• Special Needs Support

A Place Where Every Child is Understood: Summit School’s Holistic Approach to Special Needs Support

When you have a child with special needs, finding the right school can be an overwhelming journey. At Summit School, our commitment to providing a personalized, nurturing environment is evident in everything we do. “There’s no other school like Summit,” shares one staff member, emphasizing the uniqueness of our approach. “Every student is heard, and everything is individualized to meet each child’s needs.”

What truly sets Summit apart is our collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. Our team of teachers, occupational therapists, and related service providers work hand-in-hand, ensuring that every student receives the holistic support they need. From handwriting assistance and organizational skills to stress management and socialization, we cover all aspects of a child’s development. For children with ADHD or other challenges, spaces like our OT rooms offer a chance to release energy and refocus, giving them tools to thrive in both academic and social settings.

At Summit, we place a strong emphasis on building confidence and independence. “The goal of an OT should be to make you independent, not to create a lifelong dependency,” one staff member explains. We equip our students with practical strategies, whether it’s learning to advocate for themselves or using tools like speech-to-text for those who struggle with writing. We aim to help them feel confident in their abilities, no matter their challenges.

But the support at Summit goes beyond academics. Our team spends significant time nurturing the social and emotional well-being of our students. We understand that school is not just about grades—it’s about preparing children for life. As one staff member notes, “Who cares what grades you get if you’re not emotionally ready to do anything?” That’s why we focus on helping students develop a strong sense of self-confidence and resilience through a growth mindset.

The impact of this approach is undeniable. Many of our students come to us after feeling isolated or misunderstood at other schools, often having experienced bullying or failure. Summit changes that. Here, every child finds a place to belong, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see a child who once struggled begin to flourish. “When you see that click—when a student reaches a goal they’ve been working toward—it makes everything worth it,” a staff member shares.

Summit School is more than just a place of learning; it’s a place of growth, support, and empowerment. We work every day to ensure that every child who walks through our doors feels heard, supported, and ready to take on whatever challenges life may bring.

RELATED SERVICES

A Collaborative Team Approach

Related services are an integral part of The Summit School’s philosophy of providing a collaborative, team-oriented approach towards a student’s overall development. Our service providers work closely with classroom teachers to ensure each student’s success. The Summit School offers Counseling, Occupational Therapy, and Speech and Language services.

Counseling

At Summit, school-based counseling is provided by our licensed clinicians during individual and small group sessions. Cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, frustration and stress management, social skills instruction, and self-esteem enhancement are among the methods used. Students learn specific strategies to help them sustain appropriate student behavior, develop and use positive coping strategies, successfully problem solve, and establish and maintain appropriate peer relationships. Developing time management, study, and organizational skills are also a focus of counseling. Clinicians work collaboratively with all members of the school community, parents, and outside service providers to help students participate to their fullest potential.

Occupational Therapy

Working closely with classroom teachers, Summit’s occupational therapists address areas that may interfere with a student’s educational performance. These include fine and gross motor skills, oral motor function, visual motor and perceptual abilities, sensory awareness and processing, self-care, and prevocational requisites. A variety of intervention strategies are implemented. Handwriting support and the use of assistive technology are also a major focus of the occupational therapy program. Students are seen for individual and small group sessions depending on their related services mandates.

Speech & Language Services

Speech/language pathologists work closely with teachers to help students manage the language demands of the curriculum. Weekly pragmatic language classes at the Lower School and social skills modules at the Upper School enhance essential social communication abilities.

The major goals of the speech and language department are to:
• Improve receptive and expressive language skills necessary for academic success in both oral and written modalities
• Facilitate pragmatic language skills for social/emotional growth and development
• Effectively partner with school staff and families to ensure generalization of skills and strategies

Students are seen for individual and small group sessions, depending on their service mandates. All clinicians are licensed by New York State and certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

“I was… obsessed with learning about Helen Keller and the communication obstacle that she overcame and I just, that was my direction, I knew it. So I started off in undergrad in terms of speech and graduate school. And I worked in a hospital for nine years… then I had my child and then the opportunity came up to work in a school which was much more conducive to the lifestyle I wanted at the time… I can’t really imagine that I ever worked anywhere else actually.”

Nancy Morgenroth

Director of Admissions and Speech and Language Services

OUR MISSION

We provide children who have learning and emotional challenges, the educational support they require to achieve typical academic milestones and develop their individual strengths and talents. Our mission is to help our students maximize their strengths, develop self-esteem, become productive contributors to society, and go on to pursue higher education, careers, and interpersonal relationships.

CONTACT US

UPPER SCHOOL
address: 187-30 Grand Central Parkway
Jamaica Estates, NY 11432
phone: 718-264-2931

LOWER SCHOOL
address: 183-02 Union Turnpike
Flushing, NY 11366
phone: 718-969-3944

© 2025 The Summit School. All Rights Reserved.

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