We would like to introduce you to the Gersh Academy, a customized education setting for individuals with neurobiological disorders and autism spectrum disorders. The Academy was created by Kevin Gersh nearly ten years ago because of the needs of one child who was not receiving an appropriate public school education. Today, our New York State Certified Special Education teachers and teacher assistants are educating 85 students grades K-12. Six out of seven graduating seniors of the 2005-2006 class enrolled in a college program for the 2006 Fall semester.

More than education, the Gersh Academy provides all related services necessary for an individual with neurobiological disorders and/or autism to succeed in life. Our comprehensive staff includes occupational therapists, speech therapists, clinical psychologists, social workers, music therapists and consulting psychiatrists. In addition, students receive life skills preparation and are involved in transition planning. A Gersh Academy student has the opportunity to be who he or she is naturally. Given the right tools, our students do well if they can.

Gersh Academy operates under the belief that a student will do well if he/she can. Our signature I Am I Can program utilizes the Collaborative Problem Solving teaching model. If you are not familiar, this methodology proposes that challenging behavior should be understood as being neurobiologically driven. Faculty, staff and students work toward mutually satisfactory solutions to the problems causing conflict.

In our BASE Institute, we address the need for Behavioral, Academic and Social Enrichment. This is accomplished through utilization of the Applied Behavior Analysis approach for students ages 5-21.