Students with nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD) require not only a thorough understanding of the challenges they face, but also a curriculum supportive of their social and emotional needs. At the Newgrange School, we are committed to providing students a superior education that focuses on fostering both academic knowledge and social skills.
In 2005, The Newgrange School in Hamilton, NJ launched the NVLD (nonverbal learning disabilities) program to give our students with Asperger’s syndrome, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and other nonverbal learning disorders an opportunity to learn socialization skills. During the past decade, the program has enjoyed recognition as a leading development in the field of NVLD education. Helping students make friends and communicate with peers, teachers, parents, and other adults is what we accomplish in our Social Strides program.
Our growing reputation for success as an Asperger’s and autism school is the result of more than 35 years of demonstrated expertise as a leading dyslexia school. Although private, The Newgrange School is also a New Jersey state-approved NVLD school.
Nonverbal learning disabilities are both academic and social in scope. As brain-based conditions, they affect the way students process abstract concepts and spatial relationships. They also impact the social interactions and outside perceptions of people with NVLDs. The multisensory approach of our NVLD program addresses the educational and social impacts of living with an NVLD in order to better equip our students to overcome these challenges. As a key aspect of our students’ overall educational experience, the unique, family-like environment at The Newgrange School significantly enhances the success rate of our NVLD program. Graduates of the program have gone on to successful job placements, culinary schools, and two and four-year universities.
The NVLD program provides academic and social skill development designed to achieve goals. These are set individually for each student in close and constant collaboration with parents and guardians. Steady communication with parents is highly important to us. We inform the parents about what the students are doing with detailed weekly reports. This opens the line of communication, and along with that, we incorporate parent suggestions into our social skills curriculum.
The NVLD program provides educational support tailored to each student’s learning style across a strong academic curriculum. In tandem, our educators build social stories to address students’ specific skill deficits as identified by parents and educators while also providing scenarios for practice and growth. Students interact with adults and peers throughout the day, facilitating development centered around each individual’s social strengths and challenges. The NVLD program also incorporates Community-Based Instruction (CBI), transition planning, and supplemental programs and classes to support our students’ long-term success.