The MaineHealth Academy at Spring Harbor provides high-quality education for children and young adults who are receiving inpatient developmental disorder care at MaineHealth Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor.
Student success is our priority
Located within the hospital, the academy runs 32 hours each week, Monday - Friday, all year long. The academy’s goal is to ensure each student’s successful transition back to the community after leaving the hospital. We work closely with each child’s home school to make sure that their curriculum aligns with their individualized education program (IEP). All plans are fully documented. Academic instruction is coupled with evidence-based strategies to help students:
- Learn coping skills
- Build independence
- Improve emotional and behavioral regulation
More about our services
Our expert staff includes:
- Certified special education teachers
- Certified educational technicians
- A speech and language pathologist
- An occupational therapist
- A physical therapist
- Psychologists
- Behavior analysts
We offer specially-designed instruction for each child, including:
- Individual and small group teaching
- Individualized instructional strategies (e.g., discrete trial teaching; incidental teaching; functional communication training)
- 1:1 support throughout the school day, provided by our certified educational technicians
- Access to a large curriculum library
- Technology tools accessible for each student (e.g. tablets)
- Access to a kitchen space, art room, gymnasium, cafeteria and an outdoor play yard
We work to promote curiosity and creative thinking. Some of the more commonly known curricula that are used include:
- IXL
- Raz-kids
- A to Z Reading and Science
- Edmark
- Touchmath
- Scholastic News
- Explode the code
- Khan Academy
- Everyday Math
Our expert services help students achieve success in important areas of development and functioning.
Speech and Language Therapy
Speech and language services support the development of communication skills. Services are delivered in individual therapy sessions, group sessions, and through consultation with teachers and educational technicians. Focus of treatment can include:
- Expressive and receptive language disorders
- Social-pragmatic communication disorders
- Articulation and phonological disorders
- Dysfluency
- Alternative and augmentative communication systems (AAC)
- Functional communication training (FCT)
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy (OT) is provided to students who have OT on their IEP as a needed service. Occupational therapy helps children improve their functional life skills. It is provided within the context of every day activities. OT targets:
- Self-regulation
- Sensory processing
- Fine-motor skills
- Gross motor skills
- Visual motor skills
- Activities of daily living
- Vocational skills
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy (PT) is provided to students who have PT on their IEP as a needed service. PT works on safety and movement in the school environment. A physical therapist assesses each child who needs PT when they arrive. Then, they make a treatment plan for their inpatient stay. This plan might include:
- Sessions made up of obstacle courses to work on balance
- Ball play games for coordination
- Trying different seats to help them use upright posture while working at a desk
Special Groups
Some of the special activities and groups that students participate in include:
- Art group
- Cooking group
- Drama group
- Science group
- Physical education
- Music group
- Social skills groups
Educational Trips
Eligible students enjoy weekly outings that promote community engagement and life skills development. Activities include: recreation at the YMCA and public parks, browsing the public library, bowling, star-gazing at a planetarium and guided grocery store tours with a registered dietitian.
