Atlanta Speech School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Atlanta Speech School is a therapeutic educational center for children and adults with hearing, speech, language, or learning disabilities in Atlanta, GA. It was established in 1938 and is considered to be among the oldest and best schools of its type in the Southeast.
The Atlanta Speech School offers comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations for children suspected of having learning disabilities, independent educational evaluations for hearing impaired children, Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) assessments, and summer programs. Individual remediation for children with learning disabilities is available after school and in the summer.
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[edit] The Wardlaw School
The Wardlaw School is divided into two divisions, the Lower School (Levels K-2) and the Upper School (Levels 3-6). Each division has a coordinator. The School consists of 19 classes typically with nine students in each. The school is essentially ungraded and instead issues regular evaluations of student progress.
“The mission of the Wardlaw School is to help children with average to very superior intelligence and mild to moderate learning disabilities learn how to become self-confident, independent learners. Placement at the school is intended to be short term; however, ongoing support for the child and his/her family is available throughout the child's educational experience. We believe that this mission is best accomplished through individualized programming designed to address each child's learning strengths and weaknesses. The programs are implemented through a clinical model in a school atmosphere and setting that utilizes input from a team of professionals who work with the children. We believe parents should be active participants who understand the nature and implications of their child's unique learning profile.”
The Wardlaw School is dedicated to serving children with average to very superior intelligence (the average IQ of the student body is in the “bright” range) and mild to moderate learning disabilities. Children served in the Wardlaw School typically exhibit underlying auditory and/or visual processing problems that make it difficult for them to learn in their present educational setting. The school serves students aged 5-12 and grades K-6.
The types of learning disabilities dealt with by the Wardlaw School include dyslexia, difficulty understanding and/or using spoken language, auditory processing disorder, written language disorders, and mathematical disabilities. Children with a learning disability and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) are accepted. The program is not designed for children with only ADD, behavior problems, or emotional problems.
[edit] Katherine Hamm Center
The mission of the Katherine Hamm Center (formerly the Oral School) is to assist the child with a hearing loss in functioning effectively in the hearing community.
[edit] Staff
The school has 19 normal classroom teachers and has eight additional reading teachers. Five speech-language pathologists are assigned to the Wardlaw School. All teachers in the Wardlaw School possess a master's degree or above in learning disabilities, speech/language pathology, special education, or reading. In addition, they hold current teaching certificates and/or certification from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association and a Georgia License in Speech-Language Pathology.
[edit] Accreditation
The Wardlaw School is accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission.
[edit] Goals
”The Wardlaw School has four basic goals for working with children and for determining when a child has completed the program. These goals are:
- 1. To assist each child in learning how he/she learns best and how to utilize effective strategies so that he/she becomes an independent learner who is not reliant on tutors or special educators to succeed.
- 2. To reduce the discrepancy between the child's ability (intelligence) and his/her actual achievement utilizing individualized instruction.
- 3. To help children become self-confident learners who are willing to actively engage in learning situations and who see themselves as successful students.
- 4. To return children who have met these goals to a regular education setting as soon as possible.“
