FAQs

What does The Orion School know about AD/HD?
It is not coincidental that The Orion School has all the support and structure necessary for a child who has an ADHD diagnosis. Every part of our program is carefully designed to take into consideration the unique learning needs of students who have ADHD. Our program is not just designed to accommodate students who have ADHD – we are the accommodation.

What student might be the right fit for The Orion School?
Our typical student is curious, outgoing, energetic, and often bright. He/she has a diagnosis of ADHD (or the traits of impulsivity, hyperactivity, distractibility, and inattentiveness in varying degrees). We do not consider a diagnosis a “label”, but a resource tool to give a point of reference for the right kind of intervention. Cookie cutter approaches that purport to work for all developmental disabilities and differences can not possibly be the right ones. Our students are all unique, but with a similar general profile that comes with a combined ADHD diagnosis.

What other types of developmental differences are represented at The Orion School beside ADHD?
Our students have the range of conditions that typically co-occur with ADHD. These include learning disabilities (such as dysgraphia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia), executive function disorder, mood disorders, anxiety, depression, OCD, tics, Tourettes disorder, and HFA. On a limited case by case basis, we are also an inclusion school for other disabilities.

What students might not be the right fit for The Orion School?
While the supportive and structured program at The Orion School would be ideal for any child with a developmental difference, we focus on students who need an alternative school setting because of struggles related to ADHD. For example, if a child has a language based learning disability there are many supportive school options in Atlanta. Yet, if a child has combined type ADHD (emphasis on the “H”), especially without a learning disability, the list narrows down considerably to The Orion School.

Can I bring my child to visit The Orion School?
A day long school visit is part of the admission process for The Orion School. Our students love novelty and generally do well on short school visits and interviews. Our goal is to see a child for the duration of the day so we can better assess where the child may struggle in a school setting. We also want the prospective student to experience a full day at The Orion School to understand how we are different from the school they may be struggling in.

What is the teacher to student ratio?
The Orion School has a 1:4 staff to child ratio. This ratio is more unique than it sounds because we do not have the structure of assistants and aids like more traditional schools do. Academic classes are kept very small to keep distractions to a minimum. Our teachers work as a collaborative team to determine the best approach to help each student at The Orion School reach their potential. The stated ratio is often even lower; particularly when our core teachers support our enrichment teachers to meet goals. We also have limited enrollment growth to better serve the needs of our students and keep the flexibility, accessibility and communication that is difficult to translate into a larger school program.

Who are your teachers?
We have energetic, innovative, and nurturing teachers that are committed to finding ways to engage our often reluctant learners in the joy of learning.

How are discipline and behavior issues handled?
Our students often come from schools where their impulsiveness, distractibility, inattentiveness and hyperactivity were perceived as behavior problems and not part of their struggle to regulate their emotions and their body. We use a disability perspective, but a strength based approach to help our students understand their strengths and weaknesses. We also have a school wide positive behavior support plan in place to help our students regulate behavior. This constant, tactile reinforcement increases student confidence and communicates teachers’ expectations by focusing on positive, desired behaviors rather than the negative.

What about academics?
The Orion School is structured to offer as typical a school experience as possible for students that need an alternative to a more traditional program. Our low 1:4 ratio offers an intensively supportive academic setting for children with or without learning differences. All students get academic intervention which ensures that each student’s academic goals are met.

What is your social skill program?
Sustained social skill growth is learned through a variety of real life situations rather than a once a week class. At The Orion School, our students work on social intelligence development throughout each day. Our teachers use educational approaches to teach direct instruction social skill activities. For example, our teachers may use literature to teach pragmatic skills and emotional literacy. Thinking maps are used to help students organize the social concepts learned. The Alert Program is also used to teach self-awareness and regulation. This program also provides a sense of power and control over students’ bodies and choices.

What are the goals for your students?
We want to help our students develop a strong self esteem, strategies for living successfully with ADHD, and a life long love of learning. Our goal is for all our students to love school!

Do parents receive any sort of reports about their child?
There is evidence based intervention and monitoring of our students’ progress throughout the school year. There is ongoing relationship with teachers, daily behavioral reports, quarterly conferences and AIMS web reports, once a year standardized testing (Stanford 10), and an ongoing student portfolio assembled from all the core and enrichment teachers that work with our students.

How is communication handled?
There is a weekly parent note with information about the upcoming week, curriculum details from each teacher, and a recap of the week. Parents can chat informally with the teachers at drop off and pick up but, are encouraged to schedule a time to talk for more than a few minutes. The Orion School teachers understand the need for ongoing communication and information sharing about each student.

How does the Orion School deal with special food concerns?
The Orion School does not adhere to any food philosophies with regard to developmental differences. We try to respect parent choices as much as we are capable of doing in a school setting. The Orion School provides a variety of snacks to expand our student’s food experiences. We also have snacks that meet the dietary needs of students who have food allergies or are on restricted diets. We also welcome parent snack contributions that benefit all the students. The Orion School is also a Peanut Free Zone.

How does The Orion School support the parents?
As part of our effort to fully support Orion School families, monthly parenting support sessions are offered. Research based information, understanding, support, and emotional guidance are offered to our families in a supportive group setting. This series is led by Irene Celcer, MS, and LCSW. We also have parent educational evening with presentations by teachers and other specialists.

Most importantly, can you give me specific ways that might help me decide if my child is a good fit for The Orion School?
We are the school for children who have an ADHD diagnosis. If a child does not have the diagnosis, they may have the following core symptoms in varying degrees: impulsivity, hyperactivity, distractibility, and inattentiveness. Despite being curious, outgoing, creative, and often bright, our typical student might have any number of the following related challenges.

· Needs to be in a smaller, more structured environment for school success.

· Struggles in a traditional school setting where seat work, paying attention, staying on task, and working in a group are required.

· Has difficulty making and keeping friends. Often, invitations to birthday parties and play dates do not come easily.

· Misinterprets social cues from other children and adults despite being social and verbal.

· Interpersonal skills may present as inappropriate or even rude.

· Gets overwhelmed in new, unstructured, or even exciting situations.

· Struggles with sensory issues.

· Conflict resolution skills are not well developed.

· Must win…and really does not like to lose.

· Will not stay on task if not interested.

· Despite interest, does not consistently finish tasks.

· Repeats off behaviors despite redirection and intervention.

· The concept of time is limited.

· Struggles with Handwriting.

· Has difficulty with organization.

· Is relentlessly outgoing, talkative, and persistent.

· May have low self esteem.