Program Description:

            Sand Paths Academy, a private, fully-accredited, non-public school, has been serving children with special needs since 1968. We provide a comprehensive psycho-educational program for learning disabled and emotionally disturbed children and adolescents in grades 6 through 12.

            Our program is highly structured, and we use behavior management techniques which emphasize positive reinforcement and the teaching of new social skills. We have a 3:1 student to staff ratio, which allows us to provide each child with individual support to meet their academic and emotional needs. In addition to specialized academic remediation based on each student’s ability, crisis counseling and group therapy are provided by our Behavior Intervention Specialist to help students with:

·        developing problem solving skills

·        developing interpersonal relationships

·        improving social skills and independent living skills

Within the community, we strive to form positive relationships with local merchants and agencies. It is our goal to introduce students to the world around them in a safe and structured way. We access local parks for exercise and recreation, and we use businesses such as banks, libraries, the post office, grocery stores, and Laundromats to teach independent living skills and pre-vocational skills. For students who have appropriate skills, we try to secure part-time jobs in neighborhood stores. In this way, we can help students to feel a part of their community and to acknowledge the importance of being active, productive members of the community.

We work closely with all outside agencies involved in the student’s life, including individual therapists, social workers, mentors, shadows, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. Our most important source of information is the parent, and we greatly value the relationship that we form with each and every parent.