Children with special needs thrive at special services schools, parents say

People feel their child will be stigmatized,” he said. “But I’m proud my children go there. They have vocational training, the flower shop, the pools. They take them on trips. They are with children like themselves who can be their real friends and not make fun of them.”

Both Monichetti children, Kara Mia, 12, and Mikey, 10 have attended the school for several years. They started school in Sea Isle City public schools, but after visiting the special services school, Monichetti moved both children there.

“We liked what we saw there, what they offered,” Monichetti said. “You can’t get the same services at the public school.”

Both Kara and Michael are autistic, but Michael is higher-functioning and their class work is tailored to their skill level.

“The educators there are trained to work with these children,” Monichetti said. “They really care about them. I’ve learned to sell this school to other parents. Anything I can do to help them, I will.”

Michael Nardi

When Michael Nardi enrolled in the Cape May Special Services School, the staff told his mother, Ellen, that one day he would go out with them and people wouldn’t stare at his autistic behaviors.

Nardi wasn’t sure she believed them then, but she does now.

“We do things now we could never do before,” Ellen Nardi said. “We go shopping, go out to dinner.”

Now 14, Michael has autism, but is fairly high-functioning. He can read and write, but math is a struggle. He is learning to cook.

“He still does the arm flapping when he’s excited,” his mother said. “But he’s come a long way.”

She credits the school with providing the intensive training Michael needed to progress. She said he attended public school in Dennis Township part-time for a while to learn interaction with peers, but the staff at the special services school understand him and his needs far better.

“The teachers know we have to keep working with him at home,” Nardi said. “They work with us, too.”

Now that he’s a teenager, Michael has also enjoyed attending school social events and going to movies with friends.

“The hardest thing is the social interaction,” Nardi said. “They just don’t get it. But he has a friend who is going to high school with him next year.”

Kareem Davis

When Kareem Davis, 12, moved from a medical day care center to the Atlantic County Special Services School five years ago, he couldn’t read, write or even hold a pencil. Last week he was doing long division with his teacher, Terri McIntosh, in a classroom set up to look like a typical middle-school class.

“He just loves it there,” said his mother, Pamela Palmer-Washington, of Atlantic City. “There have been discussions with the Atlantic City schools about bringing him back, but I’m just not interested.”

Davis has cerebral palsy and used special equipment to walk when he arrived. Palmer said he can now walk more on his own, as a result of the intensive physical therapy at the school.

“The way they teach the children there, the one-on-one interaction they have, is just wonderful,” Palmer said. “There is no teasing or fighting. It’s always a positive environment. Everything they do there is to help and protect the children.”

Logan Malc

Logan Malc has always required special care. Born prematurely at just 24 weeks, he has cerebral palsy and started attending the Atlantic County Special Services’ preschool program at age 3.

Now 5, he just moved into a kindergarten program where teachers recently worked on communication skills, since Logan is non-verbal. A head switch on his specialized wheelchair allows him to answer yes or no, and he also uses eye movements to indicate choices.

As he progresses he will be given more sophisticated equipment that can help him form more complex sentences.

“We weren’t really prepared for this, but we went into it with an open mind,” said his father, Matthew Malc. “I have nothing but great things to say about this school.”

Malc said it is especially helpful to have all of the services Logan needs under one roof and coordinated. Even his special wheelchair can be serviced at the school.

“He’s been dealt a difficult hand,” Malc said of his son. “But he loves his teachers and his therapists. There is no way he could go into a regular public school. He is the cutest guy, but it just wouldn’t work out and the Egg Harbor Township school district has been very good about having him there.”

Contact Diane D’Amico:

609-272-7241

[email protected]