseens at 856-795.3566, ext. 309

• East Bay, California-- The Springstone School: The Springstone School, located in Concord, California, is an independent middle school that promotes and develops academic, social and prevocational skills for students with Aspergers and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities. The professional and experienced staff fosters values of independence, responsibility and community in preparation for high school, and beyond through intensive, individualized instruction in small structured classrooms. Contact Information: The Springstone School / 1035 Carol Lane / Lafayette, CA 94549 / (925)962-9660 / Fax: (925) 962-9558 / email: info@thespringstoneschool.org / website: www.thespringstoneschool.org

• East Haddam, Connecticut-- Franklin Academy: This is a boarding school program. For more information: Franklin Academy / 106 River Road / East Haddam, CT 06423 / Phone:860-873-2700 / Fax: 860-873-8861 admission@fa-ct.org or visit their web site at: www.fa-ct.org

• Houston, Texas-- The Monarch School: The Monarch School is a therapeutic day school located in Houston. Their prime mission is to help children develop executive functioning skills, relationship development and ownership of learning and to prepare all of the students for success. About 1/4 of the students are AS with the other's having ADHD, LD, Bi-polar disorder, Tourettes and other dx. The school is for children from 4-16 and they will be adding one additional HS year each year for the next two years. It is a non-profit, private school and the staff to student ratio is 20 staff to 60 students. For more information visit their website at www.monarchschool.org

• Huntington Station, Long Island, New York-- Gersh Academy: The I Am I Can Program was developed for high functioning students with Neurobiological Disorders (NBD), including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome, Aspergers, Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety Disorder and Depression. The program uses a cognitive behavioral approach, allowing students to better understand their neurobiological limitations and how to self-manage and regulate their symptoms. The Elementary Program (K-5) is a 6:1:1 ratio and the Middle School (6-8) and High School Programs have an 8:1:1 ratio. The Gersh Academy High School is located in Hauppauge. Gersh Academy follows the New York State curriculum and standards. For More Information Contact: West Hills Montessori School / 165 Pidgeon Hill Road / Huntington Station, NY 11746 / Phone: (631) 385-3342 / Web site: www.gershacademy.org

• Melbourne, Florida-- The College Internship Program: "The College Internship Program at the Brevard Center provides individualized, post-secondary academic, internship and independent living experiences for young adults with Aspergers and Nonverbal learning differences. With our support and direction, students learn to realize and develop their potential." For information about their program visit their web site at: www.brevardcenter.org

• New York, New York-- LearningSpring Academy: A Model School for High-Functioning Elementary School Children Grades K-5 with Aspergers and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. For more information visit their webpage at http://www.learningspring.org

• Newbury Park, California-- Passageway School: Day School for children with Aspergers. Our Philosophy is to work with children in small classroom settings (4 to 7 children per class). Tailor their education to their IEP's and to work individually on their behaviors thru positive reinforcement. Our class day tends to be very structured. We do allow and encourage the children to develop their individuality, while maintaining classroom discipline. Our discipline methods are developed according to the needs of the child. We prefer to use reward systems that daily and weekly inspire the child to change his or her behavior. Contact Shirley Juels at 805-375-4950 or e-mail to: PassagewaySchool@aol.com or, visit their web site at www.passagewayschool.com

• Rindge, New Hampshire-- Hampshire Country School: The best candidates for Hampshire Country School are those who will respond to the attention of its faculty, seek the help of its teachers, enjoy being part of a small school community, and enjoy its outdoor activities. Most students, however, have not had such success elsewhere, and many parents are quite discouraged by the time they first inquire about the school. Many students have had trouble fitting into the structure of larger schools and many have had difficulty adapting to the demands of peers. Many are more comfortable with adults than with age mates. Hampshire Country School can provide appropriate structure and support for certain students with nonverbal learning disabilities, Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, Aspergers, and other disorders; but it is not a treatment program. It is designed instead to involve and educate the bright, active, and interested side of each child rather than to dwell on the student's limitations and difficulties. Students who experiment with alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs are not accepted; and the school is not set up for students who are primarily oppositional or confrontational. For more information, visit their web site at: www.hampshirecountryschool.org

• San Francisco Bay Area, California-- Orion Academy: Orion Academy is a nonprofit College Preparatory Day School located in San Francisco's East Bay area for High School Students with Neuro-cognitive Disabilities. Mission: To educate secondary students with NLD, Aspergers and Other neuro-cognitive disorders in a program that equally emphasizes academics, social competency and pragmatic language development. If you are interested in more information about this school, please contact Rosemary at 925-377-0789 or visit their web site at www.orionacademy.org

• Sherman Oaks and Culver City, California-- Village Glen School: Sponsored by the The Help Group, the Village Glen School is a therapeutic day school program for children with challenges in the areas of socialization, communication, language development, peer relations, learning disabilities, and academic performance without significant behavior problems. Many of the students served at Village Glen experience special needs related to Aspergers and high functioning autism. Visit their web site at: www.villageglen.org

• Sudbury, Massachusetts--Corwin Russell School: "The Corwin-Russell School at Broccoli Hall is an independent school for high-potential students 11-19 years old with varied learning styles, average to superior intelligence, exceptional creativity, attentional issues, untapped interests, talents, and strengths, and disparity between innate ability and past production." For more information: Phone: 978-369-1444 / E-mail: brochall@aol.com / Or visit their web site at: www.corwin-russell.org

• Toledo, Ohio-- LHS Maumee Youth Center for Asperger’s Disorder: A new residential center for children and youth ages six to eighteen-plus who have been diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder is opening. The Center is situated on 13 acres near Neapolis, Ohio, south of Toledo, Ohio. LHS Family and Youth Services, Inc. is a social service agency with headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, serving children, youth and families through community-based residential treatment group homes and other services. The LHS Maumee Youth Center for Asperger’s Disorder serves up to twenty children and youth in its residential program. Most children and youth placed in the residential setting will tend to be aggressive and have multiple diagnosis/needs. All staff, in addition to their undergraduate and graduate work, are trained in the core competencies of residential child and youth care and will be trained by experts in the autistic spectrum disorder field. For additional information on the Center, or to make an inquiry regarding a potential referral to the Center, please contact Steve Plottner at splot@infinet.com or by phone at 419-798-9382.

• Washington, Connecticut-- Glenholme School: The Glenholme School is a boarding school for "special needs students situated on over 100 idyllic acres of Connecticut countryside. Children ages 8-16, at admission, who need a highly structured learning environment can prosper in this safe, nurturing school. It provides a value-based program to show students the way to academic success." Visit their web site at: http://www.theglenholmeschool.org/os

My Aspergers Child: Preventing Tantrums and Meltdowns

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for this nice post 111213

Anonymous said...

thanks for this tips

Anonymous said...

I was very happy to come across this list of schools. Thank you for posting; I found this incredibly helpful. Now I just need to plan financially to make it possible for my son to attend.

Anonymous said...

My son who is 13 suffers from aspergers. I am to relocate to the USA this September. Could you please recommend the very best schools in New Jersey or New York which can help him. I am willing to commute. His present school clearly cannot deal with the problem.
Many thanks in advance.

Unknown said...

Gateway Academy in Scottsdale, Academy is a wonderful K-12th Grade Private Day School for children with Asperger's and High Functioning Autism. They also have a residential post secondary program, Spectrum College Transition Program, for college students in this same population. Check them out!

Anonymous said...

Hi!

Attention deficit disorder / Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder signs and symptoms in kids are at all times being researched and studied to develop proper therapy and treatment.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a very wide topic, not only related to children. There's the medical and the holistic side of ADD. To learn and get more information regarding ADD or ADHD, including ODD presented in children. Also if you're interested in proper child behavior, refer to Oppositional Defiant Disorder and for a wider information regarding ADD symptoms, have a look in ADD Symptoms blog[img]http://www.addsymptomsinchildren.org/ref/d1.gif[/img]

Anonymous said...

How about homeschooling? This works great for our family? Asperger's Kids learn really well in the comfort of home - there are great resorces for families with specail needs kids who homeschool- like www.DyslexiaGames.com - Reading, writing and spelling games for visual thinkers!

Anonymous said...

Another boarding school for Aspergers/NLD/social difficulties is Talisman Academy in North Carolina. They are affiliated with Talisman Summer Camps, which has shorter programs.

Anonymous said...

Hunter School in Rumney, NH - Excellent school for Aspies, ADHD, ASD etc. It's a small school so they can really individualize their approach to your child.They welcome parent involvement. There's lots of activities (horse back riding, skiing, skating, karate, swimming, wood work projects, making their own maple syrup, snow shoeing, pets in each house, yoga, wall climbing, and lots more). If your child has a particular interest (and what Aspergers kid doesn't) they'll find a way to work it in to the treatment. They also have alternative treatments. There's residential, day, and in between options. Only down side I see is that the school is vegetarian which limits dietary options.

Eva said...

Any elementary schools in Orange County,CA,that you could recommend? Thank you

Anonymous said...

My 13 year old son returned home from residential treatment last week. Before he left home Facebook was a constant issue and it remains now. I worked with our in home therapist and my son on a written agreement for Facebook usage that we both signed and he promptly went against. When I attempt to enforce the consequence that was agreed upon he becomes verbally violent and throws things around the room, recently breaking the front window of are rented townhouse. There are of course a multitude of dynamics playing out here from resentment of being placed in residential placement, to being back home, to getting back into school, being a 13 year old etc. I am concerned that no matter what expectations and agreements with consequences we establish right now that he is not capable at this time of self regulating his Facebook behavior and that keeping use of this at all as an option is setting him up for failure. With his behavior my only recourse would be to have the internet turned off to our home and not allowing him any use of my cell phone. Would this be an appropriate response based on the totality of the things that are struggles right now, or would turning off the internet cause an even more negative response to me and methods of problem solving? I know initially his response would be terrible but I wonder if having that option gone would open him up to making progress in other areas that are stagnant because of this huge issue. The easy answer to any problem is to take it away and I understand that and try to avoid that as much as possible. With that being said, this issue is so extreme that it truly seems like something that has to be removed so he can make and see progress in other areas so he can move forward all the way around.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Unknown said...

Showing these different lists of schools in very important for us to know if where to choose for the right school that fits to a standard forms and programs that would surely help student's to finish their study. Thanks for giving the good blog content.

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Unknown said...

regarding the FACEBOOK comment...I can relate with my 16 year old aspy. Facebook in his case is used to role-play, which means from 1 to dozens of others (5years old or 50 years old) are taking turns posting on the page. This is now a full blown addiction. We have managed it in these ways...password protect the wi-fi in our home, revoked his library card where he can use the computers, password protect all computers (and all accounts on each computer such as the guest account) so I can control the access, we bought a safe to lock the remote controls and the DS's and kindle. TV has access to many apps like youtube and the DSs have access to internet and the kindle can download a FB app. Obviously he does not have a Smart phone. It has limited his ability to interact in the social media world. While he is angry about it, he is much more regulated and is able to have a "real" life. The Facebook contacts resulted in Skype calls with strangers and then giving out his phone number so he was able to speak with them even when he didn't have internet access. Many of these dramatic on-lliners would write about cutting themselves and various states of depression and considerations for suicide. Some of these kids would develop on-line relationships with him telling him they love him, etc. It may sound as if I wasn't on top of this but I assure you I was. I read all his mail and FB pages but then I discovered he was messaging which is different than posting and I had no access to and instead of emailing he would use chat on his gmail account. And when I closed his FB he just opened a new gmail and a new FB....when I thought he was reading on his kindle he had downloaded an app. And, when he gave up on FB and gave up on email chat he then went to chat room sites. He used friends Ipads and phones, borrowed phones to make a phone call and would sneak a peak/post. He is so addicted it took all his energy and time to try to sneak and hide. Things are better but we are stuck. 16 year olds need access to technology. Our world is only increasing in technology and it does change/light up places in the brain the same way drugs do. So - what to do now...I don't really know. We are treating this like any other addiction in which there are options to limit access or abstain. Abstaining is where we are at because attempts to limit only made him want it more. Best of luck and hope this helps.

Treasure Coast Tutor said...

I am looking for resources and programs for a 14 year old student in or near St. Lucie County (Port St. Lucie), Florida. His local public school does not appear to be following his IEP, nor to have the resources to help him learn and succeed in school. He has repeated seventh grade twice and is not making progress. Does anyone know of any specialized programs for Aspberger's students in this area?

Unknown said...

Treasure coast tutor...ALL florida schools suck. My son goes to palm Beach School for Autism and as great as they are, it's not any better than public school. That's how I landed on this thread. Looking for which states will help him the most

Unknown said...

Awesome list!!!

Unknown said...

I'm looking for a good school in Pennsylvania does anybody have any information to share? My son is 13

Anonymous said...

My son is 15 and was diagnosed late with Asperger’s. He is having a very difficult time socially and with communication, even at home. He is soft spoken and has become very reluctant to talk. He has no friends and when he does have the opportunity he does not want to talk in person. He just wants to text. But because he has not had any friends he does not know how to act and usually ends up losing any potential friends. He has become very depressed and feels very lonely. Does anyone know if there are any high schools that can assist with social anxiety, relationships and communication skills? It would need to be one that deals with high functioning individuals. I would really appreciate any feedback. Thank you

Anonymous said...

I hope this message reaches you, I have a son with similar issues, I’m looking into a school for him also. Let’s try to connect.

My child has been rejected by his peers, ridiculed and bullied !!!

Social rejection has devastating effects in many areas of functioning. Because the ASD child tends to internalize how others treat him, rejection damages self-esteem and often causes anxiety and depression. As the child feels worse about himself and becomes more anxious and depressed – he performs worse, socially and intellectually.

Click here to read the full article…

How to Prevent Meltdowns in Children on the Spectrum

Meltdowns are not a pretty sight. They are somewhat like overblown temper tantrums, but unlike tantrums, meltdowns can last anywhere from ten minutes to over an hour. When it starts, the Asperger's or HFA child is totally out-of-control. When it ends, both you and your child are totally exhausted. But... don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. At the least provocation, for the remainder of that day -- and sometimes into the next - the meltdown can return in full force.

Click here for the full article...

Parenting Defiant Teens on the Spectrum

Although Aspergers [high-functioning autism] is at the milder end of the autism spectrum, the challenges parents face when disciplining a teenager on the spectrum are more difficult than they would be with an average teen. Complicated by defiant behavior, the teen is at risk for even greater difficulties on multiple levels – unless the parents’ disciplinary techniques are tailored to their child's special needs.

Click here to read the full article…

Older Teens and Young Adult Children with ASD Still Living At Home

Your older teenager or young “adult child” isn’t sure what to do, and he is asking you for money every few days. How do you cut the purse strings and teach him to be independent? Parents of teens with ASD face many problems that other parents do not. Time is running out for teaching their adolescent how to become an independent adult. As one mother put it, "There's so little time, yet so much left to do."

Click here to read the full article…

Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism

Two traits often found in kids with High-Functioning Autism are “mind-blindness” (i.e., the inability to predict the beliefs and intentions of others) and “alexithymia” (i.e., the inability to identify and interpret emotional signals in others). These two traits reduce the youngster’s ability to empathize with peers. As a result, he or she may be perceived by adults and other children as selfish, insensitive and uncaring.

Click here
to read the full article...

Highly Effective Research-Based Parenting Strategies for Children with Asperger's and HFA

Become an expert in helping your child cope with his or her “out-of-control” emotions, inability to make and keep friends, stress, anger, thinking errors, and resistance to change.

Click here for the full article...