At the Orion School a Wraparound Education Requires a Team Approach

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A comprehensive educational model for students with special needs to be structured to have built in flexibility. At the OrionSchool we have a team based approach focusing on the strengths of our students and also ensuring the needs of each student are individualized. This educational approach is recommended as best practice for complex students with ADHD and Asperger's who need more support to achieve their highest potential.

Multiple interventions are seamlessly built into the Orion School's program; including occupational therapy, adventure based therapy, outdoor recreational therapy, direct instruction social skill curriculum, and ongoing emotional support. Weekly experiences in the Atlanta community help generalize the skills learned and expand the connections made at school. High interest and experiential learning activities ensure students are motivated to learn. This adaptive model ensures a more effective and supportive educational environment than a more traditionally structured remedial model can.

The program at the Orion School adapts to fit the unique needs of each student with a problem solving approach as an important component. The school staff integrates social, emotional and educational priorities into decisions made. It is not uncommon at the end of a long school day for our staff members to hold an impromptu meeting to discuss a schedule change for the next day, a shift in a positive behavior reward for a student, or to debrief on a situation that might involve a change of action the very next day. 

Instructional groups of four students are carefully structured to take into consideration a number of factors including social interactions, emotional needs, chronological age, developmental needs, and the academic learning profile of each student. Yet our educational team may change the group a student is in to better meet the goals for that student and that group.

It is this experienced and compassionate staff that is a key component to the educational interventions we are able to offer. They are committed to making connections and building relationships with the students to have a foundation for motivating our inconsistent learners and making more informed educational decisions. There is an emphasis on effective problem-solving through communication with others and to improving each student's growth in all areas of development.

There are also clear rules in place to build an emotionally safe and consistent learning environment. Educators teach students alternative responses to frustration, reinforce newly learned skills, make consequences clear, and consistently emphasize a connection to academics.

Additional elements of a wraparound approach are offered as we support families with a monthly Parent Education Series featuring presentations by professionals such as educators, mental health providers, and occupational therapists. Respite opportunities include seasonal drop in Soccer Clinics, Club Orion after care, and Camp Orion.

In addition our families are an important part of the team and we encourage ongoing communication and support for as we strive to provide an educational oasis for our students. As a special needs school our goal is to send our students off to high school socially, emotionally and academically ready for great success....and we work diligently day by day to meet this goal.