HLVS Expands Preschool for Children on the Spectrum

Hagedorn Little Village School, a Seaford school that offers educational and therapeutic services for children with special needs, is adding two new preschool classes for children on the autism spectrum.

The Hagedorn Little Village School, located in Seaford, has been providing “the finest educational and therapeutic services to children with special needs and their families” for more than 46 years, says Jon Feingold, Ph.D., executive director. The school, which serves roughly 350 children ages newborn to 12 onsite has recently undergone a large expansion and will begin offering two new preschool classes for children on the autism spectrum this September.

“Our largest referral group is for preschool-aged children with an [autism] spectrum diagnosis,” Dr. Feingold says. The school decided to add the two new classes because of this high demand. These will be full-day classes with eight students each, one teacher, and three teaching assistants. These classes employ an Applied Behavior Analysis methodology, and students will be able to receive their therapies, including speech and occupational therapies, on-site.

With multiple speech and occupational therapists, and two state-of-the-art physical and occupational therapy and sensory gyms onsite, Dr. Feingold says students will “benefit from the latest technology.” In addition, students will have access to SMART Boards and an extensive Augmentative Communication Program, which helps “children who are not able to communicate in more traditional ways to be able to communicate their wants and needs,” Dr. Feingold says.

Little Village School also offers related services off-site at daycare centers, preschools, and homes for children who “can benefit from therapy, but don’t require the intensity of a center-based program,” Dr. Feingold says. Parent and sibling support groups are also available at no cost. “Our staff [is] very well trained, very compassionate, and dedicated,” Dr. Feingold says. “Little Village makes sure we take care of [families], not just children.”

Tours of the school are available two Fridays a month.

Main photo: Students at Little Village School made signs and posters in support of Autism Awareness month.