Public Funding, Private School, Lots of Need
There are private schools for autistic kids here in New Jersey that have waiting list of a couple hundred kids. In Palatine, Illnois, the privately operated, public funded New Connections Academy has also had to turn students away for lack of space, the October 7th Daily Herald reports. The school serves “high-functioning autistic children and teens” and currently has an enrollment of 40; it’s hoped that 60 students total can enroll if the school is able to expand. The new space would include an art therapy room, two classrooms and offices, and increase the number of staff to 37. Notes Daily Herald:
Run by Libertyville-based Counseling Connections, New Connections is the only Chicago area school solely dedicated to students with high-functioning autism, according to Dempsey. It opened in December 2006 as an outgrowth of Connections Day School’s south campus in Palatine, which serves students with emotional and behavioral issues.
“There are many programs for lower-functioning kids, but the needs of this category of kids aren’t really being met by any existing private or public school,” he said.
But they could and should be.
Would an in-district special public school program be better than an out of district one that is, as noted “privately operated”?
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, disabilities blog, disability, Education, Health, illinois, palatine, schools, students, teachersRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Education
6 opinions for Public Funding, Private School, Lots of Need
Daisy
Oct 8, 2008 at 1:26 pm
An in-district public school, perhaps a charter, might have access to better funding through state tax dollars. High-functioning kids can be successful in the regular ed setting — if they have the right support.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Oct 8, 2008 at 4:38 pm
….if………
jat
Oct 8, 2008 at 6:54 pm
The problems that I’ve seen are that first, the supports that high functioning autistic (including Asperger) kids need are so varied, and many teachers fall into the trap of thinking that if one student needed “x,” then all HFA kids will need “x” and only “x.” Another problem is that many of our kids look like they’re being defiant or rude when they are simply responding to a situation in the only way they can, due to the way they perceive things. The teacher reacts to the perceived defiance/rudeness; the child reacts to the teacher’s response, and the relationship is often irreparably damaged. NT kids can generally get past these sorts of set-backs; our kids cannot. It is very difficult, particularly in upper grades, to train teachers who have such high numbers of students on their rosters, to adequately respond to the needs of each of their students. The supports that our students need are not easily incorporated into a typical departmentalized secondary setting, and it is not useful if our students are further isolated by having an aide effectively acting as a barrier between the student and the rest of the class, including the teacher. It can be done well, but it is rare. For many of our kids, going to school in a private setting gives them a much more “typical” experience than going to a “typical” school would.
sam
Oct 21, 2008 at 7:54 pm
what is the name of the school in new jersey. any advice on starting a private school for autistic children in pa. (federal and state funding????)
Kristina Chew, PhD
Oct 21, 2008 at 10:02 pm
There’s a long list of autism schools and programs here on the website for COSAC—not all are private; some to look at might be Reed Academy and Alpine Learning Group. A school called the Garden Academy was more recently started and can be found here:
http://gardenacademy.org/
Regan
Oct 21, 2008 at 11:13 pm
sam,
If you want to talk to someone in PA, I would suggest getting in touch with the Vista School in Hershey and ask them what it took for them to get their school off the ground and how their funding is organized.
The Vista School
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