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| The Mission of The New School In The Heights is to provide an alternative educational experience for children with good or superior intelligence whose social-emotional delays interfere with success in school and life. |
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As a special needs school for ADHD children in grades K-8 as well as for children with OCD, Sensory Integration, selective mutism, reactive attachment disorder (RAD), we are among the top private schools in Houston for Asperger's students. We are also a good choice among private schools for learning disabilities or schools for dyslexia when the emotional piece compounds the learning disability. Many of our students are gifted and talented because G/T children tend to struggle with emotions they have not yet learned to manage.
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Students receive individualized instruction in home-like setting. |
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Students experience success because they are taught at their actual achievement levels. |
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High-interest, challenging activities teach students that learning is it's own reward. |
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Social skills development is integrated into all aspects of the school program. |
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Students learn to make good life choices through natural consequences. |
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Parents receive expert help with parenting as part of the tuition. Outside specialists / therapists are welcomed as part of the team. |
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A home like atmosphere and group cohesion are fostered by team-building activities, cross-age grouping, community service, and family-style lunches. |
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Why Choose The New School In The Heights?
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| Download the New School in the Heights' Brochure |
As a private, special needs school in Houston, Texas, NSH offers a teacher: pupil ratio not to exceed 1:6. Students are instructed according to their academic levels, not an artificial grade designation. Our philosophy is to make learning itself the motivation for succeeding in school, so special classes, such as Robotics, Newspaper and a school wide Math Olympics, are offered. Children who need a safe place from teasing, who are working through adoption issues, are gifted and talented, or who have a variety of diagnoses such as ADHD, Asperger's, OCD, ODD, Sensory Integration, Separation Anxiety, Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) or Selective Mutism that interfere with their ability to succeed in school and social situations are helped by our unique social-emotional curriculum. As one of the schools for learning disabilities, we can help improve dyslexic children's self-esteem when it has been compromised by these conditions.
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| Almost 100% of NSH students will transition to mainstream education in Houston’s finest public and private schools. |
| The NSH admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. |
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Therapy
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Statement on TherapyThe New School In The Heights offers “wrap-around”, one-stop services to address your child’s educational, social-emotional, developmental and psychological needs. “Parent Helper” meetings for parents (and/or other responsible caregivers) are included in the tuition. These are individual "parenting classes" with a licensed professional and are arranged at a mutually convenient time.
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Some children do benefit from additional individual psychotherapy with a trained professional. This is available on campus through our clinical staff at an extra charge. If your child is already engaged with one or more “outside” therapists prior to enrolling in The New School In The Heights, our policy is to work with them as closely as possible. We strongly urge them to participate in our staff meetings and to observe often in the classrooms. The more closely they and we can work together, the more help we can be to your child. Generally, we recommend that a decision to add any sort of therapy be delayed for a few months until we have had a chance to know him or her better.
Children with diagnoses such as ADHD, Asperger’s, OCD, ODD, Sensory Integration, Separation Anxiety, Reactive Attachment Disorder or Selective Mutism may benefit from individual treatment. Children suffering from low self-esteem secondary to dyslexia and disgraphia may also be helped by individual therapy.
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| While individual therapies are not always recommended, our experience has shown that when they are, our staff who work on campus and observe your child daily are in a position to accumulate a broad range of data usable in therapy. When students have therapists who work outside the building, it is our policy to communicate frequently with them, including even daily faxes or emails to them—with parental consent, of course. |
| Upon request, the Clinical Director can provide a list of experienced and licensed professionals who complement The New School’s professional staff. |
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NSH clinicians offer weekly social skills groups to students whose parents request this extra service for an additional fee. The groups help children develop good social interactions and master the skills for making friends and working as a team. An advantage to group work at NSH is the clinicians know the children in a "real life," five days a week setting, not in the context of a professional office one hour a week. In addition, the children know each other in the same “real life” context. As one of the special needs schools for children with ADHD, as well as a school for Asperger's Syndrome, we find that our students benefit from being in a group with children they already know and with whom they will apply their social skills throughout the week.
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| NSH Social Skills groups are NOT intended to replace individual therapy either on or off campus. The work done in NSH Social Skills groups can provide a useful adjunct to individual therapy. |
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Parent SupportParents at NSH are given support by clinicians specially trained to help with life’s most challenging and rewarding job: being a parent. Costs for Parent Helper work are included in the tuition and may be reimbursed through one’s health insurance depending upon coverage. Refer to the Parents page of this website for additional information about our individual parenting classes tailored to your own personal family's needs.
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Leadership
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Another reason to choose The New School in the Heights is the caliber of the professionals who work with your child. The expertise and credentials of the school’s history reflects the high quality of the school they founded and continue to lead.
Diane Manning, Ph.D.
Executive DirectorDr. Manning enjoys a dual career as an educator and clinician. She has a Ph.D. in education and masters degrees in health care administration, reading education, and english. As Director of the reading & Learning Disability Clinic of Tufts University, Dr. Manning developed an interest in the way social and emotional issues can interfere with learning and life for bright children. Following a position in the Department of Behavioral Health at Harvard University, she served as Chair of the Department of Education at Tulane University in New Orleans. Dr. Manning is a licensed professional counselor certified by the American Psychoanalytical Association and by the International Psychoanalytic Association in child analysis.
Felecia Powell-Williams, Ed.D
Clinical DirectorThe Board of Directors of The New School in the Heights is pleased to announce that Dr. Felecia Powell-Williams has accepted the position of Clinical Director. Dr. Powell-Williams earned her master's in clinical psychology and her doctorate in clinical counseling from Texas Southern University. She completed her post graduate education at the Center for Psychoanalytic Studies, formerly known as Houston-Galveston Psychoanalytic Institute, and recognized by the American Psychoanalytic Association as an adult, adolescent and child psychoanalyst. She has been a Parent Helper at The New School since its inception and brings to us her previous clinical and administrative experience at the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County. Among her experience teaching on a collegiate level, she has given much professional training, and consulted with many state and local agencies on recognizing the need of mental health services for children and adults. She is currently a faculty member of the Center Psychoanalytic Studies. Throughout her distinguished career, she has generously donated her time and talents to numerous organizations serving children throughout Houston.
Dr. Powell-Williams will be assuming the position previously held by Arthur J. Farley, M.D. Dr. Farley will continue to serve the school as President of the Board of Directors. Dr. Diane Manning will continue as Executive Director.
We know you will join us in welcoming Dr. Powell-Williams to her new position and share our delight that we have such a capable and caring individual on our team.
Arthur J. Farley, M.D.
President of the Board of DirectorsArthur J. Farley, M.D. is certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and certified in child, adolescent, and adult psychoanalysis by the American Psychoanalytic Association. He is an associate clinical professor at both Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Medical School. He serves as a training and supervising analyst at the Houston-Galveston Psychoanalytic Institute and on the clinical faculty of the Austin Psychiatric Residency Program. Throughout his career, Dr. Farley has generously given his time to improve mental health for children and families.
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Dr. Farley Named Top Psychiatrist
 Congratulations to our Cliinical Director and co-founder, Arthur J. Farley, M.D. for being named as one of the Top Psychiatrists in Houston.
What makes Dr. Farley's latest award so special is that he was chosen by his peers: other Houston psychiatrists.
We are fortunate to have such an eminent child and adult psychiatrist/psychoanalyst heading our school's clinical team.
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Organizations who help us.
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Students at The New School learn to "catch" good friends. |
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