Black Bear Academy is a highly specialized, dynamic, private clinical program. We offer therapeutic classes, small group therapies, dyads, individual therapies and enrichments to address communication, feeding, independence, or delays and disorders related to, but not exclusively:
- oral motor/feeding
- sensory regulation
- receptive/expressive language
- social skills/pragmatic language skills
- articulation/speech production
- motor coordination/planning
- fine motor skills
- executive functioning skills
- separation/transitioning
Our therapeutic preschool classes are taught by licensed Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) and Occupational Therapists (OT) and we offer small therapist-to-student ratios.
Enrollment in the therapeutic program requires a full-complex evaluation by an SLP, OT or both. Evaluation needs will be determined and recommended after meeting and discussing this with each family.
The therapeutic program at Black Bear Academy is recommendation based and proposed schedules are shared and discussed with each family. Recommendations and schedules are based on the results of these comprehensive evaluations.
An initial family conference is held after the evaluations are completed at the entrance into the program. Update conferences are held approximately every 15 weeks to review progress towards goals and review re-evaluation information.
Classes are scheduled as they are recommended and therefore all classes may not be offered during all semesters. Also, they fill up as interest is indicated so they may not be offered each day of the week. Classes are subject to change as we are always willing to adjust and modify according to each child’s needs, each child’s age, and skills.
In the therapeutic program, it is not mandatory to attend a predetermined amount of days; however, it may be mandatory to participate in at least one individual therapy session to treat the child’s primary area of need, in addition to class, to ensure his or her individual needs are being met and improving in the group. Therapists make recommendations for therapeutic service provisions at Black Bear based on a combination of both individual and group experiences. This is an integral component to the success of our program.
We are not in-network with any insurance companies and we require payment for services rendered at the time of service and when the tuition installments are scheduled. However, we are happy to provide you with information you may need to pursue out-of-network coverage. Please contact our office manager for more information.
We are happy to consult with any outside providers your child may also have. Please fill out a consent form (release of information) with their names and contact information.
Classes are offered for different age groups and skill sets. We start as early as 18 months old and end at the Kindergarten level. If it is recommended that your child receive enrichment 1:1 support to participate in the class, including therapeutic classes, extended day classes and electives, there is an additional cost. Therapeutic classes and services can include:
- Therapeutic Play: Therapeutic play is a 75 minute, theme-based class for children 18 months until approximately 2.5 years of age. It consists of activities such as free play, circle time, art, music, snack, speech-language center and story.
- Language Play: This therapeutic class is 60 minutes long and loosely follows the theme and the intents of therapeutic classes; however, it is an opportunity for child-led play and interactions in an engaging less-confrontational environment. This provides students the time they need to work on separation, endurance and tolerance for structured activities. This class participates in activities such as free play, sensory-motor play, art play, snack, language play and story.
- Intro to Therapeutic Preschool: Intro to TPS is a 2 hour, theme-based class for children above 2.5 years of age, and dependent on skills. The therapeutic class consistsof free play, morning work, circle time, speech-language centers, music, movement, possible outdoor activities, snack, and story.
- Therapeutic Preschool: This therapeutic classes is curriculum-based for children above 3.5 years of age, and is dependent upon skills. This therapeutic class is 3 hours long and consists of free play, circle time, academic and speech-language centers, art, music, movement, possible outdoor activities, snack, and story. The TPS program can be split into two classes, Jr. TPS and Sr. TPS, depending on the levels of support needed and the levels of regulation, academic readiness, language and social skills of the group.
- Learning and Engagement: This therapeutic class is designed to target a variety of skills unique to each child. This class provides specialized support for each child to enhance attention, engagement, regulation, participation, learning and communication at the level of each individual child.
- Therapeutic Kindergarten: This therapeutic class is designed to target a variety of skills unique to each child as they get older and get ready to transition to another school. With varying levels of support, we continue to work on sustaining attention, engagement, regulation, participation, learning and communication in a small group experience while following a curriculum map and promoting academic and social readiness for transition.
- Kindergarten Prep/and Transition: This three hour program is designed to prepare children for their next academic step, to transition into a private or public school for Kindergarten or first grade. This therapeutic class will prepare students for eventual opportunities to push-in, combine and/or transition into less supportive environments, which are maximized throughout the year. Levels of support are incumbent upon performance and readiness. Curriculums are incorporated including pre-literacy, pre-writing, literacy based mathematics, and thematic science and social study approach. Daily computer tasks are also introduced as part of this program. *Academic testing is required to gather baseline and progress information.
- Social Language: This one or two hour class is led by an SLP and focuses on appropriate demonstration of social-pragmatic language and play skills in a small, supported group context.
- Fine Motor: This one hour class is led by an OT and focuses on fine motor and related skills to support academic readiness through with use of various supports and multi-sensory activities in a small, supported group context.
- Black Bear Buddies: This 30 or 60 minute dyad, led by an SLP, pairs a child with lagging skills with a neuro-typical peer, to work on improved play and social-pragmatic language skills.
- Individual Therapy: Our SLP and OT staff provide 1:1 sessions that are 45 minutes of direct service, targeting individual goals as determined through the evaluation process and by clinical observations made in class.
- Caregiver Training:We are available to meet to discuss strategies for any child that attends our school in any of our Pre-Academic, Academic or Therapeutic Programs.
- Therapeutic Enrichment: Our therapeutic enrichment (TXE) staff is trained to supplement our clinical services in both groups and individual sessions. Also, if a child would benefit from 1:1 support to participate in a group setting, we will recommend and utilize our therapeutic enrichment staff accordingly to support our students.
- Therapeutic Lunch/Gym:A therapeutic enrichment staff member are available to provide individualized support (1:1) for a child to safely and appropriately eat lunch in the lunchroom (30 minutes) and play in the gym (30 minutes) with age matched peers.
- Lunch Bunch: This group will sit among age matched peers in the lunch room and will safely and appropriately eat lunch with facilitation by a therapeutic enrichment staff member. They will work on focusing on eating and socializing and demonstrating increasing independence and attention.
- Kids in Transition: Kids In Transition, or “KIT”, is an outreach program offered through Black Bear Academy. Our clinical staff can provide on-site and off-site consultative services for children who are dually enrolled or for students after enrollment at Black Bear. This partnership program can serve as an important tool to help successfully transition children across learning environments. If available and able to coordinate scheduling and transportation, SLP/OT consultation for indirect services (i.e. providing materials, scheduling phone calls, emails, observations, teacher collaboration, meetings, tours, etc.) is available at the current consultative rate. IEP Consultations and School Observations (off-site) are provided upon request. For more information, please go to our Kids in Transition page.
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