Primary and Upper School 

Who we are

Autism Dream City, Inc. (ADC) is a Florida 501(c)(3) nonprofit established October 2020 to support children with disabilities and their families in the Miami-Dade, FL area.  Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for all children with disabilities education.  I’m a Florida native, a mother with a child living with Autism, and an experienced therapist of 22 years.  With the help of my amazing Board, we created ADC to provide awareness, resources, and training for families that are underserved and lack guidance and support in advocating for their child’s education.  Each day we work to promote programs, practices, and procedures that foster equal educational opportunities for all children with disabilities.

Our Mission

Our mission at ADC Academy School is to develop and nurture a child’s individualized ability, while meeting the needs of the child through academics, evidence=based services, and socialization with peers. We believe that children learn in different ways. We want to foster individual learning styles, to make your child more independent and social within their community and within their life.

At the ADC Academy School, we believe that every child’s life begins with the ability and desire to communicate with the people they are in contact with every day. By the time they reach the school age, these children need a place to grow both cognitively and socially. At Autism Dream City Academy your child will develop individually and naturally through different therapies and skill related programs.

Our Philosophy

Central to our approach is the belief that, through the right interventions and learning, the brain can be re-wired and cognitive function can be enhanced. New neural pathways can be developed through intensive, one-on-one therapies, as well as group activities during the early years and beyond. ADC Academy School is proud to provide a variety of evidence-based services and curriculums that are crafted into holistic programs individualized for each child that include Academic Learning; Language Arts, Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies, Behavior Therapy based on the Verbal Behavior VB-MAPP, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Sensory Integration, Play Skills, Adaptive Daily Living Skills, Music Therapy, and Socialization Skills.

Our Students

Our program has been developed to provide a behavior and language-based intervention that promotes communication, language, cognition, independence, and social development for our children with varying developmental delays which include but are not limited to Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cognitive Impairment, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder and Language-Based Delay. Our program serves elementary, middle and early high school age students that will be grouped according to chronological age as well as cognitive functioning level.

Additional Programs

What we do

Our Gifts Program provides hands-on in-person training and online resources and training modules for families and children impacted by disabilities or special health care needs.  The program design and curriculum is grounded in the most current research in self-care Activities of Daily Living (ADL) best practices.  Regardless of the kind, category, and degree of disability a child has, we ensure ADL learning and growth opportunities are provided within their home.  We also integrate learning activities that can be applied within each family’s community.  Activities that most of us take for granted, like dining out or catching a movie are now possible for families that we work with.  In all, we use a wide range of approaches, options, and strategies for educating parents on basic to advanced ADL skills that they can teach their children. A fundamental component of the program is also helping parents advocate for an integrated and inclusive education for their special needs child in the K-12.

Our BIG why for ADLs

A child born with a disability such as autism or intellectual disabilities must learn self-care or activities of daily living (ADLs) to avoid a lifetime of dependence that can also lead to unsafe conditions, poorer quality of life, increased health care costs, increased risk of mortality, and institutionalization.  Many of these children are capable of learning ADLs and one day joining the other 16 million Americans who have a disability and are (successfully) living independently in their community. We continue to work on empowering our students to position themselves for independent living and life success by mastering basic skills to advanced ADL skills paired with academic and social skills. Combining all these tools in an individualized program, will increase a student’s future for success.

Admissions

We ask that you provide us with any additional evaluations, progress reports, individualized education plans or learning plans (ex. IEP), and school records completed in the past year. A comprehensive application packet must be completed. Your admissions fee of $500.00 includes the application processing, formal and informal evaluation, and a comprehensive report. Our admissions procedure ensures that your child will be placed in the best learning environment.

Admissions Checklist

• Completed Application Packet
• Admissions Fee of $500.00- may be waivered upon income based programs
• Progress Reports, Additional Evaluations, IEP and School Records within the past year
• Any evaluations from outside services
• Health Forms

Evaluation Procedure

Each student will be evaluated with formal assessments and informal observations

We accept the following scholarships:

• McKay Scholarship, Step Up for Students, Gardiner Scholarship and Florida’s Family Empowerment 
  www.stepupforstudents.org
  
• Tuition does not vary with the number of siblings enrolled
• Tuition can be paid in advance annually, semi-annually or by semester
• ADC Academy Primary School is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization

Reporting Misconduct by Instructional Personnel and Administrators

All instructional personnel, educational support employees, and school administrators have an obligation to report misconduct by instructional personnel, educational support employees, and school administrators which affects the health, safety, or welfare of a student. Examples of misconduct include obscene language, drug and alcohol use, disparaging comments, prejudice or bigotry, sexual innuendo, cheating or testing violations, physical aggression, and accepting or offering favors. Reports of misconduct of employees should be made to Principal- Vivian Rivera at 786-886-7961. Reports of misconduct committed by administrators should be made to:

School Board: 

King David Diaz or Mary H. Rasch @ 3020 NE 41st Terr. #129, Homestead, FL 33033