Prior to being hired at the Oakley School, a therapeutic boarding school located in Oakley, UT, I had no clue that there was an industry of support for children who require an elevated level of care outside of the home. Therapeutic treatment programs offer a range of services and supports for students who need a completely different physical space than the home setting/school in order to build skills to navigate adolescence and adulthood. The "treatment world" is full of hundreds of options, and we also wanted to share a few private-school and non-traditional options.
Most Neurodiverse and Autism therapeutic schools developed as an offshoot of the drug/alcohol/troubled-teen industry for students who needed an alternative. Therapists, counselors, and administrators saw that some Neurodiverse teens and kids on the Autism spectrum showed similar benefits from a break with the home/typical school setting, as well as specific skill-building in a lower-stimulus environment, smaller class sizes, and more direct support. Below is a brief list of programs either licensed as a residential treatment center, wilderness program, or school. This list is brief, but we wanted to provide schools that we have had some contact with in case a family is starting their journey into looking into alternative schools and therapeutic programs:
Wilderness Programs: Vantage Point UT, Second Nature UT, SUWS of the Carolinas NC, Elements Wilderness UT, Open Sky CO, Outback Therapeutic Expeditions UT, True North VT, New Vision WI
Residential Treatment Centers: Daniels Academy UT, Spark Academy UT, Gateway Academy UT, Maple Lake Academy UT, New Focus Academy UT
Schools: Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning UT, Spectrum Academy UT
Related Links:
National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs:
Article on Helping Teens into Treatment: