GILLEN BREWER SCHOOL

Provides comprehensive, individualized academic and therapeutic support for students with language-based learning disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, anxiety, and sensory processing challenges. Uses an integrated team model involving teachers, occupational therapists, psychologists, and speech-language pathologists to deliver 1:1 and classroom-based services focused on academic achievement, social development, self-advocacy, and self-regulation.

Offers occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and psychological services to develop visual-perceptual, gross motor, fine motor, self-care, sensory processing, pragmatic language, social cognition, and emotional regulation skills. Services are delivered in specialized environments including sensory gyms, a fine motor room, and classrooms, using evidence-based curricula and shared goals across providers.

Implements explicit, multisensory instruction in writing (The Writing Revolution), handwriting (Handwriting Without Tears), and technology (Keyboarding Without Tears), alongside weekly physical education at Asphalt Green and outdoor recess at community playgrounds and a rooftop terrace. Also provides weekly technology instruction integrating digital citizenship and motor skill development.

Partners with families via weekly newsletters with classroom updates, parent workshops on raising children with special needs, and parent support groups to share experiences and behavioral strategies. Emphasizes collaboration between school staff and families to support student development.

Expanded from a single student to serving Pre-K through 8th grade, including launching a middle school program and opening a state-of-the-art facility in 2005 designed for sensory and learning needs. Secured additional space to support expansion and launched an after-school program in 2023–2024, with new classrooms for middle school cohorts in 2024–2025.

Hosts public webinars focused on college programs that support neurodiverse students, providing information and resources to broader audiences beyond the school’s immediate community.

Invests in robust professional development for teachers and therapists to maintain expertise in special education. Designates Board of Trustees and staff leaders to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) through programs, initiatives, and curricula.

Provides a weekly individualized project program where students work one-on-one with a teacher or therapist on a self-chosen topic, fostering curiosity, independence, and engagement. Also supports student-led podcast production through IndyKids Voices, including training in interviewing and professional podcast production.

Runs two distinct programs—the Gillen Program (class sizes of 10–11 students) and the Brewer Program (class sizes of 6–7 students)—for students aged 5 to 11, with seamless transitions between them based on individual needs. Maintains a low student-to-staff ratio with two teachers and three therapists per classroom of 8–10 students, delivering literacy and math in small groups (2–4 students) and other subjects in whole-class settings.

Maintains a respectful and inclusive environment by admitting students regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, or other identifiers, and actively celebrates diversity across all dimensions of identity.

Conducts bi-weekly off-campus educational trips and uses New York City’s museums, historical sites, and cultural institutions for real-world learning. Teaches independent living skills such as public transportation use, safety, budgeting, and decision-making, particularly within the middle school program for grades 6–8.