Accommodated Learning Academy

At ALA, my son feels safe, loved and is learning! What else could I ask for?!? He has progressed unbelievably due to how they individually focus on his needs and accommodate him. They really encourage, reinforce and help him excel in his strengths. They also see his challenges and motivate him. At ALA he’s not a number or just another body. He’s treated like a person and he knows he matters. They believe in him. He actually loves going to school and learning now! We love this school and all they’ve done for our son!

ALA has been such a blessing for my son the last 2 1/2 years. The faculty are quite knowledgeable on dealing with kids who have a wide range of learning differences. My son has made huge progress and I highly recommend setting up a tour if you are interested in learning more!

My wife and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and friendliness of the teachers and staff. It's really like being part of a family. The owners worked with us when getting enrolled.

As a parent of a young child that you notice issues with development/speech. Your first goal is to figure out what is wrong. When the child Psychiatrist tells you that your child is the most profoundly dyslexic child she has seen in 17 years of practice, a whole lot of new to-do's enter your life.nnThat was our son Matthew. He is dyslexic, dysgraphic and has an auditory processing disorder thrown in for good measure. As is the case with many of these children, there are aspects of their intellectual development that are off the charts. However, language is the basis for the transmission of all knowledge and no matter the latent capability of the child they can't learn without language.nnAs most parents find out very quickly, public schools are obliged to help but only to the most minimum amount of accommodation. At that point parents have a choice. They can become full time lobbyist with the local school district to battle for services, or you have to look for private options.nnNot all private schools (even those focused on learning disabilities) are the same. Initially we placed Matthew in a different private school. After some academic progress in the first year, the second year produced no measurable improvement. After realizing that the first school's approach was incompatible with Matthew's issues, we searched for another option. This was when we found ALA. The folks at ALA identified that Matthew could not progress academically until the speech problems were addressed. (You can't start a child on a reading program that still has speech issues.)nnMatthew began ALA in third grade. He tested above average for mathematical and spacial reasoning and well below average on speech and language. True to their name (Accommodated), Matthew's educational program was customized around addressing the most critical needs in order starting with speech.nnMany of ALA's educators have backgrounds in special education. They have staff with specific training academic language therapy. In combination with outside speech therapy, the ALA staff addressed Matthew's speech challenges while advancing his overall education plan commensurate with his capabilities and as close as possible to his peer group (an accommodated learning plan).nnBecause of the significant progress Matthew was making with ALA, we preferred to keep Matthew enrolled at ALA when work necessitated a relocation to Southern Arkansas. Again ALA coordinated with us an accommodated approach that allowed for part-time commuting and home study to meet his needs and later included virtual school via the internet.nnMatthew is now a Sophomore in high school. Another work related move will necessitate a school change so a detailed series of testing for Matthew was conducted. In the years since Matthew has been with ALA, this profoundly dyslexic child now tests out as normal for speech and language while maintaining the advanced spacial mathematical reasoning skills. There is no doubt that ALA has been critical in the efforts to support Matthew's development.

Our son has grown academically and his confidence has been restored during his time at ALA. ALA's ability to offer a truly individualized plan, has paved the way for future success in his life.