School for Children with Special Needs Expands Therapy services

The Hagedorn Little Village School, Jack Joel Center for Special Children, a school for children with special needs, has expanded its therapy services with the opening of a sensory gym.

A physical therapist works with a child at Hagedorn Little Village School, Jack Joel Center for Special Children.

A not-for-profit school for children with disabilities will be opening a new sensory gym within its occupational and physical therapy treatment center. The Hagedorn Little Village School, Jack Joel Center for Special Children provides educational and therapeutic services for children with developmental disabilities. Services include diagnostic evaluations and treatment, early intervention, preschool, and elementary school.

The school was established in 1969 and with all the services it offers, it helps more than a thousand families a year. The school provides year-round programs and services to children who may have cognitive delays, social or emotional deficits, autism spectrum disorders, speech or language delays, orthopedic or motor impairments, visual impairments, or significant medical issues.

“Despite serving so many families, we still had to turn down over 100 families a year. With this expansion, we hope that we will now be able to serve a greater number of children with special needs and their families,” says Jon Feingold, Ph.D., executive director at the school. 

The new sensory gym, which the school aims to open in early June, will include a variety of equipment, such as suspended swings, mobile apparatus, and large climbing equipment. The expansion to the school will also help provide a space for physical and speech therapy, counseling services, storage, classes, therapy rooms, and more.