Warning: This listing is no longer actively maintained. The information below is likely to be out of date.

The Phoenix Center provides educational and therapeutic services for families and their children with autism and other severe developmental disabilities age five through 21. The Phoenix Center operates on the philosophy that every student is someone’s son or daughter, brother or sister, niece or nephew, grandson or granddaughter. As such, these children must be shown love and respect -- the love and respect we would show to our own families. Students are viewed in terms of their abilities, not disabilities. The goals of the Center are to provide inclusion opportunities in less restrictive settings, to provide programmatic excellence in a small nurturing environment, and to empower its students with severe developmental disabilities to become independent members of society.

Description:
The Phoenix Center is 501 ( c) (3) non-profit private school for students with autism and severe developmental disabilities. It operates a 180-day ten month school year and a 20-day extended school year. The school day runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Phoenix Center is divided into four units based on students’ levels of functioning and chronological ages. Based on their chronological grade level, students are grouped with either a three or four-year age span in each class. Currently, there are 16 classes, many of which have a 2:1 student-to-staff ratio; some have a 1:1 ratio. During the current school year, 33% of our students have a 1:1 instructional aide. This high number speaks to the severity of our students’ behavioral and life skills’ needs.

The Phoenix Center’s curriculum follows an eclectic approach combining Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), Modified Discrete Trial teaching, Incidental Learning, and whatever communication approach—Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Augmentative Alternative Communication Systems (AAC), sign language, verbal language—works for the individual child.

The Phoenix Center offers a full range of therapeutic services including speech/language, occupational, physical, and music therapies. It also provides social work and psychological counseling, art, and gym.

The Phoenix Center offers transition services, primarily targeted to students who are 14 years of age and older. These transition services include leisure and recreation activities, community-based instruction, and employment. The purpose of these services is to facilitate students' transition from school to work and/or independent living settings or other post-graduation outcomes.

The Phoenix Center also provides a full range of parent and family support services. The Phoenix Center offers parent education workshops, sibling support groups and Parents & Family Nights Out.

History:
The Phoenix Center was co-founded in 1991 by Dr. Douglas Berrian and Dr. Geraldine Gibbia. It opened that year with 16 students and 12 staff. Currently, 145 full and part-time staff members provide services to 148 students age five through 21 with severe developmental disabilities from 58 districts in eight New Jersey counties. The Center has established a reputation for providing services for children whom other schools have rejected because of the students' severe challenging behaviors, inappropriate social interactions, and limited language abilities. These individuals have become the Center's primary population.

Contact people:

Nora Rahaim, (email) Geraldine Gibbia, Executive Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (973) 542-0687

Address:

16 Monsignor Owens Place Nutley, NJ 07110 (See a map)

Web Site: http://phoenixcenterinc.com