Sponsor Of the Month - DYNAMIC MINDS ACADEMY

By Julie Gordon

A school worth fighting for

Back in 2013, I developed a vision for a hybrid educational model to mitigate a growing crisis in the community. Parents with special needs children in the public schools were exhausted from fighting for services and accommodations. At the same time, families were forced to transition their kids out of ABA centers and into schools due to insurance cuts. Most of these students were not ready to take the huge step from 1:1 therapy to being in a classroom with 14 other kids. Those who presented more mildly were not getting critical therapy services for executive functioning, anxiety, and depression, while students with maladaptive behaviors were being suspended from school too frequently.

Education is the expertise of schools, as it should be. But to educate those with medical, social, emotional, and behavioral needs, we are asking schools to stretch outside of their expertise into the clinical scope. It is two different worlds colliding, trying to make it work. It is individualizing education in a standardized system. On the other hand, behavioral therapy is the expertise of behavioral health providers, as it should be. But to provide intensive therapy to those who need to catch up academically, we are asking centers to stretch outside of their expertise into the educational scope, which is not reimbursable.

A hybrid model that combined education and behavioral therapy only made sense. But would the model be successful? Would it be supported by the community? Would a charter school authorizer take a chance on it?

For a charter school to be authorized, it needs to be innovative. Dynamic Minds Academy’s mission met that criterion, as our model was the first of its kind in Indiana. We aimed to bridge the gap between education and therapy for students on the autism spectrum by providing evidence-based practices for personal growth within an optimal learning environment. Therapy and education under one roof, in one seamless day, increases continuity of care, continuity of instruction and offers an environment of belonging, challenge, and opportunity. The model proved successful for six years through partnerships with outside charter schools. But those schools had their missions, and we needed our own. Beginning in 2015, I attempted to get Dynamic Minds Academy (DMA) authorized and got my first rejection – due to size. A school with only 50 students was thought to be too small to be sustainable. Then, after ensuring parent support to allow school size to grow by 3x, knowing it would come with new challenges, we tried again. We now had a strong board of directors and advisors and a plan for growth to sustain a faculty and a location to maintain high-quality services.

Two more times, the concept was rejected: “Too risky;” “Not enough funding;” “Why in the world would you want 150 students with autism in your school?” We understand that the school is not for every student or every family, but charter schools and least-restrictive environments are about choice, and for those who make the choice, it is “life-saving” as one parent calls it. Finally, in early 2019, Trine University’s Education One took a chance on us. DMA received a five-year charter. We would have our own mission, so not only could our students grow their own way, but our school could as well, with their guidance and support.

Thrive, Not Just Survive

Educating over 100 students with ASD is not difficult if you are doing it right and with the right team. I handed over the torch to an experienced and dedicated administration team to bring the mission to life. This administration, led by Samantha Bandy, Aaron Wallace, and La Meca Perkins-Knight, knows that half of the battle is a genuine belief in the students you are educating.

If you don’t believe they can do it and meet them where they are every day, your mission and your students will fail.

Partial Day Therapy

It isn’t that students with ASD aren’t able to keep up with the content; it’s that the environment in a typical school is overwhelming, the social dynamics are too nuanced, the pace demands are too high, and most often, their behavior is misunderstood. DMA believes that a student’s social and emotional well-being is as important, if not more so, as their grades. The real world demands communication, collaboration, flexibility, and problem-solving whether at work or in relationships. Therapeutic intervention decreases stress and increases confidence, leading to readiness for learning.

Low Ratios

Each classroom cohort is no more than 12 students, with a 3:1 student to teacher ratio for instruction. Classroom cohorts are based not only on academic level but on social, developmental, and cognitive strengths and challenges to ensure students have the optimal learning environment. Smaller ratios allow teachers to create smaller groups that are working at the same level on a particular subject and reduce the opportunity to be disengaged as they might during typical whole class lessons.

Low Stimulation

Students with ASD struggle with information processing and have more difficulty filtering out stimuli in the environment. Bright colors, pictures, and writing all over the walls and rugs create unnecessary “noise” to process. The classrooms were designed to limit over-stimulation that distracts students and takes away from learning. Smaller spaces are available for students who need a break and even less distraction.

Year-Round Calendar

The year-round calendar allows students to get 240 partial days of instruction to meet their goals at their pace. The other part of their day allows for therapeutic development. Long breaks create inconsistency as well as interfere with momentum during goal breakthroughs. While it is important for students to have breaks when they are “white knuckling” through school every day, our approach allows students to take breaks at their pace for their needs and removes the stress of holding it together for 180 days.

Built-in Accommodations

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) in our school include all accommodations automatically. No need to request them; if they are needed, they will be given. Our philosophy is to meet every student where they are and provide the just-right challenge for the moment, day, week, month, or year. We all have bad days where we need to use other tools and resources to help us through. Our students deserve the same attuned attention to be set up for success every time they walk into the building.

Support Services

Speech, occupational, and physical therapy, mental health care, and behavior support are available to all students who meet the medical necessity criteria. Our therapy provider employs all clinicians, including specialty clinicians like music, recreational, and art therapists, who help enrich our students’ experiences.

Highly Trained Teachers

Most importantly, we hire passionate teachers who are ready to show up every day for their students and who believe in them and the mission of DMA. Teachers have intensive and ongoing training and support in behavior management and the overall approach to educating students with ASD effectively and with compassion. DMA employs teachers licensed in special education, general education, core content, and interventions to ensure that every student has the appropriate instructor to meet their academic needs.

Balanced & Flexible Curriculum

DMA utilizes the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines to help the teachers meet the Indiana State Standards while considering the unique learning needs of each student. Instruction is delivered using mediums such as standards-based curriculums, project-based units, and targeted small group instruction. Each classroom is flexible on how much of each medium will be used based on its student make-up. This allows for diverse methods of meeting academic and IEP goals.

Individualized Paths

Students are guided on the path that is right for them and can change as their desires and skills change. Whether they’re college-bound, headed for post-secondary employment, or focused on attaining independent living, our hybrid model supports the development of critical life skills that are necessary for any path they choose. Students truly grow their own way.

Doing what is best isn’t always the easiest or most cost-efficient, and often doesn’t fit in a standardized box. No one should have to fight for accommodations, opportunities, or understanding. We hope our mission is an inspiration to show how effectively slowing down and focusing on well-being can make all the difference in the academic success of students with ASD.

Grow Your Own Way!

If you have a child on the autism spectrum in grades K–12 that needs a model where they can thrive, not just survive; visit us online to fill out an inquiry, to schedule a tour, or to enroll for the 2021–2022 school year.

Samantha Bandy, M.S. Ed, Education Director

Aaron Wallace, M.S. Ed, Associate Education Directior

LaMeca Perkins-Knight, M.S. Ed, Special Education Director

Schedule a tour today!

click this link or call (317) 578-0410

http://dynamicmindsacademy. org/enrollment/

Dynamic Minds Academy

8350 Craig Street Indianapolis, IN 46250 317-578-0410 ext 112 http://dynamicmindsacademy.org

Tuition-Free Public Charter School

DYNAMIC MINDS ACADEMY