One thing that makes JRA unique is that we will take children with behavior problems. Not all of our kids have these issues, but they certainly don’t scare us. There is a culture of fear and blame circulating around these kids, one that is not helpful to anyone. If a teacher has a child in […]
Sensory Diet
Just about all of our students have sensory integration difficulties. Some are sensory seekers, others are overly sensitive to noises, textures, and visual chaos. As we enter our third year at JRA, we have worked harder to enrich our environment, including many sensory activities that help students stay focused and calm during the day. We […]
Bal-a-vis-X Workshop
Early this year we noticed Katie, our speech and language magician, bouncing balls with children as part of their sessions with her. We were intrigued, especially when we saw how much better those children did in the classroom. So in January, five of us piled in a car and drove to Charlotteville, Virginia, to participate in […]
Sharing the stage with pros
“And at the same time, you are of course a performer, but it’s very important that you understand that your role as a performer is to get the best performance from those wonderful colleagues that you have the chance to work with. “ Michael Tilson Thomas As we added people to JRA’s staff this school […]
Social skills deficits
Prospective parents are often surprised by how quickly we are willing to accept their children. We encourage the child and the parents to visit, and we want to make sure that we can keep the new child safe, along with all of our students. But we believe that most children will fit well into a […]
